RAM question.

[Duzens]

Im going to buy myself some new RAM, i have 512 performance ddr ram pc2100.

I have my eyes on these:

DDR-SDRAM PC2100 Kingston 512MB ValueRAM CAS2.5
Type: DDR-SDRAM PC2100 184-pins
Bit: 64bit(72bit)
Latency: 7.5ns
Speed: 266MHz
Standard: 3. Parts
Warranty: 7 Years

OR

DDR-SDRAM PC2100 Performance 512MB
Type: DDR-SDRAM PC2100 184-pins
Bit: 64bit(72bit)
Latency: 7,5ns
Speed: 266MHz
Standard: 3. Parts
Warranty: 10 Years

The kingston is slightly cheaper.. 5 $

After takeing my old RAM i saw that they where Performance ram too!

So i figure that the safe way would be to buy another 512 Performance, like my old ones.

1. How do i see what Mhz my current ram are ? becouse the new ones i have my eyes on is 266 mhz and my old ones are 133 (i think) but im not sure!

2. What is ECC ? when i look at some RAM they are called the same but ECC after the specs: Fx: DDR-SDRAM PC2100 ECC Kingston 512MB ValueRAM

3. When you look at the "Performance" is it simply the name of the firm that makes them or are they better then "normal" ram ?


Oh, and btw.. Will it make my pc better to buy some RAM that has higher PC value, rather then buying 512 new ones ?

I have a asus Mobo A7N8x with dual channel ddr 400. What kind of ram can take advantage of the dual channel feat ?


Thanks in advance :)

 

[Big B]

1.)The easiest way is to pull out that stick of RAM and check out the sticker on it that says what it is. Since we're dealing with DDR, the slowest you might be able to find is PC1600, that runs at 200MHz DDR. That's the equivalent of PC100 SDR SDRAM, and you'll be fine getting PC2100 DDR.

2.)ECC is an error correction ability of some RAM sticks. This only works if the motherboard supports it and is turned on. For servers where stability is of upmost importance, this is basically a must, but for the home user, it's just something that can slow down a system that should be stable enough for most uses. You're not going to be able to make use out of ECC, so don't pay for something you really won't/can't use.

3.)I have no clue as to who makes the Performance brand or what, but I avoid stuff I'm not sure who makes it. I'd go with the Kingston as it does work. However, I would suggest buying something faster than what you currently have instead of limiting yourself to PC2100. For the future's sake, I'd get no less than PC3200 (400MHz). You probably won't make good use of the top speed now, but you'll be in a better position in the future and not be having to buy new RAM to deal with a bottleneck.

With the nForce 2, the dual-channel feature doesn't really increase performance all that much, but if you later decide to jump to an Intel platform, you'd see a major difference. Still, I'd buy a couple sticks of PC3200, in a 256MB size.

Kingston ValueRAM is fine if you're not a tweaker, but if you'd like to start playing around, your luck might run out, but it's still good stuff and some people have had good results when they tweak their ValueRAM.

Other brands that would work well: Crucial, Samsung, Corsair.