Installing RAM with different "timing"

Hello all,
Probably a really newbie question for this group;
I have 4 184-pin DIMM slots, and currently 2 X 512 Mushkin 2-3-3 sticks in
there. Do I need to buy more 2-3-3 memory, or can I buy 2-3-2 to add?
Is there an advantage to going one way or the other? It's an A8N-SLI in a
Velocity Micro AMD64 if any of that matters.

Thanks,

Tim

In article <RdF%f.31400$gE.3186@dukeread06>, "Destin_FL"
<hightidemedia DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello all,
> Probably a really newbie question for this group;
> I have 4 184-pin DIMM slots, and currently 2 X 512 Mushkin 2-3-3 sticks in
> there. Do I need to buy more 2-3-3 memory, or can I buy 2-3-2 to add?
> Is there an advantage to going one way or the other? It's an A8N-SLI in a
> Velocity Micro AMD64 if any of that matters.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Tim

The first number (CAS), is the most important from a performance
perspective, and either one of your 2-3-3- or 2-3-2 choices will
work. The BIOS selects the slowest parameters of the assembled
DIMMs and uses that to set the timing. If you installed some
slower 3-3-3 RAM with your 2-3-3 RAM, the BIOS should choose
3-3-3 for the whole works.

When you get the new memory, start it at DDR333. That should
work whether the Command Rate is set at 1T or 2T. Use memtest86+
from memtest.org to test the memory. The most aggressive
setting that you can expect to get working with a S939 motherboard
with four sticks of RAM, is DDR400 and Command Rate 2T, and in
that case Command Rate 1T is too aggressive. DDR333 and Command
Rate 2T is a very relaxed setting, and you'll lose more than 20%
memory bandwidth with the relaxed settings. You can experiment
a bit with the settings, until you get good performance and
error free operation.

In any case, after you get your new RAM, allow memtest86+ (either
self-booting floppy or self-booting CDROM version) to complete
at least two full passes error free, before you try to boot into
Windows. If you still see a few errors occurring, try raising
Vdimm up to 2.7V or so and see if that helps. But only increase
the voltage if you are having problems, as excess voltage
only makes the RAM hot for nothing.

Paul