Mixing memory - DDR2

[askari516]

Hello,

I have Corsair Dominator DDR2 XMS2 1066 2X2GB ram in my PC, and I wanted to add in more ram, as i live in Sharjah, United arab Emirates, DDR2 1066 in no longer available here and no retailer or distributor is ordering DDR2 1066.

a friend of mine is selling OCZ DDR2 1066 2x2GB Ram reaper series, can I mix both the ram together to get a capacity of 8 GB. both will be in equal pairs corsair in DIMM 1 and 3 and OCZ in DIMM 2 and 4

can i get a good advise from the forum

Regards
Hasan

 

[hellwig]

There should be no problem mixing memory as long as you ensure the voltages are the same. If the two pairs want different voltages, you'll have to manually set those voltages in the BIOS to the lower of the two, and may even need to down-clock the memory (i.e. to DDR2 800). If the two pairs list the same desired voltage, you should have no problems with power.

Also, make sure the timings are the same. You may have to set these manually to the slower of the two pairs to ensure they run smoothly. I.e. if you have 6-6-6-18 and 7-7-7-21, you're going to have to run the system at 7-7-7-21.

Running memory with reduced-settings should not be an issue, you only risk stability issues if you overvolt or overclock/overtime one pair.

Make sure you run memtest86+ with your final settings to ensure your system is stable.

 

[jsc]

Actually, if you need to increase the RAM voltage for stability, you can increase the RAM voltage to a max of 2.2 volts. I would not go higher.

 

[jaquith]

Refer to your MOBO as far as the correct DIMM slots; DO NOT mix pairs.

Next, clearly the Corsairs + Corsairs is a better choice. Most importantly, you MUST MATCH the {Speed, ALL CAS timings (e.g. 7-7-7-25 with 7-7-7-25), Voltage 1.5v with 1.5v, and obviously DDR2 with DDR2}. SOME MOBO are very picky and also need to have the SAME number of CHIPS per side...

I would only order RAM that you can EXCHANGE if need!

Good Luck!

 

[askari516]

There should be no problem mixing memory as long as you ensure the voltages are the same. If the two pairs want different voltages, you'll have to manually set those voltages in the BIOS to the lower of the two, and may even need to down-clock the memory (i.e. to DDR2 800). If the two pairs list the same desired voltage, you should have no problems with power.

Also, make sure the timings are the same. You may have to set these manually to the slower of the two pairs to ensure they run smoothly. I.e. if you have 6-6-6-18 and 7-7-7-21, you're going to have to run the system at 7-7-7-21.

Running memory with reduced-settings should not be an issue, you only risk stability issues if you overvolt or overclock/overtime one pair.

Make sure you run memtest86+ with your final settings to ensure your system is stable.

thanks for the reply, i just checked the website of both manufacturers:

corsair timings are: 5-5-5-15-2T 2.1v
OCZ timings are: 5-5-5-18 2.1v-2.2v

i will give it a try, as DDR2 1066 is no more available and my friend is giving away the OCZ ram at 50% the price

thanks
hasan