RAM query

[ICIT2LOL]

Mate who hasn't much money came to me with his desktop a "getting on" Compaq Presario SN5540AN with an AMD Athlon dual core 5400+ – 2.8Ghz Vista (+SP2).
He said to me saying that everything they tried to open prompted a you have a virus message and nothing would open.

Usual sort of clean up – temp files, Ben Hur's cookies, and updating Windows (tons) and had not updated the security for a long time (cannot get into the set up tools to see what has been set). Security is Trend Titanium by the way.

Now it's going a bit better but still slow even after installing a stick with 2Gb Readyboost but think it's worth the installing of 4Gb internally instead of the 2Gb it's got now, at least it's not hanging out of the machine and liable to being pulled out etc.

Currently got 2x 1Gb Samsung DDR @ (800 MHz) what I want to know is it worth going to 1066MHz sticks or not, or is this going to be governed by the mobo?
Mind you the 1066MHz are about twice the price of 800MHz

Use is just usual stuff emails school work any help really would be appreciated.

Have found the mobo "model" – MCP61PM-HM (Iris8)

 

[Shootist]

I would say no on the faster RAM.
Could be that system only supports 800 speed RAM. So even if you installed faster RAM it would still only go to 800.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

More RAM is much more important than faster RAM. I wouldn't bother with 1066. If you have half of one and half of the other, all RAM will likely run at the lower speed.

Whether or not 4 GB will improve things depends entirely on whether or not the current 2 gb are being full utilized.

I'd check the number of processes running on average and check what stuff is being loaded at startup--if you haven't already.

 

[stormy13]

More RAM is much more important than faster RAM.

This. That and the fact that outside of memory intensive benchmarks you wouldn't even notice the difference in the faster ram. Also if it helps any here is the specs on that motherboard,

HP and Compaq Desktop PCs - Motherboard Specifications, MCP61PM-HM (Nettle3) - c01357175 - HP Business Support Center

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hey thanks

Thanks Ignazatsonic Stormy and Shootist yeah I found the mobo info and it only supports up to 800 abnyway eh?

So will go with the two sticks of Corsair VS2GB800D2 2GB PC-6400 DDR2

Thaanks so much for your time and patience I know I can be trying at times.