RAM Issues

The mobo on my HP Pavilion is an ASUS A7V8Z-LA/Chipset Via KM400a.The chipset supports PC4000 I believe.This may be immaterial due to the design of the mobo as a whole,I really wouldn't know.What I do know is that it can potentially support 2GB RAM maximum.Manufacturers specs list PC2700 as highest supported speed,yet crucial.com says the 512MB stick from the factory is actually PC3200.Crucial also says I can use PC3200 up to 512MB,but a 1GB module has to be PC2700.I don't get it.

I ordered a 400w PSU which,among other things,I was told,could affect the maximum RAM capacity.I just don't know what all goes into making a computer able to use better RAM modules,as in maximum capacity and higher speed.In short,HP says I can only use 1GB of PC2700 DDR1.My mobo specs say 2GB of PC 3200(maybe PC4000?).What do I need to change to get there?


AMD Athlon XP 3000+

400Mhz FSB

 

Hello Merkava, welcome to Major Geeks.

The speed of operation of the RAM is set by the processor, not the RAM type.
The only question is can the modules employed operate satisfactorily at the required speed.
A large manufacturer, such as HP, can bulk buy and test- select from a batch of apparantly lower spec components those which will operate at the upper end of the range.
You only buy one or two so expect a guarantee of performance.

In respect of the module size at different speeds, there are many ways to arrange memory chips on a module, to achieve a give module memory size. Each has different addressing requirements. This is why motherboard / memory manufacturers publish lists of boards and compatible memory. Some motherboards cant address the bigger chips and the appropriate ones may not be available from Crucial. Try another source.

Studio T

 

I've seen some motherboards that have (for example) 3 DDR memory slots. The manual says it will support up to 3gb if all sticks are PC2700 DDR333; and only 2gb at PC3200 DDR400. Why? Who knows? I'm sure there's a really technical answer but I don't know what it is. In any case, your situation is not that uncommon, especially on motherboards from about 2 years ago.....

hd2k