PC hardware forum: Ram Questions (I'm Not Stupid... Really!)

DDR vs DDR2, not going into technical aspects except to say that they are different size sticks [number of pins], can't be intermixed or interchanged. Mobo and CPU must support the specific one. AMD 64 bit CPU's and thus mobos for such only support DDR. Newer Intel CPU's and related mobos require DDR2.

Most mobos support both single and dual sided, however theirare a limited number of mobos that do not. Sided is simply whether there are DIMMs on both sides of the memory card or only on one, side. The density of the DIMMs may be more of a discriminant in some mobos.

PC 3200 is always DDR 400, of course you can elect to run it at 166 MHz rather than 200 MHz.

Can't replace DDR with DDR 2, they are different physical size.

If you are going to current AMD 64 they only support DDR. AMD's that will supportDDR2 are projected for mid 2006 and will require a new mobo type. The MCH [Memeory Controller Hub] is inside the CPU die with the AMD 64's, that is why they must come out with a new CPU type to support DDR2. Intel CPU's MCH's are still in the Northbridge chip of the chipset, but Intel calls the northbridge the MCH.

Two great sites http://www.tomshardware.com http://www.anandtech.com

Thanks so much for the info. I figured I messed up in some of the descriptions. Like I said I've been out of the loop for a bit. I should have figured you can't just replace a stick of DDR w/DDR2.
So you both pretty much answered my questions. I do have 1 more though. How big is the performance boost from 3gb DDR333 as opposed to 2gb DDR400? I'm looking at it from the stand point of gaming. I don't want "The Best Gaming Rig In The World!" (although I wouldn't mind it) but for what I've got. What would you chose if you were me?

I logged onto these forums for answers to some of the same questions you asked!

You can also go to www.powerleap.com and run their online configuration tool. It will document your system configuration and offer your upgrade options.