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Would it be a significant performance improvement if I upgraded my 8GB 800Mhz DDR2 RAM to 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3?
Is it always an in/significant improvement or does it depend heavily on my hardware, any other details of my old or intended new RAMs (the models) or my use of it?
I mainly need performance for tabbed browsing and the like and not so much for gaming.
Channel is dual, DC Mode is symmetric, DRAM frequency is 400 MHz, FSB:DRAM is 2:3
I'm getting new hardware and am currently wondering whether I should also get new RAM. Yes DDR4 is way too expensive and not an signficant enough improvement for me. – mYnDstrEAm – 2017-02-19T11:06:41.267
2You get the ram that fits in your hardware. You're not going to be able to put in DDR3 into a DDR2 box and vice versa. Ditto with DDR3. Your general choice of ram generation is entirely dictated by your chipset. – Journeyman Geek – 2017-02-19T11:07:50.337
alright so it's not down compatible? I guess then I have to get DDR3 RAM. – mYnDstrEAm – 2017-02-19T11:12:35.687
2See what the processor/motherboard you want supports. Pick the appropriate type of ram based on that. – Journeyman Geek – 2017-02-19T11:13:39.247
1@mYnDstrEAm DDR2/3/4 is keyed so it physically won't fit - it must match whatever the motherboard supports. And in these days where the memory controller is on the CPU, the motherboard slots will support whatever their CPU supports. So generally CPU + motherboard + RAM is upgraded together, not independently (unless you're just adding more RAM quantity, not a different type). – Bob – 2017-02-19T11:16:13.720