Memory Board Question

confusedI volunteer in a senior center helping out folks with computer problems. We've had a lot of stuff donated over the years.
Is there any danger in experimenting with different memory boards in trying to upgrade total memory? That is, can any physical damage result from trying out some of these in the older computers.
I know many times the boards have to be balanced, and also that this is not the preferred method of upgrade, but a lot of these folks can't afford anything else and running XP SP2 or worse, SP3, is really painful.
Can I harm anything experimenting?

 

The worst that could happen is the computer won't boot with the memory installed,usually removing it and resetting the cmos solves this.

Saying that there's risk with everything,if the memory has been stored in a garden shed and the contacts have become rusty and bridged you could kill the board,usually the better the motherboard the more safety measures are implemented especially if the motherboard has been designed for over clocking,older cheap boards don't like anything out of the ordinary.

 

Thanks Rik. No, these are all clean, little next to no chance of any MBs being overclocked. Any opinion of the chance of this ever working or would this be an exercise in futility? I just have no idea how "swappable" these boards are.

 

Just check your numbers add up just because it fits doesn't mean it will work,check the tech specs of your test mobo and read off the latencies from the side of the memory and the speed and check its compatible with your mobo FSB.

I want to say don't worry but then something will happen,don't test them in your main home PC anyway unless you know where the memory is from.

I'm not sure what you mean by;

There's a 80% chance the memory will work in a computer that its compatible with,a 10% chance the memory won't work because the mobo and memory just don't like each other even though they both work and a 10% chance the memory is broken,could be more depending on where the memory is from but they are usually pretty robust,the chance of something damaging your comp is incalculable really but its the smallest percentage I would say.

These percentages are all scientific and proven by "Rikkys what's the chance of something going wrong PLC"

 

Well, I wouldn't just go sticking memory boards in and 'see' if they work as there are all sorts of different form factors and memory sizes/density to contend with. I would go to crucial.com with the PCs first to see what the mobos can take, if not already at the max.

Then comes the more difficult task of identifying the memory sticks. Someone else will have to help you there but google would be your first stop, especially if the modules still have stickers on them.

 

Augie has just reminded me of course test the memory on its own first before you start mixing different types of memory so you know whether it works,then work from there.