Adding new RAM, how much and how many sticks

[chipandegg]

I have 2007 Mac Pro with 2GB

I'm looking to increase the RAM but am not sure how much to get and in what quantity.

The 2GB I have at the moment are created from 4, 512MB sticks.

This leaves another 4 slots that I can stick RAM into.

I've checked out the Crucial website and was looking around.

What I'm thinking about is the amount I should get, how many sticks it is and if I'll need anymore in the future.

Any advice would be great.

 

[CaoCao]

I have 2007 Mac Pro with 2GB

I'm looking to increase the RAM but am not sure how much to get and in what quantity.

The 2GB I have at the moment are created from 4, 512MB sticks.

This leaves another 4 slots that I can stick RAM into.

I've checked out the Crucial website and was looking around.

What I'm thinking about is the amount I should get, how many sticks it is and if I'll need anymore in the future.

Any advice would be great.

2x4GB RAM from OWC should be plenty

 

[chipandegg]

2x4GB RAM from OWC should be plenty

Cool, essentially 8GB then = 2x4GB

That'll be 10GB in all in the Mac,

 

[Umbongo]

Cool, essentially 8GB then = 2x4GB

That'll be 10GB in all in the Mac,

512MB DIMMs will slow memory performance whewn mixed with other capacities, so you might want to consider removing them if 8GB is enough. 4x2GB would be a better choice, whether you keep the 512MB DIMMS in or not. Placing the 2GB DIMMs in the first two on each riser.

 

[chipandegg]

512MB DIMMs will slow memory performance whewn mixed with other capacities, so you might want to consider removing them if 8GB is enough. 4x2GB would be a better choice, whether you keep the 512MB DIMMS in or not. Placing the 2GB DIMMs in the first two on each riser.

Thanks,

I head somewhere that its best to have the same capacity RAM, as you said, why is that?

You said that getting 4x2GB would be a better choice, just wondering, say if I took the 4, 512MB out and just put a pair of 4GB sticks in. Would that be ok?

Thanks

 

[Umbongo]

Thanks,

I head somewhere that its best to have the same capacity RAM, as you said, why is that?

You said that getting 4x2GB would be a better choice, just wondering, say if I took the 4, 512MB out and just put a pair of 4GB sticks in. Would that be ok?

Thanks

Due to the way the memory architecture works balance is important. 512MB DIMMs are single ranked and slow the whole thing down if included with faster dual ranked DIMMs. With 1, 2 and 4GB DIMMs capacity matters less, but having the same amount on each riser is important still. As is filling as many memory slots as possible.

Generally we are talking a few percent performance differences, but it is worth considering going for an optimal configuration. 4x2GB is faster, and cheaper, than 2x4GB.

It's something like fill all memory slots, make each riser balanced, use same capacity DIMMs in order of importance for the best performance.