PC 3200 DDR 400 ram running at 200 mhz (2.8 GHZ CPU, 800 mhz FSB)

I was looking for some memory to upgrade my Asus P5PE-VM and I noticed my PC 3200 DDR ram which is 3-4-4-8 is running at 200 mhz not 400 mhz. My CPU is a 2.8 GHZ Pentium D. Why is the ram/bus not running at 400 mhz? I see nowhere in the bios where you can change the FSB.

Also, is it advisable to run different specs of ram in the same board/slots? Or since my board supports dual channels, maybe I should just buy dual channel ram?

it's DDR (double data rate) ram
so it's double that which is 400mhz (2 x 200mhz) which means it's fine

Thanks,
What about mixing different specs within the PC3200 line? Me thinks this could be a problem and that it's probably safe to get one with the same specs?

as long as it's pc 3200 it's fine. of course lower speed would work too. but if u are going dual channel it, the pair has to be of same specs.

Originally Posted by champ91

as long as it's pc 3200 it's fine. of course lower speed would work too. but if u are going dual channel it, the pair has to be of same specs.

Yea, specs must be the same. specially, their CL.

Sorry, still a bit confused here since opinions seem to vary. I dont think I will go dual channel, not at this time. Maybe if and when RAM prices drop.

Just so I am clear: getting a stick of PC3200 1GB ram that is 3-3-3-8 and adding it to a board that has PC 3200 512MB and 3-4-4-8 will work fine without any issues?

Originally Posted by Pavel

Sorry, still a bit confused here since opinions seem to vary. I dont think I will go dual channel, not at this time. Maybe if and when RAM prices drop.

Just so I am clear: getting a stick of PC3200 1GB ram that is 3-3-3-8 and adding it to a board that has PC 3200 512MB and 3-4-4-8 will work fine without any issues?

yes

Gracias