Re: Which memory upgrade ?

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GoldHawk wrote:
I have an ASRock K7VT2 Motherboard:

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=K7VT2

There are 4 available memory slots. The motherboard specification says that it will support both DDR and SDRAM memory, with a maximum capacity 2GB DDR or 2GB SDRAM, thus:

- DDR x 2, DDR266/200 non-ECC, un-buffered memory
- SDRAM x 2, PC133/100 non-ECC, un-buffered memory

It also says this:
. 168-pin DIMM Banking: 2 (2 banks of 1)
. 184-pin DIMM Banking: 2 (2 banks of 1)
. Chipset: VIA Apollo KT266A
. Error Detection Support: Non-ECC only
. Graphics Support: AGP 4X
. Max Component Density: 512Mb
. Max Unbuffered DDR SDRAM: 2048MB
. Max Unbuffered SDR SDRAM: 2048MB
. Module Types Supported: Unbuffered only
. SDR SDRAM Frequencies: PC100 and PC133
. Supported DRAM Types: SDR SDRAM and DDR SDRAM
. USB Support: 2.x Compliant

I presently have fitted 2 x 512MB DDR PC2100. I therefore have 2 x available slots free.

Running a Crucial memory scan it is reported that each memory slot can hold DDR PC3200, DDR PC2700, SDRAM, PC133 with a maximum of 1GB per slot. I am aware that Windows will only utilise up to 3GB - 3.5GB of memory.

My CPU is AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2000+. I am running WinXP Pro.

I am interested in increasing overall memory to 2GB in the hope that this will increase performance of what I guess is by now a fairly dated hardware system. However, I'm rather unclear about what memory I should get and would welcome any expert guidance.

For example, is SDRAM "better" than DDR ? Is DDR PC3200 "better / faster" than PC2700 or the PC2100 I presently have fitted ? Should I fit matching modules (say, 512MB each) in the 2 spare slots or can I fit a 1GB module in one of the spare slots leaving the other one empty? Can I fit DDR PC3200, or DDR PC2700, or even SDRAM in the spare slots, or do all 4 slots have to be the same (PC2100)? Should I be fitting 168 or 184-pin DIMM ?

The empty slots I have appear to have 2 posts which would correspond with the double notch of the 256MB module which I replaced some years ago. From what I have read this appears to be a 164-pin rather than a 184-pin slot. However, I still have the original packaging of the 512MB DDR PC2100 module(s) which is now fitted and this clearly says this is 184-pin DIMM.

The old 256MB module is labelled with 133MHz. I seem to recall that the 512 MB modules now fitted were the same (133MHz).

The empty slots also appear to have the figure 84 stamped at one end. I don't know if this is significant indicating they are 184-pin slots.

This is all a bit of a minefield. Any steer would be much appreciated.


From the bottom of page 9
http://download.asrock.com/manual/K7VT2.pdf

"Please do not insert both 168-pin SDRAM DIMM and 184-pin DDR
DIMM at the same time. Only use one single type of DIMMs at one
time."

That means you have four slots, but can only use two of them at
a time, of matching memory type. You can use two DDR sticks. Or
you can use two SDRAM sticks. But not mix the types. So at
most, you can fill two (identical type) slots. Two slots will
remain empty.

One reason for this, is DDR and SDRAM need different voltages.
Only one voltage supply is available, so it cannot run both
memory types properly at the same time.

According to the manual, the board runs the DDR slots
at "PC1600/ PC2100". You can purchase any memory of
that speed, or even faster memory. You can purchase
PC3200 1GB modules if you want, but the board
will actually run them at the lower speeds listed
in the manual. Faster memory products are backward
compatible with lower speed operation, so the PC3200
stick will be perfectly happy running at PC2100 (DDR266).

As for a source of 1GB DDR modules, I do not recommend
buying those from Ebay. The Ebay sellers try to sell
"high density" RAM. Even if your chipset is listed as
"compatible" with that RAM, the less of that RAM that
is in circulation, the better. "High density" RAM is
not interchangeable. It may fail to work if you
plug it into another motherboard in the future.

If you instead buy a branded RAM (Crucial, Micron,
Kingston, OCZ, Geil, Patroit, Corsair and so on),
the odds are better that proper x8 width chips
will be used. And then the RAM, when you're finished
with it, can be resold to someone else, with
the assurance that it will work.

Paul
.

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