A RAM query

This is going to sound real dumb but I bought what I thought was 2GB of DDR form a US site for $20 now I should have read the ad a bit more carefully but whats done is done.

What I would like to know though is why does high density RAM not work the same as low density I always thought RAM was RAM except i knew you can't use the ECC stuff they use in servers in an ordinary machine.

The sticks I bought well were only chipped one side and I didn't realise what was going on until I found out what I had bought. Just seems odd to me to be selling high density sticks when it seems obvious to me that most people cannot use it.

marsmimar said:

This guide may help to explain some of the differences and problems people face when buying RAM. It's somewhat dated (doesn't talk about DDR3 or 204-pin laptop memory) but I think the basics are still valid.

eBay Guides - MythBUSTED Density Facts

Thanks marsmimar that was such a good tut now I can understand it so much better - I suppose it is a bit like same size towns one having high density living space and narrow streets and one that is sprawled out and wide streets in and out is therefore so quicker in the sprawled out town. I suppose one could liken it to the mobo trying to access and store into the RAM in the same way. Some just cannot hack it

The stuff I bought was a no name generic just labeled 128x8 - PC 3200 1GB (one sided) the other stuff I had was some Kingston PC 2700 and had 16 "chips" (double sided) and the generic one actually started the boot process then ground to a halt while the Kingston runs as smooth as. I was just after the max speed RAM the mobo supports and was not aware of a) what you have just found for me and b) tempted by the price ($20 for 2GB). Looking back at that site they have low density but at twice the price.

Thanks so much again for the invaluable help I really appreciated it.

marsmimar said:

You're welcome, John. It was a good read for me, too.

Yes mate I meant to mention too that was so interesting about Celerons as well - often thought of them as an el cheapo not much good processor well that tut turned that on it's head didn't it?
Cos I have a drawer full of them I have just stored away for no reason - am a bit of a hoarder you see and hate seeing things go to waste - so if you ever want a few you know where to ask LOL!! Plus I have so many Pentium 4's/D's and Athlons it isn't funny