Help, Helper Monkee!

[Abraham Smashington]

Correct. You can try swapping the sticks as well.

[BillyG]

Make sure it is in all the way. RAM can be a bitch to "snap" in.

[Abraham Smashington]

Also, I hope you checked your mobo's ram compatibility. Not all ram is compatible with each other. I didn't see your first post asking which ram you should buy.

[Mike]

Also, I hope you checked your mobo's ram compatibility. Not all ram is compatible with each other. I didn't see your first post asking which ram you should buy.

THIS. Depending on the motherboard, you may need to buy your ram in pairs to have it work correctly (i.e. it may not be able to handle ram of two different speeds/makes). So mixing and matching RAM might not be good, you may have to buy two chips that are identical for it to work. Another thing the mobo may be limiting is the maximum speed of ram it can handle. if your computer is sort of old but the ram is uber new, it may not work properly. Best to look at the mobo, get it's make and model, and look up the user's manual online. Apple G5, I curse in your general direction!

[Nathan]

This is my box:
http://www.dell.com/us/en/dfh/desktops/dimen_e521/pd.aspx?refid=dimen_e521&s=dfh&cs=22&~tab=specstab

This is the RAM I bought:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146580

[Nathan]

Further investigation led me here:
"
Dual-channel Memory

Dual-channel memory is a term used to describe a matching pair of memory modules installed in a dual-channel computer system. In a dual-channel system, the motherboard is designed to work with two memory channels instead of one. This allows the system to handle memory processing more efficiently by using the theoretical bandwidth of two memory modules at a time, helping to reduce system latency time and make the whole system faster.
Dual-channel setups can offer significant performance gains over standard single-channel setups. The key to taking full advantage of dual-channel memory operation is installing a pair of matching memory modules (i.e., same size, speed, etc.) at a time. The modules must be identical to each other for dual-channel operation to perform correctly."


So I need to install 2 at a time, correct?

[Nathan]

Well? PLease confirm pretty please. Don't want to buy another stick if I don't need to.

[Abraham Smashington]

I'd want Mike to confirm, but I believe one stick will work but you won't get the added benefit without a second stik

[Mike]

My guess is that it's something more fundamental than this. From my understanding of dual channel memory channels on a mobo, it's an optional thing to have the memory in pairs. Let me do a smidge of research and see what i can dig up for you!

[Nathan]

Thank you sir!

[Nathan]

Is this my motherboard?
http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Dell-M.../dp/B001R5N0ZO

[Nathan]

Dell's RAM
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...n&sku=A0763207

What I bought:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146580

[Mike]

Is this my motherboard?
http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Dell-M.../dp/B001R5N0ZO

yes that is the one!

Looks like people who are purchasing or wrking with that motherbaord recommend buying RAM in pairs. Even Amazon lists that in the "People who bought this also bought..." area:

http://www.amazon.com/PNY-Channel-PC...ref=pd_sim_e_1

I am digging around more to see if others have tried single ram upgradage.

[Mike]

What I bought:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146580

Looks like the ram you bought is supported by the Dell motherboard:

http://www.memorystock.com/memory/De...nsionE521.html

My guess is that getting a second stick will do the trick.

[Mike]

Also, just out of curiosity, how many chips of ram did you have in your compy before wanting to add this new chip? The motherboard docs says you should have 4 memory slots (2 sets of 2). Were two full?