how can i tell what my ram voltage is?

yohann koldheart · 12-27-2007, 07:07 PM

im upgrading and buying new ram, i got a dell dimension 8400, how can i tell what voltage my factory ram is running?

does it even matter if my new ram matched the voltage of my old ram?

i buying from newegg.com i used the tool to tell me what kind of ram my pc can use but i see there is a bunch of different voltages.

Crolack · 12-27-2007, 07:22 PM

Are you upgrading from a Dell, or are you upgrading the mem in your Dell? I had a Dell a while ago and I seem to remember the RAM had to come from Dell because they had a propriety RAM system.

I'd check with Dell before you buy anything.

BassMannings · 12-27-2007, 08:44 PM

PC2-3200 click

yohann koldheart · 12-27-2007, 09:07 PM

thanks, i have a dell dimension 8400 with 1 gig, im upgrading the ram.

i went to www.crucial.com and used their ram configurator. they had a few options for me to choose from that my pc will work with.

i bought 2 gigs, 2x1gig sticks.

my pc has 4 ram slots with a max of 4 gigs. can i use 2 1 gig sticks and keep my slower 512 sticks in for a total of 3 gigs? or should i take the 512 sticks out and keep the 2 1 gig sticks?

BassMannings · 12-27-2007, 09:23 PM

depends on how much speed you want vs how much slower the existing 512s are..the new faster ram will only perform at the slower 512s speed if you leave them in. which is to say you will see some system improvements just from the extra capacity,but the system won't page any faster.. rather it WILL be a faster machine for the addition of the memory,but calculations won't be. if that makes any sense.

Lysara · 12-28-2007, 03:33 PM

BassMannings wrote:

depends on how much speed you want vs how much slower the existing 512s are..the new faster ram will only perform at the slower 512s speed if you leave them in. which is to say you will see some system improvements just from the extra capacity,but the system won't page any faster.. rather it WILL be a faster machine for the addition of the memory,but calculations won't be. if that makes any sense.

Thats interesting to know, I had no idea.

I recently added a pair of 1 gig sticks to my 512sticks and performance didnt really improve at all.. Should I probably just take the 512's out?

BassMannings · 12-28-2007, 09:22 PM

all i can tell you is to remove the 512s and see if it's any better. if not,put em back in,as they aren't hurting anything,and you'll be able to run more apps simultaneously with them than without them.

12-27-2007, 07:22 PM	#2
Crolack Death Cow Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Lost Angels Posts: 214	Are you upgrading from a Dell, or are you upgrading the mem in your Dell? I had a Dell a while ago and I seem to remember the RAM had to come from Dell because they had a propriety RAM system. I'd check with Dell before you buy anything. __________________

12-28-2007, 03:33 PM	#6
Lysara Defender Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 13	BassMannings wrote: depends on how much speed you want vs how much slower the existing 512s are..the new faster ram will only perform at the slower 512s speed if you leave them in. which is to say you will see some system improvements just from the extra capacity,but the system won't page any faster.. rather it WILL be a faster machine for the addition of the memory,but calculations won't be. if that makes any sense. Thats interesting to know, I had no idea. I recently added a pair of 1 gig sticks to my 512sticks and performance didnt really improve at all.. Should I probably just take the 512's out?

12-27-2007, 07:07 PM	#1
yohann koldheart Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: harrisburg,PA Posts: 1,601	im upgrading and buying new ram, i got a dell dimension 8400, how can i tell what voltage my factory ram is running? does it even matter if my new ram matched the voltage of my old ram? i buying from newegg.com i used the tool to tell me what kind of ram my pc can use but i see there is a bunch of different voltages.

12-27-2007, 08:44 PM	#3
BassMannings Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 16	PC2-3200 click

12-27-2007, 09:07 PM	#4
yohann koldheart Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: harrisburg,PA Posts: 1,601	thanks, i have a dell dimension 8400 with 1 gig, im upgrading the ram. i went to www.crucial.com and used their ram configurator. they had a few options for me to choose from that my pc will work with. i bought 2 gigs, 2x1gig sticks. my pc has 4 ram slots with a max of 4 gigs. can i use 2 1 gig sticks and keep my slower 512 sticks in for a total of 3 gigs? or should i take the 512 sticks out and keep the 2 1 gig sticks?

12-27-2007, 09:23 PM	#5
BassMannings Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 16	depends on how much speed you want vs how much slower the existing 512s are..the new faster ram will only perform at the slower 512s speed if you leave them in. which is to say you will see some system improvements just from the extra capacity,but the system won't page any faster.. rather it WILL be a faster machine for the addition of the memory,but calculations won't be. if that makes any sense.

12-28-2007, 09:22 PM	#7
BassMannings Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 16	all i can tell you is to remove the 512s and see if it's any better. if not,put em back in,as they aren't hurting anything,and you'll be able to run more apps simultaneously with them than without them.