RAM Upgrade

I'm planning on upping my 256mb ram by adding a new 526mb card to my pc.

Question is, can I only add SDRAM to my mother board or can I use DDR.

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec...._Lite3&class=mb

What is the actual difference?

What are good makes to go for and how do i know what exact memory to buy?

Dan

 

Sorry that link doesn't work.

This is my mother board.

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=K7T_Turbo_Lite3&class=mb

Dan

 

your board can only handle SDRAM ... IMO you're not going to really notice a difference unless you are a gamer(between SDRAM and DDR) it's a bit quicker but only worth upgrading your entire system if you are going to be gaming, hosting a server or doing 3D graphics etc ... for stuff like surfing the net and word processing SDRAM is fine ... if you are using 3D apps and/or games I would suggest saving for a new mobo/cpu/ram combo instead of buying the RAM now

and alil fyi it's 512 not 526 .. maybe that was a typo**shrugz**

 

I have a 1ghz AMD Athlon Processor and 256mb ram at the moment but I've recently downloaded loads of antivirus monitoring software etc and the system seems to be slowing down considerably.

Is more RAM the way to go or should I stay at 256 and go for a faster processor. I'm not big into games or Graphics. A bit of photoshop but nothing major.

About to get a new hard drive also as i only have 20GB and since getting broadband I've ammassed a few gigs of music so it's nearly full.

I intend to remove my old hard drive and reinstall everything using my new one, then put the 20GB one back in as a slave for extra backups etc.

Dan

 

you only need one anti-virus app ... I would suggest avast and others recommend AVG

photoshop does like a lot of bandwidth but if you aren't a hardcore PSer I don't think it would be necessary ... although adding another 256MB stick of SDRAM will improve performance

 

Is all SDRAM all 168 pin or are there different formats?

If so how can you tell what sort of RAM card are compatable with your system?

Dan

 

you will benefit from having 512MB of RAM if you are using windows XP for sure. I would recommend getting another 256MB of RAM identical to the one you have in their right now for best results.

if you are unsure what RQAM you have now, download and run AIDA32 from here http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=181

when open, click on Motherboard on the right, subcategory SPD, and all the info will be on the right, look for the model #


your motherboard only suports up to a 1.4ghz Athlon XP, so I dont think it would be worth it price wise to upgrade your CPU unless you can find one for VERY cheap.

 

I have 512mb pc-3200 ram and Windows XP pro works like a charm. I concur with "InyearsToCome" UPGRADE that garbage!

 

First off, I agree to disagree,
This is my first visit here, glad I came just in time to correct these mistakes

Windows will run perfectly fine with the amount of RAM that you have. There are certain other computer users that require too much power because they do not know how to optimize there rigs. Secondly, RQAM?, we are all here to try to help the new members, not confuse them. If you are going to stay with this amount of RAM, I would reccomend a program called CachemanXP at http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Cacheman-XP-Download-8370.html. this program will regulate RAM usage, etc etc.. I personally would upgrade to the 1.4 ghz CPU, a 400mhz increase in speed will greatly improve the performance of your computer during virus scans.

"There is no spoon"

-The Matricks

 

rastamandan, I might be totally wrong but, I would say the exact opposite of 1337gamer. if you are surfing and doing photos your procesor is not your bottle neck your memory is.
you can use any PC133 with your motherboard. Quality memory is my cause. at www.crucial.com you can get a 512 stick for $106. you can find it cheaper if you want any pc133 will work in your MOBO. a new processor is $159 at Ineverheardoftheseguys.com and is much harder to install. I dont Know what operating system you are running but XP takes about 128MB of RAM just to boot and idle so if you are on the XP memory will help a great deal.
but i agree with tyler marton mabey keep the monitor you have, save the $100 upgrade and spend $500 on a new box, $400 total
http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/custom/thunderbird.asp?v=d

 

1337gaMeR,
Welcome to MajorGeeks, and it is nice to see that you decided to save us from ourselves!

 

Think I'm going to upgrade the RAM and Hard Drive as I've filled my old one and see how the system performs.

Western Digital Cavier SE 80Gb 7200rpm 8mb Cache Hard Drive - OEM
£38.50

As I was told that Western Digital are better then Maxtor, is it worth getting the drive with 8mb cache as it's an extra couple of pounds.

I can get some cheap 256mb ram for about £20 so I'm going to go with that. Think I'll see how it goes and then if the system is still going slow I might invest in a new setup with a better mother board, processor, DDR ram etc.

Dan

 

My intention is to remove my old hard drive, then insert the new one and the RAM and then re-install XP Pro and the programmes back onto my system.

I hope that this will get rid of the problems I'm having with drives not accesing properly, general clutter from old programmes and will sort out my internet explorer problems.
It will be nice to start a fresh with a virus free computer.

I intend to then place the hard drive as a slave so that I can then transfer my work, pictures and music from it too the new drive. Then format the old one and just use it as backup.

Is all of this possible and how easy would it be.

Dan