RAM 800Mhz and 600Mhz combination?

[AshleyAnne]

Hi,

Out of curiosity what would happen if I installed the following in a machine:
- 1x1GB 800Mhz RAM
- 1x2GB 600Mhz RAM

Would the two different Mhz's cause any problems?

Thanks in advance,
Ashley

 

[Dwarf]

Hi Ashley,

No, that shouldn't cause a problem. However, your memory will run at the speed of the slowest module you have installed. For best results, you should ensure that all RAM modules are identical.

 

[AshleyAnne]

Thanks for the quick reply. Alright, if it runs on the slower one that's fine. Just wanted to make sure it wouldn't damage the machine or anything

Thanks for your help!

 

[SledgeDG]

Just to mention it:
The second "side effect": Your memory accesses are even slower since those modules obviously won't run in Dual mode. In the worst case they simply wouldn't recognized. But as long as those RAM modules are the correct kind for your motherboard, there shouldn't be any danger of causing harm to your machine. (Don't laugh...I've seen people installing RAM with a hammer when the module didn't quite fit the slot

-DG

 

[AshleyAnne]

That's crazy and sorry I have to laugh lol. I can't believe anyone would force it in like that. I always make sure to put the RAM or any other hardware into my PC with extra care.

 

[Crispy]

Hi,

Out of curiosity what would happen if I installed the following in a machine:
- 1x1GB 800Mhz RAM
- 1x2GB 600Mhz RAM

Would the two different Mhz's cause any problems?

Thanks in advance,
Ashley

All that will happened is the 800mhz RAM sticks will be downgraded to 600mhz to compensate for the lack off speed for the other RAM stick, the timeing for the 800mhz RAM will be also matched to the 600mhz RAM stick.

 

[WiFi Ed]

Just to mention it:
The second "side effect": Your memory accesses are even slower since those modules obviously won't run in Dual mode....-DG

Sometimes. Some Intel chipsets have something called "Flex Mode". If you have uneven ram amounts (say 1G on one side, 2G on the other) it will run in dual channel mode for the first 1G, and single channel for the rest. I think. Maybe.

This explans it better...
Desktop Boards — Single, dual, triple and flex memory modes

This is a good read too...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...t-upgrades/167472-dual-channel-ram-guide.html