[PLUG] Determining Memory Chip Speed

[Richard C. Steffens]

On 09/13/2011 11:58 AM, Marvin Kosmal wrote:
> On Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 11:41 AM, Richard C. Steffens<rsteff at comcast.net>wrote:
> I am thinking finding out the Mother Board type is important to answer these
> questions.

I ran lshw yesterday while looking for what kind of memory I have, so I 
already have the motherboard info:

MSI MS-6380E

Details in a review at:

http://reviews.cnet.com/motherboards/msi-ms-6380e-motherboard/1707-3049_7-30644067.html

On 09/13/2011 12:04 PM, Larry Williams wrote:

<...>

> Just a guess, perhaps the sticks or the MB don't support speed reports.

Could be.

> Well, leading to the second question, if you're gonna crack the case and
> add RAM, may as well do it now to see what they are. If they're OE
> installed then they probably are the same speed as the MB can handle;
> check online for system specs (You'd want to meet those specs anyway
> when buying RAM).

I remember putting one of them in myself several years ago when 
upgrading to a whole gig was a big deal.

According to the CNET review, the motherboard supports 333 MHz, 200 MHz, 
and 266 MHz. I figure that once I know what the installed ones are I'll 
get another that is the same speed.

> If you can afford it, make all the sticks identical in size and speed.

Economy is required. Hence, I'm trying to keep what I have and just add 
another gig.

> I seem to recall something about a
> performance hit using different sized modules, but I can't back that up.

That would be useful to know since performance is something I'm trying 
to improve.

> Different speeds means the slowest will set the standard.

I assumed there would be some gotcha if they were mixed. I thought they 
might not work together at all.


On 09/13/2011 12:25 PM, Dale Snell wrote:

> Your BIOS ought to be able to give you that information.  At
> least, the ones I've used have.  (I admit that my sample size
> isn't very big.  One Tyan board and several ASUS boxen.)

If I don't come up with another solution I'll try that before pulling 
the cover off the case.

> Another possibility is the lshw program.  At least with lshw you won't
> need to reboot.

As mentioned above, I've tried that.

>> Second question: Can I add a 1 GB module to the third socket or
>> do I need to replace the two 512 MB modules with 1 GB modules
>> to get to 2 GB?
> There you'll have to check your motherboard's documentation.

Now that you mention it, I think I still have the motherboard box, and 
the docs. I'll have to dig those out.

On 09/13/2011 12:33 PM, Russell Johnson wrote:

> How about getting the model number, if available, and checking with the manufacture.

See above.

Thanks for all the ideas. I'll do some more digging and see what I find.

-- 
Regards,

Dick Steffens