can PC3200(400) and PC2700 (333) memory be mixed?

[Jim W]

I'm just thinking I may not get full performance from the 3200.......but can they mixed in the first place?

oh......and while I'm at it, will the Mac Mini even run PC3200?

thanks

 

[DeltaMac]

You can't mix memory on a Mac mini - there's only one memory slot. This will support one DDR ram chip of either PC2700 or PC3200, largest capacity is 1 GB

 

[nixgeek]

I did this on a PC, and yes it did work. PC3200 should be backwards compatible with PC2700 when used with it. However, I had to play around with the BIOS settings to make it work...and it did...until the power went out and the PC didn't want to boot. The difference between the dual channel memory and the single channel memory caused it not to function properly. I had to pull out the one of the modules for the PC to boot up properly. Having one or the other installed allowed it to boot, but neither played nice with one another.

So my answer from experience: you can mix it, but be ready to encounter problems along the way.

 

[DeltaMac]

why confuse this poster? The Mac mini has only one memory slot, you can't mix memory. The controller uses PC2700, or 333 MHz. It will use PC3200, but will use it at 333 MHz only - no advantage to the faster memory, and there's no other memory in the Mac mini to cause any problems.

 

[Jim W]

ok, thanks to both.


I didn't realize the mini was singled slotted. So I guess I should order it with 1 gig in the first place.

 

[nixgeek]

why confuse this poster? The Mac mini has only one memory slot, you can't mix memory. The controller uses PC2700, or 333 MHz. It will use PC3200, but will use it at 333 MHz only - no advantage to the faster memory, and there's no other memory in the Mac mini to cause any problems.

My intention was not to confuse, but to educate. I figured that if this person might ever want to do the same thing to another system (a PC or tower Mac computer) where there WERE multiple RAM slots, they wouldn't have to go through all that I went through in trial and error.