Mixing memory - PC2100 + PC2700?

[atanasoff]

I currently have 1.5 GB in a T40p. There's not much room for improvement, but should a cheap enough oem quality show up I would try it.
The machine ships with PC2100 266mhz. PC2700 is currently installed in both slots and works fine, a 512 and a 1GB.

If I find a 1GB PC2100 can I use it, or must/should I match the PC2700 1GB currently installed?


also, what components does "Data Memory Systems" use? They seem to be an assembler/reseller not an OEM... at all.

[ZaZ]

Most likely it will work, but will downclock to the lower of the two memory speeds.

[atanasoff]

Most likely it will work, but will downclock to the lower of the two memory speeds.

Machine ships from the factory with PC2100 - 266mhz. Can it even use the higher speed of pc 2700? Thought the memory bus speed was fixed by the system board, not the cpu, but I could be wrong.

[RealBlackStuff]

The RAM on that motherboard will never run any faster than 2100, no matter what speed you put in there.
It will work with PC2700 RAM, but only at PC2100 speed.
It might work with PC3200 RAM, and if it works, it will also be at PC2100 speed.
You can mix-n-match different speed RAM modules, but they will all run at PC2100, as mentioned above.

[schen]

Although possible, it's unlikely to find PC2100 speed DDR that's 1Gb (at least new). In general; slower means older and as time passed larger chips were engineered. So, it's uncommon to find chips of 1Gb in PC2700 and newer.

[atanasoff]

I'm assuming the machine gets no benefit from running PC2700, since it shipped w PC2100 and it does not depend on CPU speed.
Am I assuming correctly?

I can increase the CPU speed with a simple CPU swap, but am not interested in overclocking the system bus if that is even possible.

[schen]

I'm assuming the machine gets no benefit from running PC2700, since it shipped w PC2100 and it does not depend on CPU speed.
Am I assuming correctly?

I can increase the CPU speed with a simple CPU swap, but am not interested in overclocking the system bus if that is even possible.

Nope, none at all. The memory at the 2100 that the machine is built to do.

Oh yeah; please fill in your location information. Thanks

[Bruce Guttman]

I remember reading somewhere that IBM (Lenovo) now ships PC-2700 memory to replace PC-2100 memory. You will find 2700 memory works fine. Sometimes I will find that mixing speeds can lead to problems. Also, there is no big price difference between PC-2100 and PC-2700. In fact, some of the Office Supply stores will sell you PC-3200 as a "universal replacement". Just be warned: PC2-anything doesn't work in the T-40, and it won't fit either.