# Increasing RAM - DDR2 SDRAM
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increasing-ram-ddr2-sdram/460562
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 19, 2008, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increasing-ram-ddr2-sdram/460562 "2008-08-19T15:06:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2008, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increasing-ram-ddr2-sdram/460562/1 "2008-08-19T15:06:18Z")
I went to the computer store today to purchase some extra memory. It is DDR2 SDRAM.
The guy behind the counter tells me it is very old and they don’t stock it.
I ask where I can buy it and he suggests someone selling second hand computer gear.
The computer is only 12 months old.
Has he made a mistake?
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### Author:  [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increasing-ram-ddr2-sdram/460562/2 "2008-08-19T15:24:19Z")
DDR2 should be available, except for possibly the speed. If he was trying to match the speed of the memory in your PC, he may not have that in stock. However, mixing speeds shouldn’t be that much of a problem, as the faster stuff will run at the lower speed of your existing memory.
I’d suggest going to Newegg or Crucial and ordering additional memory online.
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### Author:  [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increasing-ram-ddr2-sdram/460562/3 "2008-08-19T15:27:04Z")
[QUOTE=Cicero]
I went to the computer store today to purchase some extra memory. It is DDR2 SDRAM.
The guy behind the counter tells me it is very old and they don’t stock it.
I ask where I can buy it and he suggests someone selling second hand computer gear.
The computer is only 12 months old.
Has he made a mistake?
[/QUOTE]
Hes smoking crack. Find another store.
> **[DDR2 SDRAM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDR2_SDRAM)**
>
> Double Data Rate 2 Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DDR2 SDRAM) is a double data rate (DDR) synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM) interface. It is a JEDEC standard (JESD79-2); first published in September 2003. DDR2 succeeded the original DDR SDRAM specification, and was itself succeeded by DDR3 SDRAM in 2007. DDR2 DIMMs are neither forward compatible with DDR3 nor backward compatible with DDR.
> In addition to double pumping the data bus as in DDR SDRAM (transferring data on t...
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### Author:  [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2008, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increasing-ram-ddr2-sdram/460562/4 "2008-08-19T15:28:41Z")
[QUOTE=Iggins]
DDR2 should be available, except for possibly the speed. If he was trying to match the speed of the memory in your PC, he may not have that in stock. However, mixing speeds shouldn’t be that much of a problem, as the faster stuff will run at the lower speed of your existing memory.
I’d suggest going to Newegg or Crucial and ordering additional memory online.
[/QUOTE]
Thanks- he never tried to match speed. The weird thing was that they have them in their online catalogue.
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### Author:  [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increasing-ram-ddr2-sdram/460562/5 "2008-08-19T15:31:07Z")
[QUOTE=Iggins]
DDR2 should be available, except for possibly the speed. If he was trying to match the speed of the memory in your PC, he may not have that in stock. However, mixing speeds shouldn’t be that much of a problem, as the faster stuff will run at the lower speed of your existing memory.
I’d suggest going to Newegg or Crucial and ordering additional memory online.
[/QUOTE]
DDR2 533 still pretty much grows on trees.
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### Author:  [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increasing-ram-ddr2-sdram/460562/6 "2008-08-19T15:57:02Z")
[QUOTE=drachillix]
DDR2 533 still pretty much grows on trees.
[/QUOTE]
Very true, but I notice that some of the larger “chain” computer shops only carry the higher speed stuff in stock, probably so they can justify the exorbitant prices! 🙂
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### Author:  [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2008, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increasing-ram-ddr2-sdram/460562/7 "2008-08-19T17:02:59Z")
The online vendors should be able to cover you. I just bought some DDR2 533/667 from newegg.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increasing-ram-ddr2-sdram/460562/8 "2008-08-19T17:21:43Z")
How do I find out what kind of RAM I have? I need more and all I know is I have a gig. I think I read somewhere that you can’t match 512MB and 1GB sticks together. I believe that I have 2 512 sticks, so would either need to buy two more to get 2GB, or buy two 1GB sticks and put them in after taking the two 512MB sticks out. Which option is better?
Any truth to that, and why?
Also, I have a 256MB Radeon Express Video Card and would like to upgrade. How do I know which one to get in terms of whether or not it’s compatible with my system?
Sorry to the OP for the hijack.
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### Author:  [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increasing-ram-ddr2-sdram/460562/9 "2008-08-19T19:54:42Z")
[QUOTE=FoieGrasIsEvil]
How do I find out what kind of RAM I have? I need more and all I know is I have a gig. I think I read somewhere that you can’t match 512MB and 1GB sticks together. I believe that I have 2 512 sticks, so would either need to buy two more to get 2GB, or buy two 1GB sticks and put them in after taking the two 512MB sticks out. Which option is better?
Any truth to that, and why?
Also, I have a 256MB Radeon Express Video Card and would like to upgrade. How do I know which one to get in terms of whether or not it’s compatible with my system?
Sorry to the OP for the hijack.
[/QUOTE]
Crucial ([www.crucial.com](http://www.crucial.com)) has a nifty memory scanner that will look at your system, identify and recommend memory upgrades for you. Whether or not you can mix sticks of different sizes depends on your particular computer - some require matching pairs and some don’t.
Re: Video card, it’s mostly a matter of finding a card that’s compatible with the bus on your motherboard - PCI-X is becoming standard, but AGP is still alive and kicking. Check what your current card is, and get a matching upgrade.
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### Author:  [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2008, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increasing-ram-ddr2-sdram/460562/10 "2008-08-20T08:20:42Z")
Thanks folks. I went to a store in town and they wanted $90 for one stick of 512 kb. I politely said “no thanks”. I went to a computer store in the suburband ot two 1gb sticks for $55 total. I have fitted them and they are running perfectly. Well, it saysthey are.
**Drachillix** , thanks for the laugh.
**FGIE** , I am running two 512 k sticks, and 2 x 1 gb sticks. As long as they are paired I am told it won’t matter (3 gb is about the limit for Vista 32 bit).