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I currently have 4 GB total RAM and I would like to get some more, to bring it to a total of 8 GB. Is it possible to simply buy another 4 GB and bring it to 8? If so, what kind should I be buying? There is a lot of different possibilities, DDR3, DDR2, clock speed, etc. I am kind of lost among all this.

My current setup goes like this:

  • ACER EG43M mainboard
  • Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8200 @ 2.33GHz
  • 4 total RAM slots, 2 occupied by 2 GB sticks
  • According to CPU-Z, my memory type is DDR3 (not sure how reliable that is)
  • Full CPU-Z dump
  • Windows 7 64-bit

So basically, I want to know whether it's possible to extend my current RAM to get 8 GB total by buying another 4, and if so, what kind of RAM do I need?

Note that I am not looking for shopping recommendations. I'm worried about the hardware compatibility.

fixer1234
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Xeon06
  • 805

4 Answers4

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First you have to find if your motherboard supports up to 8GB of RAM. Then you're OS, for example 32bit can only support up to 4GB while 64bit can support up to a lot more. CPU-Z is pretty reliable, I use it all the time.

OS - 32 bit allocation and 64 bit allocation
Windows 7 Ultimate 4GB 192GB

Windows 7 Enterprise 4GB 192GB

Windows 7 Professional 4GB 192GB

Windows 7 Home Premium 4GB 16GB

Windows 7 Home Basic 4GB 8GB

Windows 7 Starter 2GB N/A

EDIT: Also it's recommended that you always pair memory when buying it. So instead of buying 1 stick of 4GB, you might want to either purchase 2 more 2GB sticks or just get 2x 4GB sticks.

C-dizzle
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3

Newer DDR2 and DDR3 modules are physically incompatible due to the notch being in a different location:

enter image description here

avirk
  • 15,877
3

It seems to be the same chipset as this motherboard and that suggests that you should be using DDR2, not DDR3, and it would support up to 8 gigs. On the other hand intel's docs states the chipset it uses, the G45 can use either

You can confirm thus by reading the markings on the motherboard silk screening that denote the ram slots - DDR2_X or DDR3_X where X is the slot number, as well as through physical examination of the slot location - this chart is AWESOME for parts id and includes both types of ram.

I'd probably suggest, in this case using the memory scanner from a memory manufacturer - this answer mentions a few - to be sure of exact specs.

EDIT: added in mention that the chipset may support both. Original assumption that it MUST be DDR2 is wrong.

Community
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Journeyman Geek
  • 133,878
1

Go to crucial.com (has to be through IE) and download their memory scanner tool and it will tell you the exact type of memory you need!! PERFECT TOOL!

Josh Bucklen
  • 11