Ram Question

[Struggler]

I have an old pc with a p4 3.0Ghz single core processor, (probs very out of date and s**t now)

basically it supports dual channel ram, but only has a single stick of 512mb in it atm, but it has 4 slots, 2 blue and 2 black.

can anyone tell me how ram i can stuff in her to make her abit faster,

as a man, i would have thought just buy the one with the biggest numbers, and get 4 of them,

but im guessing as its an old computer, it wont like too much,
i was thinking around 2gb, but can anyone more informed that myself advise please?

 

[Marky_]

That should depend on your what Mobo and OS you're using.

 

[jamesp24]

Yeh what mobo is it.

 

[PinkoCommie]

The most likely answer is 4GB. 4 1GB sticks is probably the best choice

 

[Struggler]

what is mobo??
mother board?
if so then ill update you the next time my computer breaks and i have to open it,

all i know is that its by asrock,
is there anyway of finding out without the instructions or box?

also os is vista home premium 32bit

 

[realnumber 1]

Download and run SIW (google it), it will tell you what you have and what you can have. If your looking to speed things up then look for a new HDD with an 8-16MB cache. Makes a very worth while upgrade along with more ram.

 

[Struggler]

i think i have a harddrive with 8mb cache,
honestly not that sure tho,
its an excelstor j880s ata

mother board is asrock p4V88+

 

[realnumber 1]

Use this, it's free

http://www.gtopala.com/siw-download.html

 

[Struggler]

i did, im guessing i need need DDR pc3200 memory,
but if i put 4 gig in, will i see it all? or would i just be pissing money away??
it says maximum of 1gb per slot,

so should i settle for 2gig on dual channel memory, or 3? or even 4??

 

[KDF]

Get 4 gig (4 x 1GB) as its so cheap nowadays anyway.

You will only see 3.5gig running a 32bit OS but it's not much of a loss.

 

[Darren S]

Looks like 4GB is the maximum on it.....

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=P4V88%2B

The trouble you've got at the moment is the fact that PC3200 stuff is getting dearer again. Memory throughout its product life cycle follows the classic 'U' shape. Price starts high when launched as a new tech and then drops as it becomes more popular.

As newer tech comes out and replaces the old, there's less demand for it - pushing the price back up to get the less-available sticks out there.

4GB is always good on a Vista machine - which is what your system and O/S maxes out at. 64-bit Vista can see 8GB and 16GB on the Home Basic and Home Premium versions - then all the way up to 128GB for the Business and Ultimate editions.

D.

 

[Munson]

Wherever possible, you should use less sticks rather than more. Most mobos will be happier with 2x1GB rather than 4x512mb (example). Certainly if you're doing any overclocking it'll often be easier to get stable clock with less sticks. Saying that, anyone who wanted to OC a P4 3Ghz would be rather nutty.

 

[Struggler]

i wont think ill be doing any over clocking since i dont even know what that is,
probs get 2x1gb sticks for a while and up to 2 more when i get some more money

 

[Munson]

Good call. You should be good with 2GB anyway TBH.

 

[celicaturbolly]

Bump, didn't feel the need to make a new thread just for me:

I have installed on my home pc 4gb of RAM but it only shows 2.75gb as usable? I'm running Windows 7 32mb currently, I thought you could have up to 4gb RAM, or is the system using some of the RAM on the graphics card? Can include some more details and specs if needed

 

[Lal B3N]

Bump, didn't feel the need to make a new thread just for me:

I have installed on my home pc 4gb of RAM but it only shows 2.75gb as usable? I'm running Windows 7 32mb currently, I thought you could have up to 4gb RAM, or is the system using some of the RAM on the graphics card? Can include some more details and specs if needed

As you say the missing ram will be being used on other hardware within your system. Depending on your graphics card that could be claiming 1gb etc.

 

[celicaturbolly]

Thanks, the numbers don't seem to add up to a total of 4gb though? I think I have 2gb on graphics card plus 2.75 usable RAM is over 4gb? Would it be worth getting Windows 7 64bit?

 

[levaz]

Have you tried resetting the CMOS?

My system would only show 2gb even with 2x 2gb sticks fitted.
Reset my CMOS and it shows 4gb.
I'm not an expert, but that worked for me

 

[celicaturbolly]

I don't think I can get 64 bit on my current processor anyway after a bit of research. What's the CMOS, I'm not expert at this :blush:

 

[Lal B3N]

CMOS is the battery on the motherboard. If you remove it can help to reset the BIOS, usually when you break something when messing around in the BIOS.

Can give it a try removing it, but I doubt it will help.

 

[celicaturbolly]

It shows the ram is there in system information, just that only 2.75 is usable

 

[Paprika123]

Limited to 4gb works out at 3.5-.3.75 depending on the OS. Take away any that it decides is reserved for hardware stuff and there you have it.

If you want to use the whole 4gb you'll need a 64bit os

 

[celicaturbolly]

Limited to 4gb works out at 3.5-.3.75 depending on the OS. Take away any that it decides is reserved for hardware stuff and there you have it.

If you want to use the whole 4gb you'll need a 64bit os

Thanks, makes sense. Am I right in thinking the processor governs if you can run 64 bit? IIRC when I bought my motherboard it is upgrade able to quad core and/or ( I'm guessing ) to 64bit?

 

[Lal B3N]

What model motherboard do you have?

 

[celicaturbolly]

Manufacturer Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
Model G41M-ES2L
Total amount of system memory 4.00 GB RAM
System type 32-bit operating system
Number of processor cores 2
64-bit capable Yes

 

[Steven103]

You need both a 64bit capable processor, a 64bit OS and a motherboard which supports more than 4GB of RAM. You then need all your software and drivers to be 64bit compatible.

* Mainstream computer processors have all been 64bit capable for donkeys years (think turn of the millennium) so I highly doubt this is an issue.
* Most copies of Windows XP and Vista however were 32bit so this is still a realistic hurdle to overcome if you're upgrading an old/cheap computer. 64bit had a rather slow take up (hence my XP & Vista comment) because not much was compatible, but this really is a thing of the past now. Don't be surprised if FIFA 1995 doesn't work on a 64bit copy of Windows 8.
* Some lower end motherboards impose a physical (i.e. number of slots) AND theoretical limit. E.g. Plenty of low end laptops that are only 3 or 4 years old are still limited to 2GB even though you can physically fit more in.

Bear in mind that "64bit" is sometimes written as "x86-64"


EDIT: Nevermind. All processors that fit in that motherboard (G41) are 64bit capable. Spec page on the Gigabyte website (the people who make that motherboard) says it supports 8GB http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3261#sp As per your last post, your current OS is 32bit so you'd need to acquire a 64bit OS (the keycode for your 32bit copy of windows will probably work on a 64bit copy too - but if it's a prebuilt computer (i.e. Dell, HP, Packard Bell etc etc) then you can't ever guarantee these things)

 

[celicaturbolly]

You need both a 64bit capable processor, a 64bit OS and a motherboard which supports more than 4GB of RAM. You then need all your software and drivers to be 64bit compatible.

* Mainstream computer processors have all been 64bit capable for donkeys years (think turn of the millennium) so I highly doubt this is an issue.
* Most copies of Windows XP and Vista however were 32bit so this is still a realistic hurdle to overcome if you're upgrading an old/cheap computer. 64bit had a rather slow take up (hence my XP & Vista comment) because not much was compatible, but this really is a thing of the past now. Don't be surprised if FIFA 1995 doesn't work on a 64bit copy of Windows 8.
* Some lower end motherboards impose a physical (i.e. number of slots) AND theoretical limit. E.g. Plenty of low end laptops that are only 3 or 4 years old are still limited to 2GB even though you can physically fit more in.

Bear in mind that "64bit" is sometimes written as "x86-64"


EDIT: Nevermind. All processors that fit in that motherboard (G41) are 64bit capable. Spec page on the Gigabyte website (the people who make that motherboard) says it supports 8GB http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3261#sp As per your last post, your current OS is 32bit so you'd need to buy a 64bit OS.

Thanks, so I could upgrade it to 64bit if I wanted. Is it actually worth doing, I don't game on pc or anything too complex or should I just leave it be?

 

[Steven103]

For the associated components (CPU, hard drive, graphics card etc) & your usage I'd say it's not worth it on time/effort alone (backup/restore all of the your photos, music, documents, not to mention redownloading/reinstalling all of your software & all of your settings/shortcuts) nevermind the potential £80 it could cost buying a 64bit OS.

A massively better (and free) use of time would be to:

* Go through and uninstall every program that you've never used. No doubt if it was bought from a major manufacturer it'll be full of trial software, adverts & other such s***e.
* Run a disk defrag
* Run a virus scan
* Remove as many "startup programs" as possible. At any given time your computer is running tens of utterly useless programs. E.g. unless you specifically tell it not to iTunes loads about 3 other associated programs (help files/software etc) just incase you need them - how many times have you ever read the "help" files for iTunes?

 

[celicaturbolly]

86 programs currently installed 🙈
Going to follow this advice, thanks for your help