Mixing RAM - Running Kingston PC3-12800 (800MHz) and PC3-10700 (667 MHz) together. Is it a problem ?

[Harish Goswami]

Hey,

I wanted to upgrade the RAM on my ACER ASPIRE 5750G Laptop and I was already running a PC3-10700 (667MHz). So, I placed an order for the same RAM module but for some reason the PC3-12800 (800MHz) RAM module was delivered.

Since, I didn't want to wait any longer or go through the hassle of returning and ordering the RAM module again, I decided to mix it with the one already installed on my system and give it a go.

Here's the Specs I got from CPUZ on my system.

The system seems to be running fine after doing so, do you think there's anything I should be worried about ?
Will the RAM modules continue to work properly ? Does it harm my system or hamper its performance in any way ?


Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Hans Gruber]

Your memory will run at the slowest speed of the two memory sticks. In your case 667mhz will be the speed of your ram. As long as your computer boots and recognizes full amount of memory installed, you should be ok!

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Yes, Gruber is correct with that. In my case, I was upgrading a Gateway E-475M C2D laptop from 2GB to 8GB. I stumbled across the Crucial RAM website and all the upgrades of any size were DDR2-800 as opposed to the spec DDR2-667. The lower speed settings are in the RAM's JEDEC specs. No doubt, the Kingston models fit the same profile of compatibility.

And if the system is running fine, well -- why would you have anything to worry about?