Hello, Currently I have 1GB ( 2 x 512MB ) Crucial Ballistix DDR2 533Hz Ram installed in my desktop. I am planing to add another 1GB to it. Because the ballistix memory is running at 3-3-3-12 timing, and I could not find the same ram on the market or ram with similar performance at reasonably cheap price, if I add another pair of DDR2 533Hz Ram but with 4-4-4-15 timing (slower than my Bollistix ram), would my existing Ballistix ram run slower than it currently does? Thanks in advance. - Clearpicks
The way I understand RAM, the timing given in the specs is the fastest timing the manufacturer is guaranteeing that product to run stable at. We all know of people overclocking (speeding up) the ram, cpu, etc. I agree with the previous poster that if you set the timing in the BIOS to the slowest ram, you should enjoy a stable system. I don't believe you will notice a difference in the performance of the system by "slowing it down" a few microseconds in ram timing. And you should increase the amount of data you can process without becoming unstable, for a net gain. You could probably get some good support from the ram manufacturer. I used OCZ tech support when I bought their ram to build a system last year; they were great to work with.