Running PC2-6400 on PC2-5300 machine?

[omjeremy]

Hello all,

I'm sorry for the n00bish question, but here goes:


My machine apparently only supports up to PC2-5300 ram (667Mhz). I saw a deal for 1GBx2 of OCZ Platinum Revision 2 PC2-6400 ram (800Mhz) for only 50 bucks that I'm interested in buying. (see here)

So, my question: Would my machine run the memory at PC2-5300 speeds or will it not recognize it? My bios has no options to tweak (yes I know it sucks, but I bought the machine for only $300 new).


Here's the machine:
HP s3100y Slimline
Pentium Dual Core E2140 Processor (planning to upgrade eventually to a C2D e6600 or something like that)
512MBx2 PC2-5300 Ram
160GB HDD
crappy onboard video (waiting for 8600GT slimline to come out)
Windows Vista Home Premium
19" Hanns-G LCD

 

[ashmedai]

The rated speed on memory is the maximum it's guaranteed to work at, and is very much like the maximum speed on a car. If it can go 200 MPH, it'll do 60 just fine. Memory compatibility with an OEM machine is fun to start with, but this won't introduce any bonus issues.

 

[omjeremy]

Thanks for the reply. I decided not to go with the aforementioned memory, even though it was a good deal. I read on my mobo manual that it supports 1.8V for memory and that memory is rated for 1.9-2.2V. I was concerned that it wouldn't get enough power and didn't want to deal with the hassles of RMA or ebay.

 

[ashmedai]

1.8V is the baseline for DDR2. It's widely recommended to bump that up to 1.9V or so for stability reasons, especially at higher speeds. It should work fine, especially since you intend to underclock it. If your motherboard BIOS does let you change the memory voltage, 1.9 wouldn't hurt...

 

[omjeremy]

darn... I know I should have waited before purchasing something else. I went with a Crucial 2GB kit that isn't going to be great, but it'll suffice.

Yeah, the bios on this box really sucks. I can't change anything except boot order and time. I've never seen a bios this limited!

I just ordered the MSI 7600gs low profile (I just can't wait for the 8600gt low profile to come out any more, considering I'm using terrible on board graphics) and will be getting a C2D e6600, so the box will be darn good for a slimline. It's too bad that the bios doesn't support G0 stepping though, since the e6600 is more expensive than the e6750, which is better, but I really couldn't beat the price of this machine.

 

[ashmedai]

Yeah, the bios on this box really sucks. I can't change anything except boot order and time. I've never seen a bios this limited!

That's cheap OEM crap for you, sorry.

Crucial's usually pretty nice stuff, I've used them the last few times I've made a memory purchase. They're owned by Micron or some funny corporate legal voodoo like that.