RAM question

AGB863

I have just purchased a new PC which came with 256mb of DDR 400mhz RAM.
I want to put more ram in and there is another slot on the board, but the question is do you have to balance the ram in the slots ie 512mb in each slot or can I put a single 1GB RAM in the empty slot and leave the 256mb in place?

electron_3

I always just try to put the biggest amount in slot 1

But with modern machines these days even that isnt to much of a consideration.

Omertron

Unless you have a dual channel memory motherboard, you won't need to match the memory. Just buy another stick the same type (but not RAM capacity).

Are you sure that you only have one more socket on the board? Most modern PC motherboards come with slots for 4 RAM sticks. I say this because it's probably cheaper to buy 2x512Mb than 1x1Gb.

Mark_LJ

It depends on the type of motherboard. A lot of machines now run in what they call dual channel so that the sticks need to be the same size/speed etc to work to their full potentila. A mismatch may also mean errors. If you go to https://www.crucial.com/uk/ you'll find that if you input your computer make/model it'll usually take you to the correct upgrade.

xycom1

Most high-street bought machines just have 2 RAM slots in them - whereas 'build-at-home' motherboards usually have a few more. Personally I would get at least a 1GB piece and put that in slot 1 as someone suggests and move the smaller card to the next slot. That way, you can always 'chuck' the 256MB later and put another 1GB stick in when you find you want some more power.

Whereas if you chuck the 256MB now and put in 2x512MB, you will have to dispose of some more RAM later.