[Angelboi]

I was wondering about RAM and the way it works.
I've noticed that some chipset/mobo's have RAM limits, however, sometimes they specific a 'Ram Capacity' and 'Maximum Ram'
For instance, i have a HP Pavillion Elite m9080n, running Vista Ultimate x32, however after researching some specs, it would seem that:
Memory Capacity: 3GB DDR2
Maximum Memory Supported: 8GB

A complete list of my pc specs can be found here: http://www.newegg.co...82E16883107499R

Now in relation to any computer in general, is there any easy way to check its ram capacity?
My friend has several outdated pc's that he uses, and I wanted to help him upgrade it. One of his models (I'm not sure what kind) Had 512mb ram installed,
(256mbx2 DDR1) and I swapped them out for 2 512mb DDR1's to total 1GB.

Question: Whats the maximum it can go? It only has two slots for ram, but I wanted to make it go faster.

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In relation to my own pc, as stated on top, Can it support DDR3 Cards? According to this article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605
- Intel 975X
- Intel P965
- Intel 955X on Socket 775

Only these chipsets support 8GB ram or more, and I must be running Vista x64.

Question: According to my pc specs, I have a Intel G33 chipset, which according to this article: http://www.pcstats.c...t...2147&page=2
can support up to 8GB Ram, also i'm only running Vista x32.

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To sum up,
1) is it possible for my m9080n to hold more than 3GB? And can it support DDR3?
2) Difference between Maximum Memory Supported and Memory Capacity?
3) Whats the limitations of pc models over 2~3 years old?

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Hi there! download and run Crucial's Memory Scanner, this should tell you what you need to know about your RAM.

I highly doubt that your computer will support DDR3 RAM. I know that DDR2 is keyed differently from DDR so that they can't fit in the same slot, and I would expect the same to be true of DDR2 and DDR3.

[jt1990]

Hi there! download and run Crucial's Memory Scanner, this should tell you what you need to know about your RAM.

I highly doubt that your computer will support DDR3 RAM. I know that DDR2 is keyed differently from DDR so that they can't fit in the same slot, and I would expect the same to be true of DDR2 and DDR3.