mDZ

Hey everyone, I'm pretty much a beginner at all of this so before even stepping near any of the technical stuff like overclocking, something I'm a bit confused with is the compatibility of DDR2 and DDR3. Right now, the model number of my modem that I'm upgrading is the HP Pavilion a1720n (http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/hp-...1.html?tag=nav) [I know it would of been better to start from scratch, but what can I say -- I'm a late bloomer] and the only additional pieces of hardware I've added to it was 2 GB (2 x 1GB) Corsair XMS DDR2 ram, so everything else is stock.

Right. So what I'm having some confusion with is whether or not this card is going to be compatible with what I have or not. Most cards I look at are DDR2, but this one is DDR3. If anyone could kindly sum up what this means and if it would work with my computer, that would be great.
The card I'm specifically looking at is:


EVGA e-GeForce 8600GT 512MB (512-P2-N757-TR) nVidia GeForce 8600GT Chipset (540Mhz) (1400Mhz) 512MB GDDR3 Dual DVI PCI-Express Graphics Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...512-P2-N757-TR

Anyways, sorry for asking a novice question, but I felt this was one of the best places to ask. Thanks.

GANDALFtheGREY

Alright, first you need to check if you have a PCI-e slot in your computer. The memory on that card has nothing to do with the RAM that you put in your computer (the DDR2 stuff). DDR3 is faster ram than DDR2 if you want to look at it simply. If you wanted to upgrade your system ram to DDR3 then it would be incompatible but you should be fine installing that GFX card as long as you have a PCI-e slot to put it in.

EDIT: I just looked at the specs of your computer and you DO have an open PCI-e slot, so you're set for lovin! If you have any questions about how to install it you can ask on the forum, I'd be happy to lend a hand.

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Kramy

Videocards actually have GDDR on them. That tells you the type/speed of the onboard memory on the videocard, usually located under the heatsink. It uses that memory to store textures and other data while rendering your screen.

Your system has one PCIe 16x slot, so the card will work in it.

__________________
-Kramy

Athlon X2 ----- 3Dmark05 11569 ---- 3Dmark06 7138* ---- eVGA 7900GS ---- 738/1972mhz stable ---- [vmod]
Athlon XP ----- 3Dmark05 6845 ------ 3Dmark06 3519 ----- BFG 7800GS ------ 460/1450mhz stable
*1152x864


Check it out! - Videocard Power Consumption Graphs

mDZ

@Gandalf

Oh, haha the info about the RAM was just to assure that everything was as the specifications on the site ;o

but thanks for the help. I never really knew what that PCI slot did.

EDIT:

@Kramy

alright, great. Thanks for the confirmation ;O I was expecting someone was going to say it wasn't going to work or something, but this is great

thanks.