Can I put sizes RAM sticks in my PC?

Question

I remember reading in one of my A+ Certification books (obviously I didnt learn much from them) that there are some situations where all your RAM sticks have to be the same size.  For example, if I have a 1G stick in 1 slot, the rest have to be 1G as well.  Im pretty sure thats for older systems, but i wanted to make sure before I went out and bought RAM.  My computer uses DDR II SDRAM.  If you need more info, my system is a Acer Aspire M3100-UD5200A.  Thanks for any help

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Now a days it does not matter.

i use a hp laptop which uses a ddr2 ram,

i have a 1gb ram in one slot and a 512 in another slot,
comp works very well and visa assesment has give a 4.5 rating for my ram

Bjorn · Answer

It is generally no longer an issue. Newer DDR ram does not require it to be the same size.

Some DESKTOP motherboards have options for the memory to run in "Dual Channel Mode", which effectively doubles the data transfer speed.  In order to use the "Dual Channel" option you need two sticks of ram that are the same size and speed, preferably the same model number. This is to ensure that not only size and speed are the same, but the latencies are the same as well.

Arielle · Answer

Size doesn't matter, but the clock speed of the RAM does. For instance, if you have one 1GB DDR2 667 MHz stick and one 1GB DDR2 800 MHz stick, your mobo might not accept it. Make sure all of your sticks use the same frequency. Also, make sure the frequency of your RAM is supported by the motherboard; if you put in 800 MHz clocked RAM into a motherboard that only supports 667 MHz, your RAM will be underclocked and you won't get the performance you could get.

As for RAM recommendations, I highly recommend Corsair or Kingston RAM, since they're both very high quality.

David P · Answer

Now that the ram architecture has changed, you no longer need to have matching pairs of ram sticks.

You should be alright, but if you buy a different speed of ram, your system will adapt to the slowest ram on the board, so make sure you get the right spec.

Howard C · Answer

I don't have to repeat what most people here rightly say - it doesn't matter if you mix sizes. But I thought you might like to know that if you go to www.crucial.com you can have a free scan where you will be told in detail all the possibilities for your particular pc. There is obviously a limit to what you can install. I have used their sticks for years and they are top value.

Anonymous · Answer

now a days you can use different sizes of rams in memory banks of your mother board but for better performance take care that the base frequency of all the rams should be same. SIZE DOES NOT MATTER THERE

Jamon · Answer

Din B is exactly right it may have used to been true but not anymore.  Now days a computer is designed to figure that out.

Din B · Answer

Not now a days. Older indeed

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Can I put sizes RAM sticks in my PC?

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