RAM jungle - Geek Tarzan please explain

I run a Dell Optiplex GX260 with only 256 ram and want to upgrade. But fear of buying the wrong RAM type has me petrified. Dell say I need PC2-4200 DDR2 533Mhz DIMM 240 pin unbuffered and non-ECC. Is there an easy way to understand this lingo?
I know I can take it to a shop, but that teaches me nothing. I love my black box to bits and want to fully understand it.

 

It's more straight forward than it appears. There are 2 types of DDR (dual data rate) memory: DDR and DDR2. DDR has 184 pins and has speeds of 266, 333, and 400 (in megahertz). DDR2 has 240 pins and speeds of 533, 667, and 800 (also in megahertz). Most newer PC's are running DDR2. And most of these DDR2 PC's also require unbuffered non-ECC (error checking and correction I think). So, the memory you need is VERY common and should be easy to find at just about any place that sells PC stuff.

hd2k

 

Thanks a million, Dave. Every time I see Dell criticised, someone comes up with how Dell parts are a little different, which refloats the old self-perpetuating fear of endless lines of bods heading back to shops to return RAM that did not work.
So, if I understood you correctly, something bought on Ebay complying with your summary should do the job. Should I worry about possible non-compatability with my Dell motherboard, or is this an unnecessary concern? Cheers, Pete.

 

To put your mind further at rest, adding to Dave's reply, check out the on-line scanner at www.crucial.com

It will scan your PC, tell you what you have, tell you how much more you can install, how many slots are free and even suggest pricing USD$, of course.:cool

Check your Dell manual as well, to see if the above details are listed in there, and how they compare to Crucial.

Bazza