Help, about RAM memory.

[Kixfox]

Hi!

I was thinking of buying one more 512 MB RAM.

But where do I check what my proccessor can handle?
If I'm right I have to have the exact same RAM memory as I have already.

Thanks in advance,
Kixfox.

[Bugilt]

It mainly depends on your motherboard. If you can post the model and make I'm sure some one would be glad to help you.

[bam23]

Make sure you don't mix different types of RAM.

I have some questions of my own now that I think of it, does anyone know of any cheap but effective and good RAM? 512mb is really starting to show its age.

[Tweak_SFO]

Actually, I think it is the OS that has a limitation when it comes to RAM. Win98 topped out at around one gig and wouldn't use any more.

Good rule of thumb is to try and purchase another stick of the same RAM as you already have installed, or, if needed, check your BIOS for type and speed and replace all of your RAM with a single stick of larger RAM. I think newer systems top out at around 2 gig, but that's just my opinion, I could be wrong...

These guys seem to have a scanner that will advise you about what to buy, but I have not tried it myself. Link

RAM basics.

More info just to confuse you.

These guys are the ones who I buy all of my stuff from and are very helpful. Link.

[Pure3]

just go up to your nearest cpu store or best buy

[Pedro]

Actually, I think it is the OS that has a limitation when it comes to RAM. Win98 topped out at around one gig and wouldn't use any more.

Good rule of thumb is to try and purchase another stick of the same RAM as you already have installed, or, if needed, check your BIOS for type and speed and replace all of your RAM with a single stick of larger RAM. I think newer systems top out at around 2 gig, but that's just my opinion, I could be wrong...

it is not the OS, its the hardware... win98 didnt top out at 1gb, the hardware did... around 4 gigs is what you can have today, in some mobos 'only' 3...

but anyway, buy the cheapest pc3200 512mb you can find and you'll be fine...

[BF2_Joe]

it is not the OS, its the hardware... win98 didnt top out at 1gb, the hardware did... around 4 gigs is what you can have today, in some mobos 'only' 3...

but anyway, buy the cheapest pc3200 512mb you can find and you'll be fine...

Yeah what he said,
Try to find out what your mobo is and go from there.
Look at www.pricewatch.com

[Kixfox]

but anyway, buy the cheapest pc3200 512mb you can find and you'll be fine...

But can I have mixed RAM memories then?

If I can't, what happends if I start the computer and have mixed ones?

[TVR_Fan]

Sometimes some don't work togther and you could hear bleeps.

[openheimer]

Most of these Guys are Kind of right, They are mixing two common misconceptions.

1. If you are a windows user there is OS limits on Ram Support. 98 supports 2gb however due to a bug in all pre XP versions you may have issues with more than 512 there is a simple fix in the [VCache] section of your win.ini file:MaxFileCache = 524288.

2. XP as it is NT based, can only "see" 3GB of RAM this is a hangover from the 3GB switch in PAE.

3. XP64 quoteing M$ "Large memory support. Supports up to 16 GB of RAM and 16 TB of virtual memory, enabling applications to run faster when working with large data sets. Applications can preload substantially more data into virtual memory, allowing rapid access by the Intel Itanium processor. This reduces the time for loading data into virtual memory or seeking, reading and writing to data storage devices, thus making applications run faster and more efficiently."

4. Now to move onto MOBOs if you are using an aging chipset check with your vendor to see what it supports. You might waste your money on more RAM and find that you can't use it.

5. I uses corsair on on all the machines I build ( 3 Gamers this week) they have a Find my Ram help on their site.

Good Luck ( I think I may write a full RAM guide because I have answered this a couple of times)

PS I use 4GB of Matched RAM

[Magwise]

it is not the OS, its the hardware... win98 didnt top out at 1gb, the hardware did... around 4 gigs is what you can have today, in some mobos 'only' 3...

but anyway, buy the cheapest pc3200 512mb you can find and you'll be fine...

Yeah, what he said. If your mobo won't take that stick, then you probably need a new one.

[iareConfusE]

If your computer is a prebuilt one such as one from Dell or HP, go to their website, and find the stats about your computer.. Look at the RAM compatibility with your mobo and then record all of the ram specs that you need to pay attention to. I think you need to find out exactly what type of ram it is, that is... DDR SDRAM, etc. You need to know if its is ECC or non-ECC. Registered or unbuffered. Im not sure what this spec is but when I bought my RAM it had to be DDR333, PC2700. I think this might be the speed.. of the ram, and the mobo or something... someone correct me if im wrong, becasue I'd like to learn a bit more about it as well..

Basically, just find out the specs of your mobo, and buy ram accordingly.. Also, I believe RAM has to be bought in pairs if you want your dual channels to work (assuming you have it).. 128 x 128, 256 x 256, etc. etc.