Adding more RAM

[Eireann]

I have two memory sticks in my computer tower now. I think they're both 1GB. Should I just go with 1GB for the remaining two slots, or higher?

[PepperElf]

www.crucial.com

It will list what your max ram is, and the optimal setup, and what kind of stick you need to get.


and in some cases they even have ways to out-do your system max.
for my mac mini, it's suppose to tap out at 8G, but crucial supposedly found a way to double it to 16G. although I'm too broke to do it - i still ahve the original 4G installed.

[lordlundar]

In the case of RAM higher is better up to a point. If you're running a 32-bit OS (aka XP, Win7 32 bit) then you are restricted to 4 GB of total RAM in the system. This includes (and is prioritized) your video card memory. So if you have a 1GB video card in your system, the max RAM that will be recognized by a 32-bit system is 3GB.

64-bit systems have much higher levels (starting at 64Gb for Win7 Home Basic) and go up to well over 200GB so if you want to go over the total 4GB cap, you'll need to go to a 64-bit OS.

[emax4]

Also, RAM is best installed in matching pairs for better performance. If your board has 4 slots, and two of those are occupied by 1 GB sticks, you have two slots left to install another matching pair of RAM. In addition to the operating system, motherboards have a maximum amount of RAM that they can address as well. You may want two 16GB sticks when your motherboard can only "see" or address 16 GB total.