Computers & Laptops

[Saudor]

This question seems to come up alot so perhaps this little guide might help (or not)

Part A - Finding out if your computer needs an upgrade

Adding RAM to a computer that already has plenty will not improve
performance and will simply "waste" your money. A fairly easy way to find out if
you could benefit from an upgrade is to find out the total amount of RAM you
have installed and how much you are currently using. To do this follow these
steps:



Step 1. Find the total RAM you currently have installed:  

From your Windows Desktop, right click My Computer. Choose Properties. You
should see a section called Memory. For example, on my laptop, it says
2.99 GB of RAM

Note: You probably want to convert this into megabytes: 1.00 GB
RAM is equivalent to 1024 MB. (Also, 1 MB is 1024 KB)

Step 2. How much memory you are currently using:  

Right click an
empty area of the Windows Taskbar (the start menu) and select Task Manager.
Windows XP users will see a value beside Commit Charge near the bottom of that
window. The value on the left is what you are currently using right now. Windows
Vista users need to click on the performance tab. Again, on my laptop, it
states: 873 M / 2905 M.

This basically means that I'm currently using 873 MB of the 3072 GB RAM that
I have: In other words, I personally will not benefit from a RAM upgrade. If
this number  is greater than or close to your system RAM (70% +) , it means
you will benefit from an upgrade.

Part B - Finding out which type of RAM your computer uses

Now that you know you need more RAM, the next step is to find out
which ones are compatible with your computer. However, if your computer is
already maxed out, it wont do you any good. A good tool to find out which types
your computer can accept is 'Crucial Scanner' Google it and run
their tool.

Note: 32 bit versions of windows XP and Vista can only accept up to 4
GIG of RAM. Even with 4gig ram, the actual accessible space varies from 2.8 GB
to 3.5 GB so sometimes it's better to stick with just 3
GB of RAM (which
is plenty) and get the full 3 GB rather than upgrade to
4 GB and only be able
to use 2.8 GB.

 

Another note: The largest
size memory stick your computer can accept is usually your maximum memory
divided by the number of slots. For instance, if you have two slots, and
your computer can handle 4 GB of RAM max, each stick of RAM can be up to a
maximum of 2 GB each.

Hope this helps and I'll update this as necessary.

Message Edited by Saudor on 11-23-2008 09:26 AM

[bernard]

Thanks Saudor.   Currently my commit charge is 499M/1218M.  My physical mem is only 512 mb.  My kernel is already at 131mb with no program opened except this net browser. If i still have to run my mp3 players, my excel and word, or the pdf reader...then i'll be using part of my hd for the memory paging.  The reason why i seem to need a ram upgrade is that after watching online movies or even just a slide show when other programs are still running, i.e. flv player, or messenger chat, the movie window will close sooo slowly.  When it closes...clicking on other window will take about a 2 to 3 second response.  To correct this, I will usually clear the cache of my browser as well as the internet temp folders, thus clearing my ram and paging area of my hd.  Or do I need to upgrade to a video card?  Right now , im only using the onboard videocard.

[Credible_Chris]

Though its generally a good idea to fit each of the two RAM slots with the same quantity of RAM, its not entirely necessary.

And I think we should emphasize the fact that 32-bit systems max out at 2.8-3.5.  Not many lay-people know this and I've seen computers for sale that were 32-bit and had 4 GB of RAM.  Watch out, the manufacturos might take advantage of you

Great post Saudor, KUDOS

Message Edited by Credible_Chris on 11-23-2008 09:16 AM

[bernard]

Hi Chris

I was planning to place 2gb for each slot to make it a dual channel (interleaved) mode.  I can't place a 2gb on one slot and the other with a 1 gb.  This will make it a single channel (asymmetric) mode and the 2gb card will be useless as the slowest memory timing will be used instead (it will choose the 1 gb).Please correct me if I'm wrong.   Thanks.

[Jackquelegs]

It will be slower since they're not running in tandem. The total bandwidth will decrease. However in terms of timing, you can set it yourself if you have a decent motherboard.

[Credible_Chris]

I'm not entirely certain how it works, but I'm pretty sure that you're right. your total RAM speed is only as fast as your slowest RAM card, whether they're symmetric or not.

RAM cards have a 'speed' in addition to their magnitude of RAM.  Some 2 GB RAM cards are faster or slower than other 2 GB RAM cards.  It is always best to put the same magnitude and speed of RAM in parallel.

[Saudor]

But I dont think speed matters THAT much though. Even sticking in a slow RAM is still better than having fast RAM and not having enough since hard drives can be very slow

[Bracky]

Which RAM manufacturer/type would be compatible with a Cicero SP2540E desktop. Currently have 512 MB with one slot open. Want to add 512 MB.

Thank you.

Bracky

[Krypto]

Hey Bracky, I'm having trouble finding info regarding your computer (Cicero wasn't a common brand and very little info is available).  My suggestion would be to google "Crucial Scanner" (minus the quotation marks) and run the Crucial System Scanner.  Hopefully this will be able to determine what your motherboard can accept.

Things to note are what RAM speed you can use (e.g. PC3200) and the type of RAM (e.g. DDR, etc).  You may very well end up finding that RAM difficult to find or expensive enough that it's not worth it.  Unfortunately though, I can't answer concretely as your computer is a difficult one to get info on!

[mikemcknight]

Hello Bracky,

Any information Regarding a Cicero Machine - Including Drivers and Manuals Can be found here http://service.seanix.com/support/downloads/index.asp

by using your Serial Number on the Top of computer.

Cheers,