RAM question

[BelemNole]

I need to buy a few sticks of RAM for my desktop. Currently I have one stick of "Elpida 4GB 1Rx8 PC3-12800U-11-12-A1" in there. The machine has 4 slots and can run up to gb of RAM. I'm only looking to add 3 sticks of similar memory right now. Can anyone tell me what the numbers at the end mean or suggest some sticks that would work?

 

[DefNotPanHandler2007]

 

[FSUdawg]

First off, what OS are you running? Is it 32-bit or 64-bit? If it is 32-bit, don't waste your money adding RAM because the OS won't recognize it anyhow.

 

[BelemNole]

64 bit on Windows 7 Pro

 

[Bartdog]

it's been a very very long time since I've done this so I'll give you some dangerous advice...

If your motherboard has a manual, see if it has specs on memory. Sometimes the sticks had to be added in matched pairs. Sometimes there are speed restrictions, etc...

Another, probably more easy way is to go to crucial.com and enter your model#, etc. It even has a button to scan your machine. I've done it that way before. It's a legit site....

 

[TallyNole93]

If you can't get the exact same model, you would be better off buying 4 new sticks of ram. As said earlier it is best to match ram due to timing issues. You can get 4 x 4GB ram for about $130.

 

[tommynole3476]

Originally posted by Bartdog:

it's been a very very long time since I've done this so I'll give you some dangerous advice...

If your motherboard has a manual, see if it has specs on memory. Sometimes the sticks had to be added in matched pairs. Sometimes there are speed restrictions, etc...

Another, probably more easy way is to go to crucial.com and enter your model#, etc. It even has a button to scan your machine. I've done it that way before. It's a legit site....

This.

 

[MuchasVeces]

PC3-12800U-11-12-A1

PC3 == DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3)
12800 == Frequency times 8
U == just a guess, but "unregistered", meaning it's non-error correcting RAM (typical for non-servers)
11-12 == just a guess, timing information
A1 == no idea, stepping or revision of the module

You're looking for DDR3-1600. Look for a 2 or 4 module kit from a respectable vendor (Crucial, Kingston, Corsair, Mushkin, etc).

I'd probably go with a 2x8GB kit if I were you. Filling the all four slots is not really that great of an idea, as a lot of motherboards start to get a bit finicky when you fill all of the RAM slots with stuff that isn't on their Qualified Vendors List. Just toss the existing module, its timings are pretty bad and mixing and matching has the potential to cause issues.

If you can find the motherboard make and model number, more specific information is possible.

 

[BelemNole]

Thanks, have some 8gb sticks coming from crucial
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