Motherboard compatibility?

Question

Hello all,

I'm wanting to upgrade my PC main board & am unsure of what would be compatible with my memory type I have. The memory is [4gb 2rx4 pc2-5300f-555-11-e1 DDR2] and purchased this a while back for when I am ready for said upgrade.

As I am ready now, I do not know if I should go down the AMD or Intel route as I'm unable to find any resource / info relating to my above mentioned memory type.

I am wondering if any of you have experience of the above memory type going into a particular main board and would like to thank you in advance for any help that you can give.

Answer 1

Most mobos will handle DDR2. You willl be looking for an AM2 / AM2+ mobo for AMD and LGA 775 for Intel.



As for which route to go, that would depend on budget. AMD is great for those on a tight budget. I built a AMD 3.0ghz dual core for about $500. The same Intel that I built a friend was about $700.



When looking at mobos and cpus, you have to ask yourself three questions;

1. What do you want to run/ what do you what the computer to do?

This will look at games, OS, office programs, etc.

2. What is my budget?

The big issue, as if you have a beer budget but champain taste, you're not going to get what you want.

3. What future does the parts have?

When building, make sure that you leave options for the future as in upgrades.



Good luck and happy build

Answer 2

The Intel or AMD issue is solely by your personal preference.



I have built gamers with both and been satisfied.



Your PC2-5300 is actually 667Mhz in speed. At the present time, this memory is actually considered low-end memory for the types now available on the market. There are actually chips out there now with speeds ranging from 800, 1000, 1066, 1150Mhz.



As far as Dual-Core and Quad-Core,..this is a BIG issue with me. Most computers sold on the retail market are coming with Dual-Core processors. There is one thing you MUST understand. Almost all software on the market is single-thread (1 process at a time),..there are SOME out there along with some NEW GAMES wrote for dual threading (2 processes at the same time). To run 2 processes at the same time you need two "cores" or essentially two cpu's with "each" running a single thread. Do NOT waste your money on a quad-core. You will not use the other two left over until the software market 'catches up' with quad-core technology.



As far as the 4gb memory issue. First make sure to check if it is dual-channel or single-channel,..this makes a difference on the compatability of the motherboard also! Most new boards support from 2gb-4gb,..there are boards that support 8gb or more (such as mine),..HOWEVER, again, if your operating system doesn't support it you will NOT be utilizing the full 4gb.



Windows XP does NOT support 4gb's of memory usage. Windows XP max memory is 3gb's. Your computer will tell you 4gb's installed but will only utilize 3-3.2gb's of it. In order to utilize the full amount of memory you installed you would need to install windows xp (64bit) edition or Windows Vista to break the barrier.



Shop "wisely",..get hardware that is able to be "upgraded" to more current hardware to keep yourself ahead of the game when the time arrives!



Good Luck!

Answer 3

Just get a motherboard with DDR2 ram slots that can take pc5300 memory speed. Done and dusted.

Cheaper to use this site

http://microdirect.co.uk/

Based in Manchester and so far very reliable.

Answer 4

that memory will fit most motherboards nowadays, i would go for intel for multi-core processors as they seem ahead at the moment. quad core is really good. Also you graphics card should be fine i.e pci express, but look out for motherboards with pci-express 2.0, new graphics cards use this and will be useful for future.

this is what sort of thing i would get

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/131173

Answer 5

most mother boards will support your ram.

you need to get the right type for your processor first thing, then see if it supports your ram..



www.ebuyer.com give full details.