Computer Chip?

Ricksmx3 · Post by **Ricksmx3** » September 7th, 2007, 11:50 am

Hey guys i am looking to buy more memory for my pc to speed it up alittle. I need to know how do i find out what to buy. Any help would be appreciated.

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » September 7th, 2007, 2:59 pm

What kind are you running now? What motherboard do you have? As well, what CPU?

shameem · Post by **shameem** » September 7th, 2007, 3:13 pm

http://www.gtopala.com/

download and run siw - it will tell you what memory you have (you might have a dig into it a bit) - buy the same type.

If you dont know whats going on - post the logs in this thread - someone might be able to help you out.

Ricksmx3 · Post by **Ricksmx3** » September 7th, 2007, 3:22 pm

Nd4SpdSe wrote:What kind are you running now? What motherboard do you have? As well, what CPU?

Lol thats what i am trying to figure out. But i need to know where to look to find it.

solo_ryder · Post by **solo_ryder** » September 7th, 2007, 4:59 pm

Try Start menu > Right click on My Computer and choose properties, that should give you some insight on the CPU and whatnot. Do you have the brand of the computer and the model number?

Infinity · Post by **Infinity** » September 7th, 2007, 7:10 pm

shameem wrote:http://www.gtopala.com/

download and run siw - it will tell you what memory you have (you might have a dig into it a bit) - buy the same type.

If you dont know whats going on - post the logs in this thread - someone might be able to help you out.

i downloaded and got
Speed PC2100 (133 MHz)
Capacity 256 MBytes
Maximum Capacity 2048 MBytes

any of this any good? its a really old computer so i wouldnt expect much from it

shameem · Post by **shameem** » September 8th, 2007, 10:27 am

Infinity wrote:
shameem wrote:http://www.gtopala.com/

download and run siw - it will tell you what memory you have (you might have a dig into it a bit) - buy the same type.

If you dont know whats going on - post the logs in this thread - someone might be able to help you out.
i downloaded and got
Speed PC2100 (133 MHz)
Capacity 256 MBytes
Maximum Capacity 2048 MBytes

any of this any good? its a really old computer so i wouldnt expect much from it

PC2100 ddr 133mhz is what you need to buy - some old motherboards dont like memory sticks greater than 512mb - so if you have 4 slots - maybe you can get 4x 512mb memory sticks.... That will put you upto 2GB (your max capacity)...

But to be honest - you wont *notice* any major improvement after 1 GB (or even 512 mb in some cases) because the memory access speed is too low.

Run "ccleaner", "diskeeper" and "spybot s&d" - you will notice a huge improvement wihtout changing memory at all.

Better yet - **backup all data** and format your hard drive and reinstall windows - you wouldnt beleive the difference.

Volones · Post by **Volones** » September 8th, 2007, 10:27 am

Excellent results!

You can buy PC 2100 memory, a knowledgeable store will understand what you're asking for.
You now have 256Mb, which is barely enough to run WinXP, so I would recommend getting 1Gb (512Mb at the very minimum.
Your system can take up to 2Gb of RAM total, so you could get that much if you wanted to and had the $$ for it.

Your limitation now will be the number of slots where the physical memory sticks will go, most motherboards have either 2 or 4 slots (basic description, there are more variables, but this will get you going). SO in order to know what to get you, or the shop, will have to open your computer case and look at the motherboard to determine what memory sticks you'll want to get.

examples:
2 - slots
2x256Mb = 512Mb
2x512Mb = 1GB
2x1Gb = 2Gb

This will be your more expensive option since to get the same total memory you'll have to buy more expensive memory sticks.

4 - slots
4x128Mb = 512Mb
4x256Mb = 1Gb
4x512Mb = 2Gb

You see how you're buying more of the lower capacity sticks? The lower capacity sticks will be less expensive, and IIRC they will total less money for the same amount of total memory.

There are many brands of memory, and some are better than others, ePinions is a good site to read reviews of components, and MikesHardDrive also reviews components (with much more info, but it's written for the intermediate - advanced system builder). CNET will usually have a review of all the parts, so you may find some info there too.

Brands that I remember to be quality:
Kingston
PNY

Good Luck,
Vol

Volones · Post by **Volones** » September 8th, 2007, 10:29 am

BTW, I agree with Shameem (who's quicker than I am) that beyond 1Gb of RAM, you won't see much of a difference with system speed, and cleaning up your HDD will help a lot too.

Vol

Infinity · Post by **Infinity** » September 8th, 2007, 1:34 pm

k well im just going to keep my computer the way it is then. thanks guys

nope-mx3 · Post by **nope-mx3** » September 8th, 2007, 2:26 pm

I`d go for 4x512 without a doubt.
You will notice a difference between 1 & 2gb of memory.

I`m talking with personal experience.

(If I`d build a new computer now, it`d be a quad core with 4gb of memory, memory`s dirt cheap at the moment).

-n

Infinity · Post by **Infinity** » September 8th, 2007, 2:30 pm

nope-mx3 wrote:I`d go for 4x512 without a doubt.
You will notice a difference between 1 & 2gb of memory.

I`m talking with personal experience.

(If I`d build a new computer now, it`d be a quad core with 4gb of memory, memory`s dirt cheap at the moment).

-n

how much could i get that for? or how much would it cost to get it done at a pc store? im going to college soon so i might need it no?

nope-mx3 · Post by **nope-mx3** » September 8th, 2007, 2:45 pm

I`m in Norway, so how much US shops etc. would charge, I dont know.

But upgrading the memory is very easy, can only fit one way etc.

http://www.kingston.com/support/howto/default.asp

Flash video of how to install memory.

I`d guess 512mb module would be around $30 and upwards.
So 4 modules would be about $120 USD, so not too bad.

-n

Infinity · Post by **Infinity** » September 8th, 2007, 3:00 pm

why would i need 4 modules?

nope-mx3 · Post by **nope-mx3** » September 8th, 2007, 3:10 pm

As they are only 512mb each, and your computer only supports 2gb of memory, I`d go for the 512mb modules to be sure they work with your hardware.

There`s been examples of computers not supporting 1gb and 2gb modules.
Even though they support 2gb total (thats why you use 4x512mb wich adds up to 2048mb = 2gb ram)

-n