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im my box now i have 128mb/100mhz SDRAM, im wanting to upgrade but i only have one slot available, 2 questions
1. can i get lets say a stick of 512mb and put it in w/no probs
2. does the clock speed (100mhz in my case) matter, when im upgrading?
thanks
yes, you can all point at the moron and laugh :(
First read your PC's manual and check to see what type of ram your motherboard supports and the speeds of the ram, and then you'll know if you can do that. ( I doubt it though:( )
The speed of the ram does matter, so first get info on your motherboard if you don't have the manual.
I had the same set-up as you until I upgraded. Yes speed does matter .
About the size, I had difficulties in that my mobo didn't like different quantity sticks. Initially I had 2 sticks of 64 and I just stuck a stick of 256 into the third slot. But I started having real problems with loading windows. Took the 64 sticks out and everything was fine.
thats what i was thinkin too, had to be some bit number 64, 128, 256, 512, ...etc.
>>thats what i was thinkin too, had to be some bit number 64, 128, 256, 512, ...etc.<<
How do you mean? You aren't restricted to these numbers. For example you could have 3 x 128 sticks making 384 mb. But you couldn't have 1 x 256 + 2 x 64, they need to be the same quantity increments. If this is what you meant then ignore me, I just wanted to clarify that you hadn't mis-understood my post.
On the other hand, I have more than one stick in all but one of my machines, and I don't think any off them have "balanced" sets. Certainly, the other machine on the desk in front of me has a 32MB and a 128MB in it. Works fine, as do the others, (this one has a single 256MB in it).
If you've got a stick hanging around, stick it in and see.
they do not have to be the same size sticks. My old comp had one 64MB stick and 2x 128MB sticks. It all worked fine.
The main thing is to check your Mobo's manual (or if you have a commercial computer, such as a Compaq or a Sony, look at your PC manuals. I know compaq has info for almost every mobo they put in their computers) and see how much RAM it can hold. Since you say you have 100MHz RAM, I assume you have SDRAM. A lot of times when buying SDRAM for a PC100 mobo, it is cheaper to get PC133. As long as it's SDRAM it should work, you'll just be limited to the speed of your FSB, so it'll run like a PC100 stick.
One word of advice: Do not buy Crucial brand RAM. They charge WAY too much for their RAM. I like PNY myself. People will tell you not to buy offbrand RAM because it is slower, but I use off brand RAM, and it runs just fine. Name brand RAM is usually expensive (that's why I like PNY, they are pretty cheap). I would look at your local PC store (not Best Buy or CompUSA; look for a local vendor.) and ask for their prices on PC133 SDRAM. Buy what you need, and if it doesn't cost much more to go higher, go higher. I can get a PC133 128MB stick for about 10 to 15 dollars.
When buying high speed ddr like pc3200 name brand does matter. Still pnyddr is based off samsung orgional anyway so there is no problem.
thanks for all the pointers, i wasnt planning on buying name brand, cuz yer right, they charge way to much, i've been looking on www.pricewatch.com and noticed how cheap some of their ram was and just thought, you cant go wrong w/a memory upgrade for less than 20 bucks!!!
eats only heads: I was referring to SDRAM. Although, you don't need to buy the most expensive crap on the market even with DDR RAM. I personally use, like I said, PNY, in my new computer (PC2100 512 MB DDR RAM). It cost me $65. I think Crucial charges more than that for their PC133 equivalent.