Motherboard RAM compatability ???

[arsenalbates]

Hi, I am having trouble trying to find out what ram my motherboard is capable of holding. I currently have 2 DDR2 modules of 2GB each but want to upgrade to DDR3. i have opened up my computer to reveal the motherboard which on it says "mcp73pvt-pm" it came with the computer "Packard bell ixtreme 3720". i really need the technical specification of the motherboard but i cannot find it anywhere. would appreciate it of someone would know the whereabouts of this document or just advise me on what RAM i should be looking at for this board.

Many Thanks Sam

 

[tj107us]

Well if the computer came with DDR2 then DDR2 is all you can use. But you could find a faster DDR2 memory stick unless you are already using the fastest DDR2 already. Then If you want to upgrade to DDR3 then you will have to get a new mobo than supports it and a new CPU. If im wrong let me know but im 95% sure im right.

 

[arsenalbates]

Thanks but didnt really want to hear that lol. im going to speak to the manufacturer and see what they say about it. be a shame if ddr2 is the highest it can take as RAM is the lowest on the windows experience index.

 

[lhuser]

Most packaged PCs only has DDRII memory slots. Few board that you can find on the market has DDRII and DDRIII, but you can either use one or the other, and the DDRIII banks are only made of two slots...

If it does support a faster RAM, like DDRII-1066, then it's the fastest you can go, but it could also be that you have around 4GB RAM, making the index smaller, but you shouldn't rely on this...your PC can still perform good, and if you need an extra boost for games, a video card is the best bet (providing you have an open slot for it).

 

[arsenalbates]

I have done some more research and found that DDRII is the highest I can go on this motherboard although it says that I can go to is DDRII PC2-8500. I currently have 2 X 2GB DDRII PC2-6400. (see URL for the image of the sticker of my current Ram module) Would the upgrade be feasible and would it be worth it ?

http://www.spb123.info/DDRII.jpg

 

[Indigo]

Something else you have to consider is that the composite score in Windows is not the be-all, end-all for memory performance. The higher ratings are reserved for things like the Intel i7 systems with triple channel memory, or the guys who run dual channels at extreme speeds or latencies. It's useless to hunt and peck just to raise your Windows score on this metric.

DDR2 isn't a bad spec to be on right now. DDR3 is faster, but it's also higher latency. They're pretty much 5-10% faster than DDR2, so don't worry about it.

DDR2-8500 is PC2-1066, which offers just marginal, if any, performance improvement over DDR2-800 (PC2-6400), which is what you have now. Don't worry about it until you upgrade your system to a DDR3 platform. I wouldn't upgrade the system just to get DDR3, but if you have that kind of money to blow, send some my way, eh?