RAM compatibility

[Camion]

I have a machine with an MSI K7T board with an Athlon XP 1800, and want to expand the memory. There is a Corsair 512 MB DDR 2100 (cas 2.5) stick in there now and I was wondering if there is any problem adding a 512 of a different brand, like Munchkin, Crucial, Kingston, or whatever. Also, is the cas latency a big deal, like should additional memory sticks be rated the same? At this time the most demanding application is Photoshop, with some huge image files, no 3-D games. Thanks for your input.

 

[MasterHoss]

I think in your case, since you are using good quality DIMMs, you'll be fine mixing them.

 

[alkemyst]

I generally say stay with the same sticks, but with Corsair that's an expensive situation 🙂.

I would go Crucial or Micron to minimize problems...kingston has so many options it gets confusing.

CAS latency is at most a 2% hit. So if a benchmark peak is important go with the fastest, if your wallet is more important than there you go 🙂

 

[Bovinicus]

There are no CAS3 rated DDR DIMMs to my knowledge. So, if you buy a faster rated stick of memory it would probably be a waste of money, as you shouldn't run your other memory at a faster CAS rating than it is supposed to. Of course, you can, but that's only if you like overclocking. It technically isn't overclocking, but has the same effect of reducing life and stability. Of course, Corasir makes very high quality memory, so it is possible. It seems like you want to save some money though, so I wouldn't suggest CL2 for you. Also, I always like to keep my DIMMs the same. It is a more fool proof way of going about things. It is definitely possible though. Crucial is a good company to go with, as their DIMMs are compatible with most other DIMMs. They are also cheap and of high quality.