Question about RAM...

[JohnS.]

Alrighty, so I wanna upgrade the RAM on this desktop... But I dunno what to get.

First off, when I right click My Computer and click Properties, it says "224MB Ram". 224? That's such an odd number. But anyways, do I have to get another RAM chip that's 224 or can I mix it up?

Secondly, I don't get all that PC2700, PC3100, all that nonsense. How do I find out which one is compatible with my computer? Or which one to get rather?

I don't have much money right now so I'm looking to get a 512 chip but have no idea how to go about it.

 

[JiuJitsu_greg]

I would check the site of your computer manufactuer. See what memory your puter takes. Memory is pretty cheap, especially if you just want 512. I would have to say my favorite brand of memory is kingston. You might also check ebay. If some random guy is selling his memory from a past upgrade you could get a steal.

 

[JohnS.]

Well I found out the the computer takes PC266 since that's what the current memory stick says. So I'll have to look for another PC266 chip.

2 questions:
#1 - Can I mix RAM chip companies?

#2 - Can I mix a 512 in there with a 256? Or is i better to run 2x 256's?

------------

I also want to know what kind of video card I can run but I have to literally run out the door and go out right now so I'll take some pics later and see if anyone can help me out with what type of motherboard it is.

 

[Akiahara96]

i'm pretty sure you can mix chips. my old desktop had 128, and we put a stick of 256 in.

and i don't see why you can't mix. otherwise, everyone who ever upgraded ram would have to get it from the original manufacturer.

 

[JiuJitsu_greg]

1. Yes, you can mix companies but it's always nice to find a god brand with the proper speed of memory.

2. If you have a open slot pop the 512 in the new slot. It will give you more memory. Which is always better.

 

[Mr. Jollypants]

^^ Don't take his advice..

It's not a good practice to mix memory brands, because of different timings and such, it will cause unstability.

You can pop the 512 in there, but agian, try to get memory that's from the same company.

If you start mixing memory and such, you'll start having stability problems and programs might start crashing.

Your best bet would be to just take the 224 out of there, and run on the 512, since XP will run stable on 512.

 

[JiuJitsu_greg]

^^ Don't take his advice..

It's not a good practice to mix memory brands, because of different timings and such, it will cause unstability.

You can pop the 512 in there, but agian, try to get memory that's from the same company.

If you start mixing memory and such, you'll start having stability problems and programs might start crashing.

Your best bet would be to just take the 224 out of there, and run on the 512, since XP will run stable on 512.

I agree it is always best to have a single brand but you can mix. I don't se why he would want to take the 224 out. Sure Xp will run on 512 but am I wrong to think it would run better on 736?

 

[JiuJitsu_greg]

I copy/pasted this from tyan.com. After some quick research most people do not reccommend using different brands. I personally have had friends that have mixed brands and not had problems with the memory

General Memory FAQs :
Can I mix and match different brands/type of memory?

All Tyan motherboards are produced with performance in mind. When we talk about performance, it goes hand in hand with tolerances which must be met in order to reach the performance levels expected of high quality peripherals. When you mix memory types, brands or speeds on any high performance board, timing problems may significantly affect the stability, reliability and performance of the entire system. This is why we recommend using a single type of brand, speed, and type.

Brands which have been tested and approved by Tyan are listed on the Memory Compatibility page: http://www.tyan.com/support/html/memory_support.html

These brands have proven performance and compatibility records with all Tyan motherboard models. Depending on which motherboard you are using, you will need to buy different types of memory. Consult your users manual for the correct type to purchase then consult our memory compatibility partner pages for sales contacts. We highly recommend purchasing memory from one of the vendors listed on our web page to assure compatibility and performance.

 

[.blazed_ej8]

right now i have two 512's that are different brands and nothin ever happened

 

[Mr. Lin]

mixing brands is stupid and mixing two different pc# is stupid as well.
you might as well be crippling your machine by bashing it with a bat.

you can always run any pc# as long as the number of pins is what your pc takes (ie 184pin)
if you computer is set to run at say pc2700, which i'm guessing it is because you said you've got 224Mb (which is prolly a 256Mb with several bad banks), and you thorw a pc6400 184pin, you're not going to make use of the pc6400.

 

[JohnS.]

The RAM stick in there right now says PC266.

Oh well, it's an old desktop anyways, like 6 years old. I'll just keep the 256 chip stored away. I was told the reason why it says I'm only running 224MB of RAM is because I'm using the onboard video since I don't have a video card. And that's taking away a little bit from the memory.

Anyone recommend any particular companies? I'm just gonna get a 512 and pop it in there without the 256.

 

[JiuJitsu_greg]

kingston

 

[JohnS.]

Yeah I've heard good about em. I'll try to find something.

And is PC266 the same as PC2100? I'm trying to find PC266 on Newegg and all it shows is DDR 266 (PC 2100).

 

[renegadex96]

you can mix. iv'e done it for years. You COULD potentially have conflicts, but in my case i've never had any. I've even run with 2 different speeds of the ram, you'll just have to set your bios to run at the slowest of the speeds of the ram. I've been doing this for about 7 years now, never any issues at all. that's not to say that you won't have them, i just think the chances are slim.

 

[JohnS.]

Yeah, I think I'll just stay on the safe side and get 1 512 and call it a day.

Here's my mobo:

Anyone tell me what brand/company it is? And what 128 video cards are compatible with it? I'm looking to get a new-ish video card too just to play some classic games. I know 128's can run like $50 so that's a hell of a deal I'm willing to hit up.

 

[Mr. Lin]

i see an agp8x slot, so i'd rock a 9800Pro.
and as for ram, ocz or geil are

 

[RICDOGG]

look like you have an MSI board
the board model is in between the AGP and 1st PCI slot.
under the black wire as it were...

anything else to go with that pc266?
i.e 168pin or 184pin


and you'll have better luck getting archaic hardware from pricewatch.com

 

[Mr. Jollypants]

you can mix. iv'e done it for years. You COULD potentially have conflicts, but in my case i've never had any. I've even run with 2 different speeds of the ram, you'll just have to set your bios to run at the slowest of the speeds of the ram. I've been doing this for about 7 years now, never any issues at all. that's not to say that you won't have them, i just think the chances are slim.

But the fact is, mixing and matching memory isnt a good idea.

 

[renegadex96]

But the fact is, mixing and matching memory isnt a good idea.

no arguments there, just saying it can be done if need be

 

[JiuJitsu_greg]

no arguments there, just saying it can be done if need be