(computer question - vanity) Mixing new/old notebook DDR memory?

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Apologies if this has been covered - haven't seen it in any of the Mac / PC wars. :)

Could be some other FReepers have wondered the same thing.

Any big concerns one should be aware of, regarding adding an additional, new DDR memory "card" into a dinosaur PC notebook?

[Cringing Negativism Network]

For example: if a dinosaur notebook in its day, was designed for a slower 256 meg additional memory card of a certain mhz, and currently-available memory is of course, larger and faster.

Is adding the new, larger, faster DDR memory to the old PC, in any way risky - to the PC or the new DDR memory card? Will it work right?

I'm not talking about the form factor. I've figured out the DDR / DDR2 issue with the different form factor wrt. the "key" (notch) preventing a DDR2 memory upgrade to a DDR slot. Just speaking to the question of mixing speed / size of memory in one pc...

Granted, it's a dinosaur - but just wondering. Basic common sense would seem to say you shouldn't mix memory of different speeds and sizes - but then again I've never really heard one way or the other.

Thanks for any insight. :)

[Westlander]

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Yikes. But lol too.

Personal experience?

[Boucheau]

There is alwasy risk when installing any new/old hardware.

A stick of RAM could fry other components if it is malfunctioning.

If it is the SAME FORM FACTOR then you can try it. It probably won’t boot but it’s not going to burst into flames either.

If, by some miracle, it boots then run MemTest on it for a couple of hours to make sure it’s stable.

MemTest: http://hcidesign.com/memtest/

[kenth]

Sounds like you’ve gotten the identification phase taken care of, and so long as the memory falls into the size/speed/type memory specification of the notebook, there shouldn’t be a problem. As for mixing old/new, smaller/larger capacity, there usually isn’t a problem with this. It depends on your notebook motherboard, and is usually stated in the documentation per memory upgrades. Some computers won’t work in their best configuration with different types of memory, but in the case of upgrade by adding memory, and it being a notebook, the memory isn’t always banked like that anyway. Sometimes you’ll come across a computer that just doesn’t like a particular brand of memory, or the two memory sticks are just off a bit from each other that they won’t work or you’ll get memory errors. Usually though, you’ll know right away and the computer won’t POST. It rarely hurts either pc or memory. You would just have to try a different brand at that point.

So to sum up, it should probably work. If it doesn’t, it’s highly unlikely that anything would be damaged, just incompatible. The biggest threat of damage would come from just handling the memory itself. Be careful of static discharge, and “ground” yourself to the computer frame before installing the memory. Be careful not to touch the components and contacts. You should be good.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Thanks for the feedback.

I might just try it. (with a fire extinguisher handy)

:)

It’s an old enough pc, really there’s no downside risk. Other than the bursting into flames thing.

[doodad]

The only problems I have had in this sort of thing is that some motherboards want the larger stick of memory (ie the new one) in slot 1. In a notebook, that may not be possible.

[JRios1968]

[garykfd]

go to crucial.com and fill in the blanks for your systam and it will tell you what will work