replacing two 1gb sticks with one 2gb and one 1gb in my compaq cq56-112nr notebook windows 10

[mudslinga84]

is it possible to use 1(2gb) stick in replacement of two 1gb in my compaq presario cq56-112nr? also is it possible to upgrade using (1) 2gb stick with (1) 1gb stick for a gain of 1gb for a total of 3gb ram? ddr3 format 2gb stick has windows 7 while the two 1gb sticks installed are now windows 10 format? Can i get extra ram or will my pc "blow up?"

 

[basroil]

Bad idea, you should ALWAYS use paired ram for the dual channel memory. Your machine supports up to 8gb, so buy two 2gb sticks instead.

 

[voltoid27]

You can use a 2GB stick in combination with a 1GB stick, sure, but that won't allow for optimal performance. Your RAM will be running in single-channel mode, so you only get the speed of one stick rather than two. You can hold up to 8GB of RAM in your laptop, so I'd just max it out if I were you. $39 buys you the best RAM you can get for your system, and I highly recommend it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148732 The version of Windows you're running has nothing to do with your RAM, so you don't have to worry about that

If you want a really big boost in performance, you can upgrade your CPU to a Phenom II P650 for a measly $7 (plus whatever thermal paster you can get), and get a bit more clock speed and a second core to work with, as well as quadruple the level 2 cache. Here's the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-PHENOM-II-DUAL-CORE-P650-2-6GHZ-HMP650SGR23GM-S1-CPU-PROCESSOR-/151481122741?hash=item2344fa7fb5:g:C-8AAOSwaNBUau7E