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Upgrade RAM???

jojojojo Posts: 645
edited March 2007 in Technical Stuff and Help
Ok my computer is getting sluggish and I'm working on cleaning up my hard drive I was thinking about upgradeing my ram to help give it a little push

I have 512MB DDR SDRAM at 266MHz
with a pentium 4 processor

so my questions are will getting more Ram help me?
and if so what is the right ram to get?
and should I add another 512 or replace my 512 with 1024?

any help is greatly appreciated

thanks
Ralph: Me fail English? That's unpossible.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • legend_killer1legend_killer1 Posts: 46
    More RAM will make your PC Faster, but if you ever upgrade RAM, DO NOT buy a 512mb and a 256mb, because the PC reads the smaller one, so you'd get only 256mb of ram, the 512mb won't worry it at all..

    Same with the 1024mb, if you put a 1024mb with a 512, it'll still read the 512, so it'll make no difference, but if you replace with a 1024 and take out the 512mb, then you'd be going great. :)

    Aside from that, you could add a 512mb with the 512mb one, but it wouldn't do too much..

    (If you need anything explained in more detail, let me know lol I'm quite the PC Technician, and yeah lol)
  • corduroy41corduroy41 Posts: 94
    More ram will make for smoother multitasking and generally a more responsive computer. But it will not make up for a sluggish hard drive, slow processor or a cluttered install of Windows or whatever operating system you use. Just don't expect huge returns in terms of speed with more ram. It just keeps data flowing smoothly enough so that you don't notice any slow downs.

    None the less, I would recommend no less than 1GB of ram just for satisfaction. Gaming and video editing, double that to 2GB. Since you're using DDR, it's common and affordable enough that you should definitely add another 512MB at least.

    I don't fully understand what legend_killer1 is trying to tell you exactly, but my sentiment is exactly the same, add more.. you can't go wrong. :)
  • BookOneBookOne Posts: 14
    Crucial is good stuff. Keep in mind, as much as possible on as few sticks. Try and keep the pairs matched. The Crucial System Scan will scan your memory and show you how many slots you have available and so on.


    http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/
    Aloof, that's all.
  • BrinkofForeverBrinkofForever Posts: 373
    You should sweep your system for spyware. My friend had this problem (slowing down) on his PC and it was caused by spyware that hid in the system and ran processes he wasn't even aware of.
    Make your life a mission - not an intermission. - Arnold Gasglow
  • aNiMaLaNiMaL Posts: 7,117
    legend_killer1 wrote:
    More RAM will make your PC Faster, but if you ever upgrade RAM, DO NOT buy a 512mb and a 256mb, because the PC reads the smaller one, so you'd get only 256mb of ram, the 512mb won't worry it at all..

    Same with the 1024mb, if you put a 1024mb with a 512, it'll still read the 512, so it'll make no difference, but if you replace with a 1024 and take out the 512mb, then you'd be going great. :)

    Aside from that, you could add a 512mb with the 512mb one, but it wouldn't do too much..

    (If you need anything explained in more detail, let me know lol I'm quite the PC Technician, and yeah lol)
    That's not true. Assuming the sticks of memory are compatible (with each other and your mother board); you can have a stick of 256 and a stick of 512, and you will get 768 Mb of RAM.



    To the thread starter, Yes, bump up your RAM to at least a Gig. You should be able to just add another 512 stick.
  • normnorm Posts: 31,146
    aNiMaL wrote:
    That's not true. Assuming the sticks of memory are compatible (with each other and your mother board); you can have a stick of 256 and a stick of 512, and you will get 768 Mb of RAM.

    See that's what I thought. I've done it and I know it works. I've never heard what legend_killer1 is talking about. :o
  • jojojojo Posts: 645
    Brink wrote:
    You should sweep your system for spyware. My friend had this problem (slowing down) on his PC and it was caused by spyware that hid in the system and ran processes he wasn't even aware of.

    I got rid of all the spyware I do check that about once a month or so

    I think I'm gonna add the 512
    thanks for the info guys
    Ralph: Me fail English? That's unpossible.
  • legend_killer1legend_killer1 Posts: 46
    aNiMaL wrote:
    That's not true. Assuming the sticks of memory are compatible (with each other and your mother board); you can have a stick of 256 and a stick of 512, and you will get 768 Mb of RAM.



    To the thread starter, Yes, bump up your RAM to at least a Gig. You should be able to just add another 512 stick.

    It is true. I'm still a high school student dude, I chose a certain subject called "IPT" or Programming for short, and my teacher is one of the smartest PC guys I've ever met. You do NOT get 768mb of ram if you have a 512mb and a 256mb. You may think that, but it doesn't work that way at all.

    And guys, suit yourself in as to what you want to believe, I'm here to provide my advice, not to be told I don't know what I'm talking about, I've been doing this sort of stuff my entire life, so I got a little bit of a feeling that I'm right. ;)
  • corduroy41corduroy41 Posts: 94
    legend_killer1 wrote:
    It is true. I'm still a high school student dude, I chose a certain subject called "IPT" or Programming for short, and my teacher is one of the smartest PC guys I've ever met. You do NOT get 768mb of ram if you have a 512mb and a 256mb. You may think that, but it doesn't work that way at all.

    And guys, suit yourself in as to what you want to believe, I'm here to provide my advice, not to be told I don't know what I'm talking about, I've been doing this sort of stuff my entire life, so I got a little bit of a feeling that I'm right. ;)

    We won't argue the fact that you're providing advice. But you might want to think about providing correct advice at the very least. But hey.. this is just my advice, right? ;)

    Oh and here's some advice for your programming teacher. Seek a computer hardware expert's advice when it comes to computer hardware.
  • legend_killer1legend_killer1 Posts: 46
    You honestly don't know who the hell you're talking about ay? lol This dude is the IT Technician in the school, he's designed many many programs, and been to many Microsoft Seminars, and has been dealing with computers/technology all his life, and he'd be at least 60, so now it's my turn to tell you not to judge a book by it's cover.

    And I was giving the correct advice, I absolutely hate liars, so why would I give crappy advice? Especially when it's dealing with computers, which is something I have a huge passion for. ;)
  • corduroy41corduroy41 Posts: 94
    Ugh.. please take your "passion" more seriously for the benefit of those who believe in your computer prowess.
  • BMoore09BMoore09 Posts: 177
    I beleive lk is right about this one. You need to put them in in pairs. Thats always what I was told, and what ive always done.
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  • aNiMaLaNiMaL Posts: 7,117
    BMoore09 wrote:
    I beleive lk is right about this one. You need to put them in in pairs. Thats always what I was told, and what ive always done.
    You are thinking of dual-channel memory which must be installed in pairs. But like I covered earlier, everything has to do with compatibility with the motherboard and the existing RAM.
  • corduroy41corduroy41 Posts: 94
    BMoore09 wrote:
    I beleive lk is right about this one. You need to put them in in pairs. Thats always what I was told, and what ive always done.

    RDRAM, which was used with first gen Pentium 4 processors had to be installed in pairs.

    DDR & DDR2 modules do NOT need to be installed in pairs unless, as specified by aNiMal, to enable dual channel support.
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