I have a Dell Inspiron 570 desktop, with 4 1GB sticks. I want to upgrade to 8 GB, and crucial tells me to get "11321Crucial Ballistix Sport 2GB DDR3-1600 UDIMM".
Do I have to fill all 4 slots, or can I just get 1 8GB stick, or 2 4 GB sticks?
Thank you.
Take your pick Doc, shouldn't make any difference, unless your comp cant take 8, check specs at Dell.
Roy
When buying ram, there are 3 important things you need to check:
- How much can my Board handle? The Dell Inspiron 570 supports up to 8GB so you're fine there
- Up to Speeds does it support? Your MB supports DDR3 with up to ???(Can't find specs but you should be fine with 1600)
And lastly it's important to use the same brand, preferably the same Ram-sticks. So don't buy 2 G.Skill 4GB and 2 Kingston 1GB.
In short, yes buy 4 Crucial Ballistix Sport 2GB if you want. No you can't go above 8GB.
Thank for the replies.
The main reason for the question is it's cheaper to get a single 8GB stick than the other options. I haven't figured out how much a single slot can hold yet, but if it happens to be 4GB, what's the difference between the standard kit and the high density kit.
Amazon.com: Crucial Ballistix Sport 2GB Single DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL9 @1.5V UDIMM 240-Pin Memory BLS2G3D1609DS1S00: Computers & Accessories
As described elsewhere. Basically won't make a difference since you're buying 8 GB total anyways.First let’s explain what Low Density and High Density refers to. Using 256MB modules as an example… you would think the 16 chip module would be called the High Density module and the 8 chip version would be the Low Density module… but it’s backwards, isn’t it? The problem is – the density isn’t referring to the number of chips on the module, it refers to the density of the memory units inside the individual chips on the module.
When people talk about a Low Density module, they’re incorrectly abbreviating their speech, and it’s misleading. What they really mean is – it’s a module with Low Density chips. Think of two pepperoni pizzas. On one pizza each slice has 2 pieces of pepperoni. On the other each slice has 4 pieces of pepperoni. The one with 2 pieces per slice is the low density pizza, and the one with 4 pieces per slice is the high density pizza.
This is what it’s like on the RAM modules. The High Density module only needs half as many chips per side because there are more memory slots inside those chips. If you want Low Density chips, you need twice as many, and so modules with Low Density chips cost twice as much. (The labor to build the module from the assembled parts is about the same, regardless.)
Yeah you can also buy a single 8 GB stick
OK, well that I can understand, but this I don't:
Dell Inspiron 570 specs (Meet Gadget)
It says 2 GB are pre-loaded and has a maximum of 2GB per slot. Where do I find this out? With my lack of knowledge, I'm a little paranoid of getting my motherboard fried.
Huh, I haven't seen a limitation on Ram per slot for, well at least a good 10 years. At least not as low as 2GB. Most MBs support 8GB per slot at least, with up to 16... That's rare, and weak.
2GB pre-loaded means when you bought your PC it already had 2GB on it. The limitation of 2GB per slot means each stick can only have 2GB max. So you can install 4 2GB sticks but not 1 8GB stick.
//Edit: you might wanna consider starting to save up some money for a custom rig. Your current pc won't get you much further no matter what you upgrade next.
That's why I'm confused - it's not 2GB. My computer came with 4 1 GB sticks.
Bottom line, will my computer explode if I use an 8GB stick? I don't mind returning it and getting 4 2GB sticks if it doesn't work, I just prefer to save a little money if I can.
Your PC won't explode by adding more ram than it can handle
The bios screen will simply state that it can't recognize/handle the RAM. That's not a maybe, it's a sure bet. Adding faster ram than it can handle is another thing, some times the MB is okay with it and simply clocks it down. But if the manufacturer says 2GB per slot is max then the MB will straight out refuse to use your 8GB stick.
Alright, I guess I'll get the 8GB stick and see what happens.
Thank you so much for your help.
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