4-4-4-12 vs. 4-4-4-15

[jojojo_10]

Hi all,

I've read countless memory mix questions. So I understand it's best to have the same DDR2 speed, the same CAS latency and the same voltage. But I couldn't find a single thread which answers my question.

I currently have 4Gb of RAM on my system: DDR2 800, CAS 4, timing: 4-4-4-15, voltage: 2.1V, dual channel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267

I search the web for the same memory anymore but couldn't find them. And I want to add some RAM.

I found these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231088

DDR2 800, CAS: 4, timing: 4-4-4-12, voltage: 2.0-2.1V, multi-channel: unspecified

So here are my questions:
1. Can I mix 4-4-4-12 with 4-4-4-15? If yes, do I need to adjust anything on my Bios (I have this mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394) ?
2. should I be concerned regarding the lack of information on the multi-channel capabilities?

Thanks,
jo.

 

[Maziar]

Hello and welcome to the forums
First of all,I recommend getting the exact RAM,but since you can't find it then why don't you save money to get something better ? because if you add the G.Skill RAM,you'll overall will have 5GB RAM which won't give you a notable boost in performance;furthermore, there might be some compatibility issues since they don't have the same timings.
Your current RAM is still good,if you want to upgrade,then save some money and get a 8GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM later

 

[jojojo_10]

Hi Maziar,

Thanks for your reply.
I should have stated that I'm planning to buy 2 Gb and unfortunately, it seems that my motherboard doesn't support DD3. With that in mind, what are your suggestion? Should I try to sell my current memory and buy 6 or 8 Gb of new DDR2 memory?

Jo

 

[Maziar]

What's your usage ? 4GB is fine for today's games/apps. I'd recommend upgrading to 8GB if you want to do heavy image/video editing

 

[jojojo_10]

Hi Maziar,
Indeed, it's for image/video editing.
I have Photoshop 9, playing with 16mpix images and HD videos.
I hope my system would be more responsive with more memory.
Jo

 

[j2j663]

My only question is ( I know your system may not be terribly outdated) are you running a 64bit processor and if so are you running a 64 bit OS? If you aren't it won't matter how much memory you add as your system will never be able to use more than 4GB.

Secondly have you monitored you task manager and verified that you are constantly using all of your ram? If you aren't using all of your ram and aren't using much of your page file adding more ram will not help your system at all as your bottleneck will be else where.

 

[Maziar]

Also post your other system specs,because those tasks benefit from a fast CPU too

 

[jojojo_10]

Yes, of course, I have W7 64 bits.
Here are my key system specs:

OS Name Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Version 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Build 7601
Other OS Description Not Available
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
System Model GA-MA785GM-US2H
System Type x64-based PC
Processor AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 640 Processor, 3000 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date Award Software International, Inc. F11, 5/17/2010
SMBIOS Version 2.4
Windows Directory C:\Windows
System Directory C:\Windows\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1

Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "6.1.7601.17514"

and here is memory status with Photoshop Elements 9 launched:

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB
Total Physical Memory 3.50 GB
Available Physical Memory 1.56 GB
Total Virtual Memory 6.99 GB
Available Virtual Memory 4.66 GB
Page File Space 3.50 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

 

[Maziar]

Your CPU is holding you back here.Upgrading it will give you a great boost in performance

 

[jojojo_10]

According to my Windows Experience index (WEI), my CPU is actually my strongest link (7.3/10). It's a quad-core 3GHz. Not the fastest but do you really think that's what holding me back? Still according to the WEI, the weakest is the GPU (on board AMD 785G 3D) could an upgrade help? if yes, what are my options?

 

[Maziar]

WEI is one of the worst ways to judge the performance,so don't rely on it.
Your CPU is "good" but there are plenty much faster CPUs around.
And yes,a discrete GPU will definitely help.Your board supports all of today's cards.Do you plan to play games ? also what's your PSU model ?

 

[jojojo_10]

PSU is a pretty old ICtronics 350W but still doing the job.
It powers 2 HDD, 2 optical drives, 1 card reader and the mobo and CPU (95W) of course. From what I researched, a 350W PSU is enough for my current configuration. But would it support a discrete GPU card?
What GPU would you recommend in the $50 price range.

I'm not into games that much so the whole fps improvement thing is not a concern for me. The key for me is "will it speed up my photo editing and video editing startup and operations"?

 

[Maziar]

A discrete GPU will help mostly in video rendering.It doesn't help the startup times(that's where a SSD shines)
As for GPU,I recommend HD 5450
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102882
However,definitely upgrade your PSU IMO.350w is a little low for your setup.(Especially if you want to upgrade your CPU later)

 

[jojojo_10]

Best answer selected by jojojo_10.