Upgrading foa a friend seeking advice

[DataMiner]

Hi,

 

I am upgrading a system for a friend for the purpose of better performace gaming, specifically WoW. I am adding a 7900GT to the system and also another 512Mb ram to take the total to 1GB.

 

They are currently running a factory spec ACER T630 SPecs:

 

1 x 512 DDR2 RAM (4 slots on the board)

Micro ATX case

Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 516 (2.93 GHz./EMT64T)

ATI Radeon XPRESS 200

80 GB HDD SATA (7200 rpm)

DVD COMBO drive

56k ITU V.90 Fax Modem (internal)

Integrated Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 (LAN Built-in)

Integrated Realtek ALC880 Audio Codec with S/PDIF Output

6 ports Hi-Speed USB (ver 2.0)

9-in-1 Media Reader

350W Generic PSU

 

The 6 million dollar question is do I need to get matched RAM for the system or can I get a single 512Mb stick and added oit to the free slots. If I go this option will the system become unstable and how would I test this.

 

The compatablity checker recommeds this: 512MB Corsair System Select CMSS512MB-533 PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM. But the budget I have set is A$550 (and the card is costing AUD450, and the best price I can find on the single stick of 512 is AUD149).

 

 

Advice and assitance would be appreciated.

[Wired]

Using system select memory you'll be fine.

[DataMiner]

Thanxs for the reassurance,

 

I had another question further to this one b/c the friend has decided to go up to 2GB from 512. Is the cheapest acceptable option to:

 

- get 3 CMSS512MB-533 PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM sticks and add them to the existing 512. or

- get matched CMSS1024MB-533 PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM and remove the existing 512Mb stick. or

- get to get 1x CMSS1024MB-533 PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM and 1x CMSS512MB-533 PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM and use the existing 512Mb.

 

??????

[DataMiner]

Thanxs for the reassurance,

 

I had another question further to this one b/c the friend has decided to go up to 2GB from 512. Is the cheapest acceptable option to:

 

- get 3 CMSS512MB-533 PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM sticks and add them to the existing 512. or

- get matched CMSS1024MB-533 PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM and remove the existing 512Mb stick. or

- get to get 1x CMSS1024MB-533 PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM and 1x CMSS512MB-533 PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM and use the existing 512Mb.

 

??????

 

Also another option becuase of the cost involved would be to go to 1.5Gb (by adding a BCMSS1GB-533 PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM only) however I understand this can lead to instabilities in the system is this correct?

[DataMiner]

Is the kit:

 

"Corsair VS2GBKIT533D2 2GB (2x 1GB) Value Select PC-4200 DDR2 RAM, 2x128Mx64non-ECC, 240-pin DIMMs, Unbuffered, CL4, Lifetime warranty" ($237AUD)

 

significantly different to the

 

getting 2 x CMSS1GB-533 PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM ($400AUD)

 

if so what is the difference and will the cheaper work in the system??

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 x 512 DDR2 RAM (4 slots on the board)

Micro ATX case

Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 516 (2.93 GHz./EMT64T)

ATI Radeon XPRESS 200

WinFast PX7900 GT TDH

80 GB HDD SATA (7200 rpm)

DVD COMBO drive

Integrated Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 (LAN Built-in)

Integrated Realtek ALC880 Audio Codec with S/PDIF Output

350W Generic PSU

[Wired]

CMSS parts are built with a restricted bill of materials deemed to provide the best compatibility with OEM systems. As such, we often do not have the capability to use low cost material.

 

That should sum it up.

[DataMiner]

That should sum it up.

 

OK it almost sums it up, but will the cheaper Vs2 theoretically work in the system. I am not asking for a hard and fast yes or no, what I am wondering is there a compatability issue (ie Latency issue etc).

 

Cheers far all the info and support thus far.

[Wired]

There's a chance, yes. I definitely wouldn't try XMS memory in it, but Value Select may work fine, although it's not made to be mixed with other memory, so you should remove any memory from the manufacturer when using it.