Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

When do you need DDR RAM, and when is SDRAM enough?

Sep 8, 2015 12:14PM PDT

Hey guys!

A friend of mine got a computer - With SDRAM built in (I've actually never seen this, all PCs I've seen in the last years had DDRsomething SDRAM built in.)

I know that DDR is twice as fast as simple SDRAM, but when is SDRAM actually enough, and when isnt it?

Do you only need DDR for gaming and complex-algorithmic stuff, or should you always upgrade to DDR?

Thanks in advance.

Kind regards,
Darkium

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Clarification Request
What is this PC?
Sep 8, 2015 12:58PM PDT

Without make, model, year, and so on folk can't guess what can be done.

The only big downside to SDRAM could be cost. Price out older memory sticks and you'll see why we sometimes leave a machine behind. Just last week I did that to a laptop. Yes I could bump the RAM but it didn't make sense.

- Collapse -
Answer
That's easy.
Sep 8, 2015 12:28PM PDT

You need the RAM that's suited for the motherboard. Like you need the gas that's suited for your car, and the screwdriver that's suited for the screw.
You can't really upgrade a car using diesel to one using gas, or a normal screw to a Philips screw.

Kees

- Collapse -
I meant independently of the motherboard
Sep 8, 2015 12:31PM PDT

Sure, but I meant independently of the motherboard. If you told me that SDRAM is the worst thing ever and can't be used in any situation, ever, I would just tell my friend to upgrade his motherboard with his RAM.

- Collapse -
Re: upgrade
Sep 8, 2015 12:39PM PDT

Why should he upgrade if he feels he got what he paid for and is happy with it?

A new motherboard and new RAM is quite expensive. For a second hand PC, it's best to buy what you need and not buy something that needs to be upgraded immediately.

Kees

- Collapse -
He isnt happy with it.
Sep 8, 2015 12:51PM PDT

That is the whole problem, and he asked me to give him some advice on what components to upgrade - Unfortunately I never encountered those SDRAMs before, and thus dont know if it could be a reason for his PC to be so slow. Thats why I asked when you need which, so that I can try to judge his situation.

- Collapse -
it was fast in its time
Sep 8, 2015 1:02PM PDT

there are many reasons for a computer to be slow. since you cannot replace the ram, what you are asking makes absolutely no difference in finding out why the computer is now slow. you will need to find other ways to speed up the computer and causes as to why the computer is now slow.

just to note, a lot of times computers are fast until you use another computer that is faster.

- Collapse -
Now we getting somewhere.
Sep 8, 2015 1:27PM PDT

Please tell some details:
- make and model
- what CPU
- how much RAM
- what motherboard
- what hard disk, how full
- what OS
- retail or OEM version of the OS
- how old
- what video card
- what does he use it for
- when did he buy it
- how much did he pay for it
- what is his upgrade budget
- what disks (Windows, drivers, utilities) came with the PC?
- what exactly is "slow"

With what you told until now, it's like:
"My friend bought a T-Ford, but finds it slow om the highway. What to upgrade?"

A good and cheap solution for example might be "Buy a tablet".

Kees

- Collapse -
I havent that much information, unfortunately.
Sep 8, 2015 2:04PM PDT
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B013I8B60I/ is the PC he bought
(It's german, so here a quick "translation":
CPU: Intel Celeron 2.41GHz QuadCore (J1900 - I found this information to be inaccurate.)
8GB of SDRAM
500GB HDD, close to empty since new.
OS: Win10 64bit
About 2weeks old
Integrated Intel HD Graphics 1GB Graphics RAM
Price: 269€
(I asked him to send me a DxDiag to know the motherboard)

He mostly uses it for standard office stuff like excel word, pictures, ...
)

I currently think that he should absolutly upgrade his CPU - And maybe also his motherboard to buy DDR RAM instead of SDRAM, but I don't know much about this, thats why I asked here. I am not an extreme "noob" but also not an expert, but I think that upgrading something else would be pretty much useless for the stuff he does with it, and also I can't really believe that it is so slow (I havent seen it actually, but he describes it as truly "unworkable") without having bloated his PC with viruses or trash, but that can't be the case as it is new.

Sorry for my bad english.
- Collapse -
I would not upgrade RAM. It has 8GB.
Sep 8, 2015 4:21PM PDT
- Collapse -
Video section isnt required.
Sep 9, 2015 10:30AM PDT

And I just can't believe that a HDD can be that slow. I mean, I dont know how slow it really is, but I dont think that he has high standards, and he describes it as "unbelievable slow".

(Also, I read a lot of bad stuff about the Celeron, thats why I thought about switchting it out)

Thanks for your help!

- Collapse -
My quick look on the web
Sep 9, 2015 10:54AM PDT

Seems to show the CPU soldered down. With the crushing low price my bet is they tossed a slow 5400 RPM HDD in there.

My wife has a dual core celeron laptop with 4GB RAM. It boots in 15 seconds, resumes from hibernation in under 5 seconds and from sleep in under 4 seconds.

What did I install in that? A SSD.

- Collapse -
The video section is not strong either.
Sep 9, 2015 10:58AM PDT

"Graphics

The HD Graphics (Bay Trail) is based on the Intel Gen7 architecture, which supports DirectX 11 and is also found in the Ivy Bridge series (e.g. HD Graphics 4000). With only 4 EUs (Execution Units) and a relatively low clock speed of up 688 - 854 MHz, the GPU is even slower than the HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge). Therefore, only older and less demanding games will run fluently."

Notebookcheck was being too kind here. Any video card in the 99 buck range would obliterate this onboard video.

- Collapse -
sdram
Sep 8, 2015 8:39PM PDT

Don't confuse sdram with single data rate ram.
That's not what it means at all.
Put sdram into google...do some reading.
I don't read German but it looks like that machine comes with 8GB of ddr3 ram.
I would doubt ram is the cause of this extreme slow down.

I don't have the machine to look at but a quick look at google shows that cpu soldiered to the mobo.....meaning the mobo and cpu are a package?

- Collapse -
Oh, ok
Sep 9, 2015 10:28AM PDT

I thought it did mean that, since "DDR<number>" usually always is specified. Well, thanks then!

- Collapse -
Re: upgrade
Sep 9, 2015 10:47AM PDT

A new motherboard, CPU, RAM and Windows together certainly will be more expensive than the 269 euro he paid for this one.

So if he isn't happy with it, he has 30 days to return it, after doing a refresh to bring it back to factory conditions.

Kees