RAM help needed, please

thanks, erik. i know this has been a long thread, but i did post earlier that i had a look at belarc, and i couldnt find where the personal infomation was, so i didnt want to post it, all i could see that i didnt want to post was a MAC address. if you could show me which bits to edit i'll post it.

this is from everest -

Front Side Bus Properties :-
Bus Type Intel NetBurst
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 100 MHz (QDR)
Effective Clock 400 MHz
Bandwidth 3200 MB/s

i looked in the computer and there are a group of 3 slots in one place with something plugged in it, and in another part of the board there's 2 slots with 1 thing plugged into it

from belarc :-

Memory Modules c,d

96 Megabytes Installed Memory.
Slot 'A0' has 128 MB
Slot 'A1' is Empty
Slot 'A2' is Empty

Main Circuit Board.
Bus Clock: 100 megahertz
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies, LTD.

 

i can also get infomation about bus infomation from PC Wizard. i can click on the different bus options from the screenshot

 

Glad 2 help. What goes around comes around.

I don't take these system reports as the truth. The chipset supports DDR RAM (PC2100). There's a 128MB DDR RAM module inside the PC. I don't believe the system support double channel memory controller. Therefore, there is NO need to buy paired RAMs. One stick of PC2100 will do the job. PC2700 may be cheaper and SHOULD default to the lower speed. You can't go wrong with Crucial's generous return policy (guarantee compatibility or $ back) and a lifetime warranty.

Systems that FULLY support DDR RAMs (two identical RAM modules working together) will have 2 or 4 memory slots on the motherboard.

If the two other slots are white in color and don't have the release levers at the ends, then they are PCI slots, not memory. Each memory slot comes with two release levers located at the ends of the slot.

 

Info on southbridge chipset:

http://www.motherboards.org/mobot/chipsets_d/Abit/Apollo KT333 VT8233A/

http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/chipsets/legacy/kt333/

 

OK, then i wont go the local shop, unless you can buy cruical there? im going to order one of the following online...
http://www.crucial.com/store/MPartspecs.Asp?mtbpoid=887405FEA5CA7304&WSMD=SL-85MIV-L&WSPN=CT6464Z265
http://www.crucial.com/store/MPartspecs.Asp?mtbpoid=02BE02FFA5CA7304&WSMD=SL-85MIV-L&WSPN=CT3264Z265
http://www.crucial.com/store/MPartspecs.Asp?mtbpoid=451984FEA5CA7304&WSMD=SL-85MIV-L&WSPN=CT3272Z265

then i will follow the instructions from this page. please tell me if im wrong.

i hope this is the end, i feel ive taken too much of everyone's time already. im very grateful and thankful for the help ive been given. this is turning into another Oscar acceptance speech, id like to thank...well i hope you get the idea.

Thanks for the help : )

 

from memory, i'll check if you think i should, but the place which had three slots were not white but had white release levers at one end at least.

im gong to open it up again, and try and find a picture of the board which i can then post.

 

Those 3 are probably the RAM slots.

Both CT3264Z265 and CT3264Z335 should work with your setup. The latter will save you $1. PC2700 is backward compatible with PC2100. You can call Crucial to comfirm this. No need to add the 512MB module. 384MB is more than adequate for your configuration.

Consider shutting down non-essential programs if you want a very responsive PC. In my book, those essential programs are 1).firewall 2).antivirus.

 

thanks, the reason im starting to think about 512MB is because the £ is so strong at the moment, almost 2$ to the £. so, $80 isnt too much. if i order that, can i just use it by it's self, without the 128MB i have at the moment?

 

Yes, but you will not see any peformance gain over the 128+256.

 

but if you use them both you will have 640 megs, which is better than 512

 

when i added it up it came to less then 512 . no, i just heard that 512 runs better then a Gig with XP. so i thought maybe 512 was better then 640 but im not going to start complaining about it either way. 512 and 640 are both better then 96 or 98 or what ever it is now

 

well, im like a child wanting a new toy. i'll find it hard not getting 512MB now. considering all the money ive saved by staying in on the computer, i feel i can splash out the extra $s

 

I'm still running 256 on XP with no performance problems at all. I was going to jump right to 1 Gig but in passing, i was told it is unstable and not advised, maybe someone here could comment on this.


snowbound

 

At the present I am running a gig of ram with absolutly no problems. My son loaned me a gig stick and for a couple of days I was running two gigs with no problems. That though is really a waste so I dropped back to one gig. I have learned over the years that I had my shop that the more ram you can run with out problems the better off you are. The only time I saw a problem with running a lot of ram was when a customer brought in a comp that almost wouldn't boot. After asking him if he had made any changes lately he said he had just added some ram. His comp manafacturer stated the mother board was set to run max ram at 512, but the customer had added another 256 in the second slot and that just didn't work to well.

 

So 1 stick is best?





snowbound

 

No not nacessarily. the customer I was refering to exceded the manafacturers specs on the amount of ram his comp supported. I haven't personally seen one stick of ram out perform two.

 

complicated stuff im glad i had the help.

 

Here's a typical thread on the subject: Does 1 DIMM really perform better than 2?. And a good FAQ here: The Memory FAQ.

Nick

 

Good links Nick, thanks.



snowbound

 

The only time a single ram stick seems to out perform two of them is when you overclock you system, which in my opinion is not the brightest thing to do in the first place.

 

Newer PCs support paired DDR SDRAMs. Pairing two IDENTICAL DDR modules (best from the same manufacturer) will provide better data transfer because DDR SDRAM supports data transfers on both edges of each clock cycle (the rising and falling edges), effectively doubling the memory chip's data throughput.

Run the MOST demanding application in your system and record the Peak Commit Charge in Task Manager. If this number is lower than the amount of physical RAM in your system, then you WILL NOT benefit by adding more RAM. Why? Because it takes CPU clock cycles to manage RAM. More RAMs = More clock cycles. The un-used RAMs also consume power and generate additional heat, placing additional load on the power supply and cooling system, respectively.

Sure, you can launch all the applications to use up the RAMs, but this is not a real world condition. High-end systems are limited by the bus speed, RAM speed, CPU speed, HD speed, etc.... The quantitly of RAM is often not an issue.

To achieve the greatest system stability (especially for overclocking), you MUST use IDENTICAL RAM modules from the SAME manufacturer. A small mismatch in latency can cause big problem.

So, if you don't do high-end gaming or video editing, then you really don't need more than 384MB of RAM. Since we must use paired modules for peak performance, the sweet spot is 512MB.

In summary, Task Manager's Peak Commit Charge provides a very accurate gauge of your system's peak memory load. Add more RAMs if your Peak Commit Charge exceeds the amount physical RAM in the PC. Use paired memory modules with modern PCs...two 128s, two 256s, or two 512s. If you have $ to burn and want to impress others, go with two giggers.

 

Good points, nod32_9. Thanks.

Nick

 

im going to order in the morning. should i get one 512MB or two 256MB?
EDIT with more RAM i can do more things, ive spent my whole time avoiding resourse hogs, which can be a good thing, but what if i want to play games and run KAV etc?, which i do want to do, i want 512MB because the price is good and it will give me more freedom with my computer.