How do i know what memory to get?

[seb]

for example from here:

click

can i click somewhere on my computer and a screen will pop up saying what i already have as will it depend on what motherboard i have? :S

ta

 

[Griff]

In a word no..

Obviously if you are into PC's and therefor build your own you already know what ram you have. For those with pre-assembled PC's you need to download something like CPUZ which will tell you the info you are after.

http://www.cpuid.org/download/cpu-z-130.zip

 

[seb]

mine was built by a computer bloke i knew a few years ago. don't speak to him anymore now.

If i took the side panels off could i find out what the motherboard is and go from there?

 

[wozzaa]

Do as griff says download cpuz and when you run it theres a bit that say memory tell us what numbers it says for each thing basically.

 

[Griff]

mine was built by a computer bloke i knew a few years ago. don't speak to him anymore now.

If i took the side panels off could i find out what the motherboard is and go from there?

I'm saying this with all due respect but unless you know your stuff it's not particluarly obvious what motherboard you have simply by looking at it. I don't mean that in a funny way I'm just saying you probably wont be able to tell.

Download the Zip file I quoted above and run cpuz.exe. A box appears with a lot of info -

Click on the "spd" tab and it will shows what memory you have installed.

 

[seb]

ah coolio. no offence taken at all mate. i am a computer leper.

 

[seb]

this is what i have. i relsie new computers have a lot more but is mine bad? does the 133mhz thing mean anything? what could i replace it with?

 

[Darren S]

Seb - if you click on the mainboard tab, what does it say in there? I'll check the the mobo's manufacturer for you to see what the maximum you can have will be. I'd suspect it will be 512MB - 1GB at a push.

D.

 

[Griff]

The memory you have installed is known as PC2100 or DDR266 (both mean the same thing)

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listmodule.asp?family=DDR&tabid=DDR+PC2100

That shows your type of memory in different module sizes (184 pin applies to you) Depending on your motherboard there's a limit to how much you can install.

 

[seb]

cheers fella, here you go:

it means notihng to me!!

a gig of memory would be cool!

 

[seb]

so if i got a 512 ram stick form the lin form griff would be able to keep my 256 stick going aswell? i have two slots i think.

Will this make a lot of difference to the dayto day running of the computer?

cheers for the link griff

 

[seb]

whats the difference between unbuffered and registered?

 

[Griff]

Unfortunately that's a fairly old system. From that we cannot tell what motherboard you have as the appropriate fields are greyed out.

As many motherboard manufacturers have used that chipset over time it's not really much to go on.

I'm guessing if you take the side of the case off and look for the memory slots (thin, about 6 inches long) there will be 3 of them (usual with this type of chipset)

Try and take a look.

 

[seb]

the program i downloaded said i had two slots i think.

My processor is a 1.4 gig athlon thunderbird i think.

So do you think my computer would be alright if i bought 512 ram extra to go with what i have?

Is it as simple as slotting it in and turning the power back on?

 

[Griff]

whats the difference between unbuffered and registered?

Buffered memory literally contains a "buffer" to cope with help ditribute the electicity to the modules if you have a lot installed.

You have "Registered" memory installed.

 

[Griff]

the program i downloaded said i had two slots i think.

My processor is a 1.4 gig athlon thunderbird i think.

So do you think my computer would be alright if i bought 512 ram extra to go with what i have?

Is it as simple as slotting it in and turning the power back on?

The program will only shows the slots IN USE. So if you have 2 memory modules it will display 2 slots but there may be a 3rd slot empty (and therefore not shown in that program)

The only way to tell is to have a look.

Ultimately you can add 512mb to the memory you have yes but it's a much better idea to have matched pairs in place. 2 * 256mb or 2 * 512mb for example.

 

[Saner]

If you don't mind looking the name of the botherboard will be printed onto it.

With that infomation you can find alot out about your board, you may even be able to upgrade your BIOS to take a larger CPU should you ever want to upgrade it

 

[Darren S]

You would get a 400% increase in performance by removing AOL.... :clown:

Out of interest, how well does Max Payne 2 run on yours? According to the CPU-Z reading, you can only run 2x AGP graphics and have 64MB support. Even 8x AGP support with 128MB onboard (like mine) is pretty old hat these days!

You could try the old mobo identifying routine. If you pop off the side cover, look between the PCI slots (there should be 3-5 slots around 4" in length and are a grey/biege colour) - there's usually a model number printed in there. Usually something like A7N8X or similar. Sometimes, it may show v1.0 or v2.0 as well....

D.

 

[Griff]

The 64mb refers to the AGP aperture NOT the ammount of memory on his video card.

 

[seb]

i have a geforce fx5200 256 ram graphics card

max payne runs well (imO0 as it isn't jerky and runs along smoothly enough for my liking. Although since i replaced the power unit on my computer and got rid ofsome of the dust within the case (there was a lot) the game runs with loads of flashing coming out of the scenery. Hard to explain really... it is as if massive parts of the picture from the screen are jumping about and is very flickery. But it has no effect on the way the game runs, only howit loks.

Maybe i buggered it up cleaning the computer when it was dusty? i also have a new infrared mouse thing with a scrolling bit on the top and when i use that to scroll sdown the page to look at pictures on CS it will make them go out of focus and blurry with bits of green and blue.

weird.

i'll have a look at my computer now to check it out.

 

[seb]

You would get a 400% increase in performance by removing AOL.... :clown:

Out of interest, how well does Max Payne 2 run on yours? According to the CPU-Z reading, you can only run 2x AGP graphics and have 64MB support. Even 8x AGP support with 128MB onboard (like mine) is pretty old hat these days!

You could try the old mobo identifying routine. If you pop off the side cover, look between the PCI slots (there should be 3-5 slots around 4" in length and are a grey/biege colour) - there's usually a model number printed in there. Usually something like A7N8X or similar. Sometimes, it may show v1.0 or v2.0 as well....

D.

Had a look where you said but there is no numbers. there are two little black squares each side of the PC1 slots.

one on the right:

VIA VT8233 0139CE TAIWAN 23A1002100

one on the left:

ITE IT8705F 0142 - BXS M9Y350

 

[seb]

ITE IT8705F - googled it and got this, click

the third link down suggests its the motherboard?

 

[Griff]

The third link down is for an Intel motherboard matey. The number/code you have quoted is simply a chip code which is why I said earlier unless you know what you are looking for in can be difficult.

 

[seb]

doh... would it tell me as my computer starts up? on the black screen part?

 

[ViolentJ]

Seb, quick tip on taking screen shots.... to get ONLY the active window press ALT + PRINT SCRN

 

[wozzaa]

with a KT266/333 chipset you can put a gig in there without a problem. I had over a gig on my old KT266 system. And yes will make a noticeable difference.

 

[Griff]

Not really mate, only your Bios version.

It's not that crucial as we now know your chipset anyway. As a rule of thumb each memory slot on motherboards using that chipset will accept a 1gig memory module.

 

[ViolentJ]

If you go START -> RUN -> DXDIAG

It should tell you your motherboard make and model in there.

 

[Griff]

If you go START -> RUN -> DXDIAG

It should tell you your motherboard make and model in there.

Not normally. Bios, CPU etc yes but not specific motherboard details.

 

[ViolentJ]

Not normally. Bios, CPU etc yes but not specific motherboard details.

Mine gives me full motherboard model, worth a try...

 

[seb]

cheers chaps just sorting out screen print like above.

so a gig would sort it out we reckon a bit?

i have three memory slots by the way. only one in use at present.

 

[seb]

that give us any more infomation?

 

[Griff]

Doesn't help mate. Like I said DXDIAG doesn't "normally" give you motherboard details and all your's is showing is VIA (chipset manufacturer not motherboard manufacturer details) chip details.

According to VIA your chipset was used on some 20 motherboards.......

Go for 2 * 512 then.. Save the 256 or stick it on Ebay.

The mobo details are irrelevant now mate but if you can find out make a note of it for future referance.

 

[seb]

mobo details? no idea what that is but yeah i think i'll go for 2 x 512 from the link you provided griff. ta

 

[Griff]

mobo details? no idea what that is but yeah i think i'll go for 2 x 512 from the link you provided griff. ta

Mobo = MOtherBOard...

 

[seb]

lol i am such a PC NOOB! lol cheers

 

[Griff]

2 * 512mb "Registered" don't forget.

 

[seb]

registered, no probs! ta

 

[seb]

sorry griff, still hassling you, would this be appropriate?

click

 

[Griff]

That would be fine mate. The crucial link was intended to show the different type's of memory available and which suited you. Aslong as it's PC2100 or DDR266 (and 184 pins) you'll be fine wherever you get it from.

You could even use PC2700 (DDR333) or PC3200 (DDR400) in your system albeit they would still operate at PC2100 speeds.