question on RAM

[Marcie]

My boss installed a new hard drive and new stick of RAM in a co-workers
computer. The hardware seemed to install okay but he couldn't get XP Home
or Win98SE to work correctly.
I brought it home, swapped the memory back to the original, started from
FDisk on the hard drive and had no problem other than battling with an
unsupported Soft Modem.
I still have the original RAM in the computer. PC100, 128mg SDRam. The new
stick is also SDRam, 256mg and 133mHz.
Since everything is working so well I'm hesitant to switch to the new Ram.
Could that have been the cause of the problems my boss had?

Thanks in advance
Marcie

 

[Bob Knowlden]

It's likely enough.

If it's an old Pentium III machine, with a 440BX mainboard, it probably will
not support high-density memory. It is possible to buy low-density 256 MB
DIMMs (www.crucial.com), which the system may support. I had that problem, a
few mainboards ago. I used a couple of 256 MB DIMMs from Crucial; the system
ran XP well.

HTH.

Bob Knowlden

Address may be altered to avoid spam. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

 

[Jim]

-----Original Message-----
It's likely enough.

If it's an old Pentium III machine, with a 440BX mainboard, it probably will
not support high-density memory. It is possible to buy low-density 256 MB
DIMMs (www.crucial.com), which the system may support. I had that problem, a
few mainboards ago. I used a couple of 256 MB DIMMs from Crucial; the system
ran XP well.

HTH.

Bob Knowlden

Address may be altered to avoid spam. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

128mg SDRam. The
new


.

Hello
that is the problem if that puter had SDRAM pc100 in it
from the factory then it will not support pc133 that is 2
different speeds, and without more info on the type of
machine you are working with can not be sure but it might
only support matched sets that means 2x128 or 2x256 not
1x128 and 1x256, the older pc133 ram would work in pc100
systems but would only run at 100 speed but the newer
pc133 (last year or 2)will only run at 133mhz and will
not work in 100mhz systems.
Hope this helps
Jim

 

[Marcie]

Yes it is a Pentium III. The motherboard is a Microstar in a Tiny 'Home
Select 533' computer purchased in May 2000. I'm afraid I don't understand
about getting a low-density 256MB DIMM. The density isn't the amount of
memory on the DIMM? A 256MB isn't always higher density than a 128MB DIMM?

Thanks
Marcie

 

[Bob Knowlden]

I'm not an expert in memory matters, but...

The density of the memory concerns the chips used, not the actual size of
the DIMM. (They are connected, though - I believe that a 256 MB DIMM with 8
chips must be high density, as the chips must be 256 Mb - that's megabits -
each.)

Crucial has a listing for your machine:

http://www.crucial.com/store/listpa...=Tiny&cat=RAM&model=Home+Select+533&submit=Go

(the URL will probably wrap). The largest DIMMs listed as supported are 128
MB, and there are two slots, so the maximum RAM for the machine is 256 MB.
That may be enough for XP home, although I don't know from personal
experience. (It seems like it ough to be good, as it's double the minimum
recommended amount, and four times the bare minimum.)

You ought to be able to mix PC100 and PC133 DIMMs; all should work then at
PC100 frequencies. (There have been exceptions to this, but it's unlikely, I
believe.)

I've only bought RAM from Crucial once, but the experience was highly
satisfactory. If you live in an area they don't serve (they're in the UK,
I'm pretty sure), make sure to get low-density DIMMs. You may have to pay a
premium for them, though, and you'll need to do business with people more
knowledgeable than would be the norm in the US mass-market operations
(CompUSA, Best Buy, etc.).

Good luck.

Bob Kn.

Yes it is a Pentium III. The motherboard is a Microstar in a Tiny 'Home
Select 533' computer purchased in May 2000. I'm afraid I don't understand
about getting a low-density 256MB DIMM. The density isn't the amount of
memory on the DIMM? A 256MB isn't always higher density than a 128MB DIMM?

Thanks
Marcie

(snip)