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I'm getting a PC that needs PC133 RAM. I happen to have a PC100 chip here. Will it work or should I spend the money for some PC133 RAM?
Yes it will work. Try it for a while to see how you like it. I doubt you can tell the difference between 100 and 133.
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If the CPU on the machine you are getting is running a FSB of 133, then the PC100 memory will not work.
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hehe....
I installed pc66 sdram in my system before i bought ddr. My board supports both sdram 133 and ddr 266 on an athlon XP 2000+.
I don't know why it worked, but the fact that it did work is beyond me. I should add, that after i bought ddr, i did a clean format. For some reason my computer didn't like the switch from 66 to 266 ddr. Just a thought.
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Actual speed of PC66 is 83 Mhz. Most PC66 will run at 100Mhz FSB without any problem. Running at 133Mhz will cause it to fail, plyduster's experience is exceptional, and I will not be able to explain(that's almost 200% it's rated clock speed!)
Few PC100 will run at 133 Mhz, but most PC100 generic memory modules will fail at 133 MHZ and your system will not boot at all without resetting the FSB back to 100 Mhz. I had experience on both. A newbie will simply panic and may not know what to do. Be careful with your advice, not because it worked (or did not worked) on your system means that it will work (or will not work) on somebody else's system.
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The Jungle 1:
He's just trying to find out whether pc100 ram will work in a pc133 slot. Of course it will. It will just run at 100. He's not overclocking 100 to 133.
I didn't overclock my pc66 ram, i just put it in a pc133 slot. The ram itself didn't run at 133, it ran at 66.
PC 100 ram will work in a pc 133 slot. It just won't run at 133.
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There is also the possibility that the motherboard is not taking its memory timings from the SPD. Many manufacturers will build PC100 modules using PC133 memory chips these days due to pricing and availability. Some batches of memory chips can occasionally run at faster bus settings.
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My Soyo motherboard manual states plainly: it can use either PC-100 or PC-133 RAM in it's slots. You can mix and match (in fact I'm running both in it right now). It can also use PC-66 with 100-mhz FSB.
It warns to stay within 33mhz of the FSB rating.
Some of the capability will be up to motherboards - some may not let mixing of RAM, etc. And sometimes they state "do not use" to avoid debugging stability problems. Some may say you can but be unstable due to bad chipsets.
In the end: if the mothebroard allows it, definitely yes. And some motherboards are DESIGNED to allow not only the use of different types, but congruent use.
So, anyone saying "No, it can't be done." hasn't bothered to read up on motherboards.
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I am curious JDNeal,
"My Soyo motherboard manual states plainly: it can use either PC-100 or PC-133 RAM in it's slots. You can mix and match (in fact I'm running both in it right now). "
What is your CPU and BUS speed??An exerpt from Kingston Technology FAQ:
"PC100 and PC133 memory usually can be used in the same machine, however all of the memory will typically clock down to the speed of the slower modules. Not all machines will accept the different speeds. Sometimes updating the system's BIOS will correct the problem. If not, it is usually best to use only the speed specified by your system's motherboard manufacturer. "Crucial Technology(FAQ) on mixing 8ns and 7 ns chips. 8ns - PC100 ;7ns or we can say 7.5ns is PC133.
In general, you CAN mix different speeds of SDRAM memory in the same system. The faster memory will run at the slower memory's speed (in this case 8ns parts). However, there are some systems that will not correctly run this memory configuration. This is rare, but we suggest you contact your computer manufacturer or motherboard manual to be sure.Then again with my first post I had responded that it would not work. A bit premature, but I was only thinking of the fact that using PC133 completely(providing the system he is receiving is actually running at this bus speed) would provide the best performance. Most manufacturers of mobos do not recommend the mixing of memory modules. And even some will post on the BIOS "Suggest using PC133 memory".
I have also seen some motherboards are capable of running a CPU FSB of 100 and be able to have PC133 memory in the system with the BIOS recognizing the 2 separate speeds respectfully and run just fine.
Memory is cheap these days but I have seen SDRAM prices inching up!
But hey, we do not even know this users budget.
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So, plyduster, what's your point???
Once again, you have proven your inability to comprehend the question although you seems to know a little bit.
He's not asking if a PC100 will run on a PC133 slot. He's asking if a a PC100 will work on a system that needs PC133. Your answer is yes, my answer is not always. That's because the bus is running at 133Mhz. Why do you think a sytem NEEDS PC133, so that it can run at 100Mhz FSB??? Your statement is correct, it will work on the same slot if you will reduce the bus speed to 100MHZ, but it will mean that the system DOES NOT NEED A PC133RAM anymore. is that his question? plydister?
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