Choosing Ram for your new computer

At sometime during a computer's lifespan you fell the need for a RAM upgrade.
RAM these days is cheap and can give you some good performance boosts if you often run out of memory

These days the RAM we use in our home PCs is usually DDR and it stands for double data rate
DDR is further divided into separate categories

First we have DDR1 or just DDR - This kind of memory is almost obsolete and some of you might remember your pentium 3/4 PC with 256 megs of DDR memory or so. DDR memory consumes more power than DDR2 and DDR3 memory and runs at slower clock speeds and has smaller capacities. The highest clock speed on a DDR module can be about 400mhz and 533mhz on some modules.

DDR RAM looks like this:

An Old 256meg DDR module

Then we have DDR2 - This kind of memory is still being used in many LGA775 platforms(core 2 duo's, PDCs etc) and AM2 AM2+ platforms ( athlons, phenoms etc)
DDR2 consumes less power when compared to DDR and runs at higher clock speeds. The typical DDR2 speeds are usually 667mhz and 800mhz but however some 1066 kits are available.
DDR2 supports higher capacities and is cheaper than DDR when compared by a price to GB ratio.

Below is a picture of DDR2 RAM:

A DDR2 module

Finally we have the newest and best DDR3 - DDR3 is whats currently being used in new systems. Most modern PCs built in 2010 or later have this kind of memory. DDR3 is much faster than DDR2 and is also cheaper,has higher capacities and is power efficient. Typical DDR3 modules usually run at 1333mhz and 1600mhz kits are also available for cheap.
The new AMD FX processors support upto DDR3 1866. Some high end kits such as the G.skill Trident and Corsair dominator series can be clocked as high as 2.4 Ghz or 2400mhz.
Recently one of Corsairs kits were clocked close to a whooping 3.0 Ghz

Below is a picture of some DDR3 modules

Two DDR3 1333mhz modules

G.skill Ripjaws 1600mhz modules

A Corsair Dominator 3GHZ module

Laptop RAM - Laptop RAM modules are the same as desktop modules except the fact that they are much smaller physically

A laptop modules looks like this:

A SO-DIMM memory module

Now many of you might have different questions about RAM and so I have prepared a FAQ below:

Q1. Can DDR or DDR2 memory be installed in a DDR3 slot and vice versa?

Ans. No you cannot use any one kind of memory in a slot designed for a different type of memory.
       The Reason for this is that the slots are physically different so a DDR3 or DDR2 memory won't fit
        in a DDR slot.

Q2. Can laptop RAM be installed in a desktop and vice versa?

Ans. No desktop and laptop RAM sticks are not interchangeable mainly due to them being physically
       different from each other. There are some adapters that allow you to use laptop modules in your
       desktop but they are quite rare.

Q3. Can I mix different RAM sticks of different capacities and speeds?

Ans. There is no definite answer to this question. Some motherboards are flexible in choosing RAM and  
       some are not. If you mix say a 1600mhz module with a 1333mhz then even if your motherboard
       detects both of them and remains stable you'll notice that the 1600mhz volume has been clocked
       down to the slower 1333mhz speed.

       As far as capacities are go it is usually not recommended to mix sticks of different capacities.
       Doing this usually leads to BSOD and instability issues.

Q4. How much memory is required for a computer to function smoothly?

Ans. It all depends on your needs. For a basic computer intended for web browsing a minimum of 2GB
       is recommended. Casual Gamers might require about 4GB of RAM while hardcore gamers and
       enthusiasts may need 8GB of RAM. Going above 8GB is just overkill and most of your ram then
       is just left unused.

Q5. What speed of RAM should I get?

Ans. This too depends on your needs and how much you are willing to spend.Usually DDR3 memory at
       1333mhz is good enough. Some people might like using 1600mhz memory as its only a little more
       expensive and only Hardcore gamers and enthusiasts go for the expensive 1866,2133 and
       2400mhz kits.


Thank you for reading this article.If you have any questions feel free to message my or email me at jaideeptw@yahoo.com