# Mixing RAM - PC3200 and PC2700...worthwhile? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 6, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixing-ram-pc3200-and-pc2700-worthwhile/355696 "2006-05-06T20:37:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixing-ram-pc3200-and-pc2700-worthwhile/355696/1 "2006-05-06T20:37:23Z")
I’ve recently had enough of my old computer, and upgraded to a completely new system (they were on offer at work, and I got it cheap+discount). It’s like I’ve stepped into the future, where computers are a thousand times faster. Things actually happen when I ask them to happen and it’s amazing! This (new) system has 1 gig of PC3200 RAM, which makes everything run nice and smoothly. My old system had 512 meg of PC2700, and it’d be a shame to waste it (some parts of the old machine are not working 100% so I’ve written off donating the machine to friends/relatives). I know that if I put the old module into the new machine, it’ll force all three modules to work at 166Mhz rather than letting the faster ones run at 200Mhz. Would this counter any performance increase I’d notice by having that extra gig? I’ve searched all over the internet for advice, but I seem to find conflicting stories and not too much information. So I hand this dilemma over the the SDMB’s cleverest and geekiest… Thank you in advance, Harry ---
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixing-ram-pc3200-and-pc2700-worthwhile/355696/2 "2006-05-06T20:47:32Z")
Er…this is clearly meant to be in GQ. Could a passing mod please move it? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixing-ram-pc3200-and-pc2700-worthwhile/355696/3 "2006-05-06T20:52:12Z")
Moving thread from MPSIMS to GQ, ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixing-ram-pc3200-and-pc2700-worthwhile/355696/4 "2006-05-06T20:57:58Z")
I have been told never to mix RAM. It may work in the short-term and maybe even the long-term but you can also end up with some instability and other problems. I had a friend (who works in IT) that decided to mix RAM and his system literally caught on fire a few hours later. RAM is pretty cheap. You can get another 512mb from [www.newegg.com](http://www.newegg.com) for less than $50. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixing-ram-pc3200-and-pc2700-worthwhile/355696/5 "2006-05-06T20:59:49Z")
I just did a google search using “never mix RAM” and it returned a ton of warnings basically like I said. ---
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixing-ram-pc3200-and-pc2700-worthwhile/355696/6 "2006-05-06T21:01:37Z")
OK, I think I’ll take that advice and not mix it. Might as well buy a 1 gig stick while I’m at it, student-budget allowing! Thanks for your help.