Computer RAM; speed vs quantity

[SoreArms]

my work PC has 1 GIG of 400 MHZ RAM. I have another 512MB of 266 MHZ RAM that I can add. Installing the 266 MHZ chips will degrade the 400 MHZ chips down to 266 MHZ. My question is, what will give me better performace, 1 gig of ram at 400 MHZ, or 1.5 gigs of RAM at 266 MHZ?

 

[seizer]

I gig should be enough for the type of applications your running...atleast, this is what I would assume. And by enough, I mean alot.

 

[SoreArms]

I gig should be enough for the type of applications your running...atleast, this is what I would assume. And by enough, I mean alot.

what do you know about what type of applications I run?

 

[anthrax]

What applications are you running that could possibly need more than 1 GB?

 

[Island Son]

depends on what you're doing. CAD? Animation?
I'd stick with the 1Gig for anything else

 

[SoreArms]

depends on what you're doing. CAD? Animation?
I'd stick with the 1Gig for anything else

CAD/modeling softwares

 

[seizer]

CAD/modeling softwares

not only are you gonna want a lot of ram, but you are gonna want it to be fast.
especially for cad and modeling.

 

[chewyxrage]

good question. I have no clue, subscribed.

 

[chrisoh]

most ppl dont notice memory bus speed increases from 266 to 400, quantity will make a far greater impact that speed.

 

[pintoca]

It depends on what you do with it... normally, PC3200 (400Mhz) it's sub-utilized and severely limited by the FSB on the board. It is not common that similar systems, one running 400Mhz memory and one running more common 333 Mhz memory (PC2700) the one with the slower memory is faster overal: normally this happens because in those systems is easier to find clock-sync components: FSB, Memory and processor all running 333Mhz cycles (or multiple of 333).

 

[SoreArms]

^

 

[Ulcasterdropout]

Depends on the age. If the chipset(s) support asynchronous memory speeds, and if there is a preexisting frequency bottleneck @ the FSB, and the CPU can efficiently handel the extra registers.

 

[digger]

Try it and see. You want to make sure it'll boot in that configuration, for one thing.

You ought to be able to fire it up and open one of your larger drawings without having to close the covers and put all the screws back in. Try it, see if it's peppier or not. If it looks solid, put the lid back on. If not, pop the RAM out and find a better use for it. One box with 1GB and another with 512? They'd both be usable.

I've got one (badly written, true) app that won't even run on a machine with more than 1 GB, so there's another reason not to shovel in any old RAM just because it's handy.