BleepingComputer.com: need help/tip upgrading my RAM

Hi, i'm planning to upgrade my RAM to 2gb. so i went to crucial's and corsair's site to find out what works best for my PC.
the ram specification that corsair suggested is DDR2-533 (PC2-4200), which is the same with my current ram so i guess this is compatible with my mobo.
But when I went to crucial, they suggested a DDR2-667 ( PC2-5300) type of memory so now i'm confused, which of these 2 is better?

This is my current system info:

emachines W3619

OS: windows vista SP2

CPU: intel celeron D 360, 3.4ghz, 512kb L2 cache, 533 MHz FSB.

CURRENT RAM: type: DDR2, single channel
size: 512mb
manufacturer: samsung
max bandwidth: PC2-4300 (266 MHz)

MOTHERBOARD: ELITEGROUP 945GCT-M3 (socket 775), intel i945g chipset.

MAXIMUM RAM CAPACITY: 2048

TOTAL SLOTS: 2

DUAL CHANNEL SUPPPORT: yes


Any help/tip is appreciated.

If your MoBo does not support the extra speed, you need only choose by the price. The faster memory will only run as fast as the MoBo lets it.

You might want to check your BIOS. There may be a BIOS upgrade that could change things.

Memory is usually backward compatible, so faster memory can be substituted for slower but you will not benefit from the extra speed.

Which was cheaper?


DR

thanks for the quick reply rigacci

at crucial's site it says: Each of my memory slot can hold DDR2 PC2-5300 with a maximum of 1GB per slot.*
About the backward compatible thing. does it mean that, let's say that my mobo supports only up to PC2-4200, i could still put PC2-8500 type of ram but it will only run like a PC2-4200? am i wrong?
Im just an average user, i dont know much about upgrading. i thougt i could just buy any ram and put it in. but i found out that's not the case.
and i dont know how to work with BIOS. i dont wanna change things on it. just to be safe.

s.j.d.p, on Dec 13 2009, 04:58 AM, said:

Nah, forget tweaking the BIOS.

Let's say you buy a DDR2 PC2 6400 stick that runs at 800Mhz. If your motherboard's FSB maxes out at 667Mhz, the new stick will only run at 667Mhz.

In your case, your motherboard's FSB maxes out at 533Mhz, so even if you were to buy a 667Mhz (PC2 5300) or a 800Mhz stick (PC2 6400), it would only run at 533Mhz.
So I suggest you stick to the 533Mhz (PC2 4200) sticks !

Trade in your current memory stick and get this:
Kingston 2GB (1GBX2) PC2 4200 Kit

On the other hand, if you plan to change your motherboard and proccy soon, it would make sense to buy faster memory sticks and have them run at the current speed for now.

Thanks ReviverSoft, that made things clearer. i went to best buy, they have kingston PC2-5300 sticks that are backward compatible with PC2-4200. is that a good ram?
and thanks for the link, if i cant get a Pc2-4200 stick at best buy. i would go for it.

thanks everyone.

s.j.d.p, on Dec 13 2009, 05:47 AM, said:

Yes it is.
It's also cheaper at Newegg : Kingston 1GB DDR2 667Mhz

Kingston, Crucial, and a host of others are reliable RAM module makers.

Generally, the only time you have to worry about quality...is when you are purchasing/given RAM by a person or via eBay and the issues may not have anything to do with the quality...but whether it's the right RAM for your system.

Louis