Well I've been snooping around google looking for some answers and it hasn't helped me too MUCH so I decided to save myself some time and come here.

Right now I'm looking to upgrade my ram from 2 gb to 3 (or maybe 4 if there's any reason to get 4 on a 32-bit system?) and somebody told me that if I have two different sticks of ram and one is running faster than the other, it will slow down to the speed of the slower stick. I'm not sure if that's true, it sounded legit to me, but if it is how can I figure out how fast my current ram is running? There were also people talking about ram running at the speed of your fsb which I'm not completely sure of, but my mobo's box says it supports 1066mhz ram.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is; how can I find the speed of my orignal stick and given that information what would be best to purchase?

Thanks for any help in advance, I look forward to being amazed at the collective knowledge in this place.

Oh this is on vista, forgot to include that sorry.Travel to Crucial.com and do the online scan...not only will it tell you what RAM is CURRENTLY in there but it will let you know the fastest it will take and how much...
And yes if faster RAM is mixed with slower it will run at the slower speeds...I went there and did the scan but it says it can't find an exact match. I clicked the button to do it manually but my manufacturer patriot isn't on the list. I only got information that didn't pertain to my ram from them basically

thanks for the help though.

Edit: My nvidia control panel says "Memory bus frequency: 1250.37 (ddr) mhz" Is that how fast my ram is running of my bus speed? And I'm pretty sure I have ddr2 ram so why is it saying ddr? Oh the confusion Didn't it tell you the spped of your RAM ?
Didn't it tell you what RAM your MBoard can take ? ?

I thought that was the info you were after.No it didn't tell me the speed of my ram, it said it couldnt find an exact match. All I was really told was my processor speed and how much ram I have and I already knew it was 2gb. I'm just trying to figure out what speed I should buy and wether it's worth it or not to have 4 gb on a 32 bit os.download pc wizard and cpuid.com. itll tell you everything you need to know about you r computer, and yes if you have one stick at a slower speed the others will slow down to the slower speed.Wow my computer pretty much refuses to give me any useful information. I downloaded the cpuid thing and tried to run it, but it stops loading at the detecting busing frequency step. I tried reinstalling twice and letting it run for a while when I was out.

Is there anything I need to know about ram timings that's important to know before purchasing more, and if so are there any more suggestions as to how I can find my information From my scan:

Quote

Currently installed memory:


1GB
1GB
EMPTY
EMPTY



Each memory slot can hold DDR2 PC2-6400,DDR2 PC2-8500,DDR2 PC2-5300 with a maximum of 2GB per slot.*

* Maximum Memory Capacity: 8192MB
* Currently Installed Memory: 2GB
* Available Memory Slots: 2
* Number of Banks: 4
* Dual Channel Support: Yes
* CPU Manufacturer: GenuineIntel
* CPU FAMILY: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz Model 15, Stepping 11
* CPU Speed: 2405 MHz
* Although the memory can be installed one module at a time, the best performance comes from using matched pairs of modules.



Q: Will my system recognize the maximum upgrade?

A: Possibly

How much memory your Windows OS will recognize depends on which version of Windows you are running. 32-bit versions of Windows will see (and utilize) only 3GB or 3.5GB. To utilize more memory, install a 64-bit version of your OS. More information about OS memory maximums can be found at http://www.crucial.com/kb/answer.aspx?qid=4251.

Q: What memory goes into my computer, and can I mix speeds?

A: DDR2 memory with support for DDR2 PC2-6400,DDR2 PC2-8500,DDR2 PC2-5300 speeds.

Q: How much memory can my computer handle?

A: 8192MB.

Adding the maximum amount of memory will improve performance and help extend the useful life of your system as you run increasingly demanding software applications in the future.

Q: Do I have to install matching pairs?

A: Yes.

Your system requires that you install memory in pairs.

Q: Does my computer support dual-channel memory?

A: Yes.

To benefit from the performance advantages offered by dual-channel systems, you should install memory in identical pairs. Installing a kitted pair is the best way to ensure that your modules are identical, right down to the chip count.

Q: Does my computer support ECC memory?

A: No.

Your system does not support ECC. Because ECC and non-ECC modules should not be mixed within a system, install the same type of modules that are already in your system.