I know you can use higher or lower speed and timing memory (I'm using pc3500 in a pc3200 mobo) in a board with old style 184 pin DDR. Is DDR2 the same? A friend needs more memory for his store bought machine, and its rated at DDR2 pc3200 but its way expensive and I can get more of a faster type for less money. I know it will run at the mobo speed and not memory speed but will it work?
DDR2 as you already know has more pins than DDR which means that they can't be used in the same memory slots. DDR2 is technically faster than DDR but it also has looser timings which reduces its speed benefits. DDR however would be unable to effectively meet the demands of modern processors and chipsets. DDR2 has a higher data rate and most which also translates into a wider front side bus capability. DDR2 is really to DDR what DDR was to SDRAM, the next logical step. Now if memory manufacturers could just tighten up the timings a bit. BTW, DDR3 is not far off.
I do understand that, I wasnt trying to fit old and new together. I was just wondering if I could use a higher DDR2 stick in a slower DDR2 slot. Thanks for the reply Sophocles.
I knew there was a common term I was forgetting that would make my question/explanation easier to understand Thanks again for clearing that up.
No prob. Overclockers often purchase memory that has a wider bandwidth rating than the default settings on their boards because it provide extra headroom or increasing the front side bus.
