Can anyone advise me on which memory to buy?

Hey All,

I'm going to be upgrading my memory from 4GB to 8GB in the next few weeks.

I have a Dell Dimension 9200. On the Dell and Crucial websites it states the Maximum Memory is 4GB, however I know that it can take 8GB. There have been numerous forums where people have stated they have successfully updated the memory to 8GB in a Dimension 9200 (XPS 410).

If someone could please advise on which to buy that would be great. I can provide any additional specs if needed.

:)

Which brand??

Or which type/module?

Are you replacing all of your current memory, or just adding to it?

If the latter, I'd try to match the major specs of the existing sticks, particularly speed and voltage. Ideally, try to match the brand and model number.

If you are doing a total replacement and not overclocking the RAM, I'd just get the cheapest compatible from a reliable brand--Crucial, G Skill, Corsair.

Hello ignatzatsonic,

I've got 4GB memory at the moment. I'm going to take two of the 1GB sticks and replace them for 2GB then replace the other two at a later date as I'm on a budget at the moment.

I did a crucial scan and it states I have DDR2 PC2-5300 • CL=5 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR2-667 1.8v

Not too sure on the make as it came with the PC when I bought it.

Hey solarstarshines,

I know they have to be replaced in matching pairs but can you mix two pairs at all?

Or would it just be better to replace the whole lot at the same time?

I think the memory is made by Hynix Semiconductor Inc.

Burdus32 said:

Hello ignatzatsonic,

I've got 4GB memory at the moment. I'm going to take two of the 1GB sticks and replace them for 2GB then replace the other two at a later date as I'm on a budget at the moment.

I did a crucial scan and it states I have DDR2 PC2-5300 • CL=5 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR2-667 1.8v

Not too sure on the make as it came with the PC when I bought it.

Are you referring to replacing the RAM in your system specs? Googling that model number leads me to believe it is Hynix brand.

I'm guessing you have four 1 gig sticks and a total of 4 slots?

Honestly: I'd do one of the following 2 things:

1: Do nothing, unless you have solid reasons to believe you are often using ALL of the 4 GB you now have. Put the money toward an SSD if you don't have one.

2: Don't buy anything until you have the money stockpiled to buy the entire 8 GB package at one time. That saves you postage involved in 2 separate orders and ensures that you get a matching set when you do order..

Well my memory is usually running at about 50% on idle but if I have a lot of programs running it can reach about 80-85% never fully at 100% though to be honest.

So maybe it is worth me looking into an SSD instead? Do you have any advice on good brands? Or should I post that in another thread?

Burdus32 said:

Well my memory is usually running at about 50% on idle but if I have a lot of programs running it can reach about 80-85% never fully at 100% though to be honest.

So maybe it is worth me looking into an SSD instead? Do you have any advice on good brands? Or should I post that in another thread?

Crucial, Intel, and Samsung would be my SSD choices. Plenty of people get along fine with 60 GB SSD. I have an 80 GB Intel and have only 29 GB used, with 50 apps installed.

That will do more for you than RAM in most situations---particularly when by your own admission you are not using even 4 GB of RAM now.

As Linnemeyer implies---DDR 2 is older tech and can get expensive relative to DDR 3.

I'd probably get an SSD now, live with 4 GB of DDR 2, and then stockpile money toward a new motherboard/CPU/RAM buy when it was in my budget---even if it took a year.

During that year, you will get more enjoyment from the SSD than you would from the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th GB of RAM---which you may NEVER use, since you don't use 4 now.