Member Avatar for ukbuckstop

Hello,

I am a new member here and probably going to be a regular by the looks of things! Currently I am trying to upgrade my mothers PC and install more RAM.

I think I have figured out what RAM to use.. after taking out the RAM stick and reading what it was. (sounds simple enough?)

I now know it is made by INFINEON and it is 512mb, DDR, 184 pin, 333, PC2700, CL2.5!

So far so good...

The next thing I did is run a program from www.cpuid.com which scans your hardware and tells you all about your hardware. The part number is 64D64320GU6B and the serial number is 03270D99

She only has 1gb of RAM at the moment, and I want to upgrade to 2gb, but she only has two RAM slots so I will probably just add one 1gb RAM stick for now to give her 1 and a half gb and see how it goes..

How can I now be certain I am buying the correct RAM for the motherboard I am using? Do I have to buy INFINEON or can I use any make, and what do I need to look for? I am thinking that I should be working out what RAM the motherboard is compatible with, rather than trying to get identical (but more gb) RAM to what I have? Am I right?

Thanks, Peter

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jermaghs07

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Good groundwork by and sensible pointers from and . Brand usually matters less than matching the right memory family and the motherboard’s requirements, so focus on the board and a short compatibility checklist before buying.

First, identify the exact motherboard model (printed on the board or via a system-info tool) and pull the manual or spec sheet. Confirm the memory generation the board accepts, the maximum total and per‑slot capacity, and whether it requires unbuffered vs registered modules or non‑ECC vs ECC. Look for any vendor QVL (qualified vendor list) and note supported voltages and whether certain slot/population orders are recommended.

When adding a single stick rather than replacing both, expect the system to run all modules at the slowest common speed/timings and dual‑channel operation may be lost or fall back to an asymmetric mode. That’s normal and usually stable, but mixing generations, voltages, or registered vs unbuffered modules is a common source of boot or stability problems. For best results buy a matched kit (same make/model/spec) if you want guaranteed dual‑channel performance.

Practical tips: buy from a seller with a clear return policy, check product listings for the exact module specs (generation, speed/PC rating, voltage, buffered/ECC), update the BIOS if the board vendor recommends it, ground yourself when installing, confirm the BIOS detects the new RAM, and run a memory tester (MemTest86 or the built‑in OS diagnostic) for a few passes. If instability appears, try the new module alone and swap slots to isolate the fault.

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Member Avatar for lurk

Id say you can buy any RAM as long as its DDR 333mhz.

Member Avatar for jermaghs07

Lurk is correct. brand doesn't matter unless you are running DDR2 then it can help but since you are running DDR any brand will do. you also need to look up the mother board specs and make sure it will support the amount of RAM you are wanting to put in.

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