Memory Identification

This is a simple guide to finding your memory type , it is not designed as technical manual and should not be used a so. If you are in any doubt as to your capability of working within a PC then you should allow a qualified engineer to Identify/fit your memory for you.

Ok, assuming you want to upgrade your computers memory (RAM) you will need a little information in order to buy the correct memory for your PC . You will need to identify what size and speed memory modules you have and then buy the corresponding memory to match with it or possibly even replace what you have.

There are are a couple of ways to do this, the first is to look at the manufacturers original specifications either in your system board manual or from an original specification sheet. The second is to venture inside your PC and take at look at the existing memory (RAM Modules) and hope that it/they are marked with the size & speed. Memory speeds/type are described as per the table below.

SD RAM

66 Mhz
100 Mhz
133 Mhz

 DDR RAM

266 Mhz (known as 2100)
333 Mhz (known as 2700)
400 Mhz (known as 3200)

 DDR II Ram

533 Mhz (known as 4200)
667 Mhz (known as 5300)
800 Mhz (known as 6400)

Assuming you have had to open your PC and you have successfully removed the case then you will be able see your system board looking something like the image below. The memory slots are purple (4 of them, bottom right) on this board and may contain 1 or more memory modules. (the slots shown are empty) Slots can be a variety of different colours so do not worry too much about what colour your's are......

This next image is of a memory module which would sit in one of those purple slots. Your existing memory module(s) should be marked with the size and type . The example below is marked as '512Mb' and '533' so looking at the table above this is a 512mb 553 DDRII Module

Another example, this time marked '512mb' and 'PC133' so this is a 512mb PC133 SD Module.

 

Notice the slots on the bottom of the modules? 2 on an older SD ram model , only 1 on a newer DDR  module

If you have successfully identified your memory and it matches one of those in the table then search our online shop for price and availability. Please be aware we have discontinued PC66,100 & PC133 memory as most manufacturers no longer produce these modules.

SD RAM

66 Mhz
100 Mhz
133 Mhz

 DDR RAM

266 Mhz (known as 2100)
333 Mhz (known as 2700)
400 Mhz (known as 3200)

 DDR II Ram

533 Mhz (known as 4200)
667 Mhz (known as 5300)
800 Mhz (known as 6400)

 

Notes

With DDR & DDRII modules you can normally mix and match sizes but not speeds, so if you have 256mb 333 at the moment then you can buy a 512mb 333 to go with it, giving you 768mb in total. But having a 256mb 333 and then fitting a 512mb 266 module may cause you problems.

If your board is capable of running 'Dual Channel' then your memory will work even faster if you insert it into the correct matching slots (see your system board manual for this)

There are some other factors that can be taken into account such as latency timing, manufacturer, Single sided /Double sided etc but these are not as essential as they used to be. 

Hopefully this basic guide has given you enough information to 'armour' you with the information to find what you need !