Help with RAM for HTPC.

[PunkSteve]

Hi to all.

I'm thinking about getting my Mrs more RAM for her PC.

These are her PC stats:
Mobo: ASRock H81M-ITX
CPU: Intel G3220 @ 3.0GHz (stock cooler)
RAM: 4gb 1600MHz
HDD: 500gb WD Blue
PSU: 500W Corsair
Windows 7 Home Premium
Bitfenix Prodigy ITX Case

When she is idle, Windows Task Manager says she's using around 50-60% of Physical Memory, but when she starts browsing & downloading & watching a vid, it get's upto 99% of Physical Memory at times.

What i'm wondering is,
1. Would putting 4gb more of RAM make things run a bit quicker?

Her small mobo has 2 RAM slots, (1 being used) so i pulled it out & copied all the labels, & worked-out it was a Kingston KVR16N11S8/4 1.5V.
2. So do i just get the exact same RAM stick that she already has?
3. Is there anything special i need to do to prepare the PC for a RAM upgrade? ie. with Windows or Bios?

Thanks heaps for any & all answers.

[FergHex]

1. Performance depends in many factors, such as RAM, processor, HDD, etc. Adding more RAM will increase performance with multitask a little. But processor have the las word.

2. It's a good idea. Just be sure that both RAM sticks works with the same frequency, for example 1333Mhz. The frequency must be printed in the a label of the ram stick.

3. BIOS must uptade itself with the new hardware configuration. Nothing to do with Windows.

[_I_]

with 4g of ram windows 7-8 will use half of it just idling

get anotehr 4g dimm or a 2x4g kit for it

if adding a 2nd matching dimm, nothing else needs to be done

if upgrading to a new kit you will need to go to bios and select the correct xmp/spd profile

[PunkSteve]

Ok, cool, thanks for the info.
Yeh, i was thinking i'd just get the exact same ram stick as is already running.

Couple more questions:
I'm looking at the mobo manual, & under Memory it says "supports DDR3 1600/1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory".
1. So are the numbers the memory clock timing speeds?
2a. What does "non-ECC" & "un-buffered" mean?
2b. Does this matter, or apply to me?

Thanks again for all the help, & for all future help as well.

[Marble]

None of that really matters if you're buying the same thing as you already have. In a nutshell, those are the RAM speeds the board supports and it doesn't support server memory.

[PunkSteve]

@ 🎃 Canti 🎃: Oh, ok, thanks m8.

Ok, so now i'm having trouble finding where on the labels it says the memory speed. I've looked at these lables a few times now, but can't find the numbers mentioned anywhere, on a MHz reference.
Can i check that info in the Bios, or with a program like Hardware Monitor ect.?

Thanks again for any & all help.

[Marble]

You posted 1600 in your initial post, so look for DDR3-1600 / PC3-12800

Or just type the module serial number into Google.

[PunkSteve]

I'm going to have to wait until 2morrow when the wife isn't using her pc, so i can pull out the ram stick & have another look at the labels (i should've taken a photo, lol).

So would cpu-id or hardware monitor tell me the current memory speed?

[_I_]

cpuz can show ram specs

spd tab will show spd/xmp profiles and ram brand/model

[Marble]

I thought you already said it was KVR16N11S8/4

[Bad 💀 Motha]

For typical Home/Office use; 4GB RAM should be enough and very doable, even in Win7, 8.1, 10

What may help is u cleaning up the machine, ridding it of junk and costly startup apps; all easy to do and can help speed it up.

If has a HDD for the OS, defrag it every month or so.

But yes another 4GB (as u should always use sets of 2x for Dual Channel purposes) would help, sure. Identify the current RAM, if un-sure use CPU-Z app. Then buy another of same size and exact specs. If you can't find exact model/specs of what u have now, get rid of the current RAM and get a whole new Dual Channel Kit.

[PunkSteve]

@ _|_: what is spd tab?

@ 🎃 Canti 🎃: yep, i think thats the serial number, but i still can't find the memory speed.

@ Bad-Motha: yeh, i did a clean install of Windows 7 & mobo drivers about 1yr ago, & she never installs programs. I do actually do a clean-up & defrag for her, probably about every month or so, lol.

[Marble]

It will be 1600. That is the ONLY speed.

http://www.kingston.com/en/memory/search/?partid=kvr16n11s8/4

[Bad 💀 Motha]

SPD tab = what your RAM supports.
Memory tab = what your RAM is currently running at.

If RAM and Motherboard supports "Intel Xtreme Profile ~ XMP" then u want to ensure you enable this; the result will be the BIOS looking at a ROM Profile onboard your RAM and in-turn applying the correctly-spec'd settings regarding DRAM Frequency/Timings/Voltage.

The RAM Serial# is not what u want; u want the Part#

Part# usually will include part of its Specs; such as this for example:
Corsair Part# CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9
^ Just from this u can see it is DDR3 - 1866 - CAS9

Do NOT judge the RAM just by "DDR3 - 1600"
You want the same supported CAS and Voltage; otherwise one RAM might not be able to run at the same speed/settings as the other, and that will cause problems.

[PunkSteve]

@ 🎃 Canti 🎃: thanks for the link m8, thats exactly the kind of thing i was looking for.

@ Bad-Motha: i think the part-number is, KVR16N11S8/4.

Well, thats the memory speed question done, i know that the other ram stick is 1.5V, but i'm not sure about CAS. Just from looking around, i'd guess its CL11, but i may be wrong.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Under CPU-Z > Memory tab, again this is what the installed RAM is currently running at; now for the "Specs" and also "what it should run at" are listed under the "XMP" profile under SPD tab.

But since u gave out the Part# I can see all that info now:

KVR16N11S8/4 is in fact:
DDR3 1600 Mhz (u should see under the OS this is 800 Mhz; because that is X2)
CAS = 11
Voltage = 1.5

Average pricing I found for USA/NA is around $21
https://www.google.com/#q=KVR16N11S8%2F4

Now if u do not want this and want better RAM; then remove current RAM
and grab a kit of 2x4GB DDR3 1600 CAS9 1.5V

Such as (again just for example)

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/team-memory-tpd38g1600c11dc01
-OR-
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-bls2kit4g3d1609ds1s00

So $21 to grab another 4GB like u currently have; or roughly $35-40 to get a new 8GB Kit that will run slightly faster, and have HeatSpeaders.

Whatever RAM u buy/install ensure it supports "Intel XMP"
Then once installed, enter the BIOS/UEFI and enable XMP profile.
Refer to Motherboard Manual if unsure where to find this in BIOS.