memory upgrade question

Hi. I haven't visited these forums for a while but with your help I am trying to get back into the hardware loop!

I just acquired a PC from my cousin for gaming purposes. I want to add another 2gb(2x1gb) of ram to my system for a total of 3gb.

Asus A8N-SLI
AMD 64 X2 4200+
BFG Tech 7950 GT OC
1GB (2x512) Corsair XMS3200 400mhz
550w power supply (off brand.. UltraX? I think. It is my next upgrade for obvious reasons)

I have a two questions:

1) To my understanding my current ram should be running @ CAS 2 but I am not sure. When I load up BIOS and check the dram timings it says its running @ CAS 3. I included screenshots of both the ram timings in my bios ( http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/1498/img00086201002021518.jpg ) and a stick of the ram itself ( http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/2553/img00089201002021522.jpg ). I am clueless when it comes to ram timing. I figured I should inquire your professional help before I make a purchase.

2) Shopping around for ram I think ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231047 ) is my best option. Is it slower than the ram I currently have? If so what should I buy?

Thanks for any help!

Thats default or lose timings... More of a compatible mode per say... You can change that to 2 without any issues as long as the RAM can do it....(which it can) I would try to buy the same type of RAM when you add another 2 gig....

Thanks man!

I can't find the same exact ram. Only thing I can find is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145273 but that is CAS3, which is what got me to this questions in the first place .

wubism said:

Thanks man!

I can't find the same exact ram. Only thing I can find is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145273 but that is CAS3, which is what got me to this questions in the first place .

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Yeah, I saw that.... Sometimes you can force it to do 2 even if it says 3, as long as you don't overclock it you should be fine.... However, the two 512MB chips are pretty nice.... Platinum series... back in the day when DDR was top dog....

Joeteck said:

Yeah, I saw that.... Sometimes you can force it to do 2 even if it says 3, as long as you don't overclock it you should be fine.... However, the two 512MB chips are pretty nice.... Platinum series... back in the day when DDR was top dog....

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Ok. So you don't recommend the G.Skill I linked? Would it be better to get that since it is CAS2.5 or is mixing ram a bad idea? Sorry for the stupid questions.

wubism said:

Ok. So you don't recommend the G.Skill I linked? Would it be better to get that since it is CAS2.5 or is mixing ram a bad idea? Sorry for the stupid questions.

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Not stupid.... Mixing RAM is not recommend. because it will only go as fast as your slowest...

The GSkill is fine.... Just go with 2 x 2gig, to have 3.5gig in XP...

Joeteck said:

Not stupid.... Mixing RAM is not recommend. because it will only go as fast as your slowest...

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I was referring to brands of ram but I get what you're saying. I think I will play it safe and go with the Corsair. Thanks.

I currently have 1gb (2x 512mb) and I am going to buy 2gb (2x1gb) for a total of 3gb running in Win7 32bit. I will still be able to dual channel, but I have read there is some issues with the A8N-SLI when you fill all 4 ram dimms. I guess it forces the comp to 266mhz, but you can go into the bios and force it back to 400mhz. I tested that with ram from my buddies computer and it seemed to work fine.

wubism said:

I currently have 1gb (2x 512mb) and I am going to buy 2gb (2x1gb) for a total of 3gb running in Win7 32bit. I will still be able to dual channel, but I have read there is some issues with the A8N-SLI when you fill all 4 ram dimms. I guess it forces the comp to 266mhz, but you can go into the bios and force it back to 400mhz. I tested that with ram from my buddies computer and it seemed to work fine.

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Sometimes some RAM does not play nicely with others..... You may want to get two sets of that, to have a total of 4gig... however 32bit windows will only see 3 to 3.5gig.... Still better as everything would be the same...

I don't think it should matter too much if you're not trying to overclock. If you are, then why not check out the FS threads?