Which RAM to use with my pentium 1 system

[shehzaad]

Hello.

Am a computer newbie n i have recently acquired a pentium 1 system to
use for simple word processing but i kindof find it a lil to slow
when using MS Word 97.

There's only 8 MB of ram on the comp n av bin told the system is slow
bcoz of this n am nw tryin to find RAM cards which fit on the system.
But i donot know which type i should use: EDO? SD? pc100? pc133? Av
tried a few of them but none sims compatible. Wd b grateful if any1
could tell me exactly which type of CARD i should look for..

Thnx,
Shehzaad

 

[KILOWATT]

Try CPU-Z. It will tell you the type of ram you already have installed. You
will have to search for a junk computers depot since you won't be able to
the modules easily were they sell new parts. I often see computers sitting
on sidewalk during junk days, with it's motherboard full of edo ram.

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php


--
Alain(alias:Kilowatt)
Montréal Québec
PS: 1000 excuses for grammatical errors or
omissions, i'm a "pure" french canadian!
(If replying also by e-mail, remove
"no spam" from the adress.)

 

[Rod Speed]

You can still get it on ebay, quite cheap too.

Try CPU-Z. It will tell you the type of ram you already have
installed. You will have to search for a junk computers depot since
you won't be able to the modules easily were they sell new parts. I
often see computers sitting on sidewalk during junk days, with it's
motherboard full of edo ram.

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

 

[kony]

Hello.

Am a computer newbie n i have recently acquired a pentium 1 system to
use for simple word processing but i kindof find it a lil to slow
when using MS Word 97.


There's only 8 MB of ram on the comp n av bin told the system is slow
bcoz of this n am nw tryin to find RAM cards which fit on the system.

Yes, having only 8MB is certainly going to be a severe
bottleneck.

But i donot know which type i should use: EDO? SD? pc100? pc133? Av
tried a few of them but none sims compatible. Wd b grateful if any1
could tell me exactly which type of CARD i should look for..

You'll have to tell us what motherboard the system uses, or
look inside at the memory. Most Pentium 1 systems used
SIMMs, pairs of modules that would be 2 x 4MB modules in
either FP (fastpage) or EDO type.

Later Pentium 1 motherboards used DIMMs, essentially low
density PC66, or merely "66MHz" memory.

With only 8MB currently installed, I would expect it to be a
pair of SIMMs, so you should consult the motherboard manual
to determine memory support.

 

[CBFalconer]

Am a computer newbie n i have recently acquired a pentium 1 system to
use for simple word processing but i kindof find it a lil to slow
when using MS Word 97.

There's only 8 MB of ram on the comp n av bin told the system is slow
bcoz of this n am nw tryin to find RAM cards which fit on the system.
But i donot know which type i should use: EDO? SD? pc100? pc133? Av
tried a few of them but none sims compatible. Wd b grateful if any1
could tell me exactly which type of CARD i should look for..

Try using English, rather than obscure abbreviations. Why should
we spend any time trying to decipher your silly posting. If you
decide to pay me for the effort, then I will do so.

What, if anything, does "bcoz of this n am nw tryin" or "Wd b"
mean?

--
Some informative links:
<<http://www.geocities.com/nnqweb/>
<http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html>
<http://www.caliburn.nl/topposting.html>
<http://www.netmeister.org/news/learn2quote.html>
<http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/>

 

[Paul]

Hello.

Am a computer newbie n i have recently acquired a pentium 1 system to
use for simple word processing but i kindof find it a lil to slow
when using MS Word 97.

There's only 8 MB of ram on the comp n av bin told the system is slow
bcoz of this n am nw tryin to find RAM cards which fit on the system.
But i donot know which type i should use: EDO? SD? pc100? pc133? Av
tried a few of them but none sims compatible. Wd b grateful if any1
could tell me exactly which type of CARD i should look for..

Thnx,
Shehzaad

We need details. If you can find the motherboard model number
printed in white letters on the motherboard, that will help.
There are lots of utilities that can help dig up info, but
none of them is a final authority.

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php (CPUZ)
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181 (Everest)
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html (belarc advisor)

(Example screen from Belarc Advisor output. Output requires
a web browser.)

http://i.iinfo.cz/s/prev7/belarcv.gif

What OS are you using ?

Paul

 

[paulmd]

Hello.

Am a computer newbie n i have recently acquired a pentium 1 system to
use for simple word processing but i kindof find it a lil to slow
when using MS Word 97.

Laptop or desktop?

There's only 8 MB of ram on the comp n av bin told the system is slow
bcoz of this n am nw tryin to find RAM cards which fit on the system.
But i donot know which type i should use: EDO?

if desktop:
Since you have only 8mb:

Most likely FPM 72 pin simms. With a decent chance of edo 72 pin simms.


Most will accept either FPM or EDO, but not both at once.

72 pin simms must be in *matched* pairs.

You should have a decent chance of finding 4 matched 32MB sticks, for
128mb total. That's the largest common size. 64s are RARE, and 128s,
even rarer. And many machines won't accept them anyway.

there is no requirement to match 168 pin dimms, but you should if you
can.

SD?

Too vauge.

pc100?

Maybe. There are a *few* p1s that will accept it. With only 8mb
onboard, it's unlikely. pc-100 pretty much bottoms out at 16mb
individual sticks. you do see 8mb sticks occasionally, but they're
rare.


pc133?

Maybe, but unnecessary.

If laptop: go fish, if you post the make and model, you may recieve
some help. But laptops, especially in that era are *finicky* with RAM.
So no guesses here.

 

[Rod Speed]

(e-mail address removed) wrote

shehzaad wrote

Laptop or desktop?

if desktop:
Since you have only 8mb:

Most likely FPM 72 pin simms. With a decent chance of edo 72 pin simms.

Most will accept either FPM or EDO, but not both at once.

72 pin simms must be in *matched* pairs.
Nope.

You should have a decent chance of finding
4 matched 32MB sticks, for 128mb total.

Wont necessarily always be able to handle that tho.

That's the largest common size. 64s are RARE, and 128s,
even rarer. And many machines won't accept them anyway.

there is no requirement to match 168 pin dimms,

There isnt with simms either.

 

[paulmd]

(e-mail address removed) wrote






Nope.

They do with a p1. See reference below.

Wont necessarily always be able to handle that tho.

99.9% will.

if it's a 486, maybe not, but every p1 I've ever worked on will accept
32s, even if the manual says they wont.

There isnt with simms either.

Only in OLDER computers. Some really old macs (only 1 simm slot) and
pre pentium computers. Otherwise, pair'm or it don't work.

"
Due to the differing data bus widths of the memory modules and some
processors, sometimes several modules must be installed in identical
pairs or in identical groups of four to fill a memory bank. For
instance, on 80386 or 80486 systems (data bus width of 32 bits), either
four 30-pin SIMMs or one 72-pin SIMM are required for one memory bank.
On Pentium systems (data bus width of 64 bits), two 72-pin SIMMs are
required.
"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIMM

Nope.

It reduces the chance of mismatch, and therfor increases the likelihood
of stability. It's basic good practice.

 

[meow2222]

Hello.

Am a computer newbie n i have recently acquired a pentium 1 system to
use for simple word processing but i kindof find it a lil to slow
when using MS Word 97.

There's only 8 MB of ram on the comp n av bin told the system is slow
bcoz of this n am nw tryin to find RAM cards which fit on the system.
But i donot know which type i should use: EDO? SD? pc100? pc133? Av
tried a few of them but none sims compatible. Wd b grateful if any1
could tell me exactly which type of CARD i should look for..

Thnx,
Shehzaad

Presumably youre running 95 on 8M, on maybe a P1 60 or 66, very early
pentium. MS Office apps will take their time loading on such things,
but once going should behave ok. If you need something faster, and for
some reason cant get better hardware, there are many freeware office
packages around, some of which should run quicker than MS Word &
Office. The trick I always recommend for old machines is to have 2 apps
for each job, one heavyweight and one lightweight. Then when you dont
need to use heavyweight features, which is more often than not, youve
got nimble performance, but youve still got full feature performance
available too.

A machine like that will have a tiny HDD, but you can put a huge array
of lean free no-install packages onto a CD, using someone elses burner,
and then have a mass of software apps you can run straight off the CD,
keeping your minimal hdd space free for document storage.

However I'd try to either replace or at least upgrade the machine if
poss, early P1 on just 8M is unnecessarily sluggish, and in most
countries parts can be found for nothing. Ask in freecycle, craigslist,
local newspaper, shopwindow etc.

Upping 8M ram would really help, but your cpu will be the next
bottleneck. Plus youve got a slow hdd. But it should do ok with a good
load of RAM. You can also tweak OSes, cutting out the unneeded junk, to
make them go faster.


NT

 

[Rod Speed]

(e-mail address removed) wrote

Rod Speed wrote

They do with a p1.
Nope.

See reference below.

Doesnt help.

99.9% will.

You've plucked that number out of your arse.

if it's a 486, maybe not, but every p1 I've ever worked
on will accept 32s, even if the manual says they wont.

You need to get out more.

Only in OLDER computers. Some really old macs (only 1 simm slot)
and pre pentium computers. Otherwise, pair'm or it don't work.
Wrong.

"
Due to the differing data bus widths of the memory modules and
some processors, sometimes several modules must be installed
in identical pairs or in identical groups of four to fill a memory bank.

That aint what MATCHED means. Most obviously with the speed detail.

For instance, on 80386 or 80486 systems (data bus width of 32 bits),
either four 30-pin SIMMs or one 72-pin SIMM are required for one
memory bank. On Pentium systems (data bus width of 64 bits), two
72-pin SIMMs are required.
"

That aint what MATCHED means either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIMM

It reduces the chance of mismatch, and therfor increases
the likelihood of stability. It's basic good practice.

Mindlessly silly. Plenty of systems are quite capable of using
the lowest common denominator specs, and even those that
arent can usually get that result by putting the lowest spec
dimms in the slot that it bothers to check the specs of the dimm in.

And even with P2, hordes of systems never even bothered to
read the spd on the dimms, so you dont necessarily achieve
a damned thing by having the dimms 'matched'

 

[kony]

Nope.

Paul's replies were right, there was no point in the
Roddisms so they were snipped out.

 

[Rod Speed]

Paul's replies were right,

Nope, most obviously when the simms dont have the same speed.

<reams of your puerile shit flushed where it belongs>

 

[paulmd]

(e-mail address removed) wrote


Doesnt help.



You've plucked that number out of your arse.


You need to get out more.

Let's just say I've YET to spot a pentium 1 class system that won't
handle 32mb simms. (If it handles simms at all)

That aint what MATCHED means. Most obviously with the speed detail.

http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/matched

See the list, alphabetized for your convenience.
"
Synonyms: akin, aligned, alike, calm, commensurate, common,
comparable, consistent, constant, continuous, equable, equivalent,
even, exact, flat, flush, horizontal, identical, in line, leveled,
like, lined up, matched, matching, parallel, plain, planate, plane,
planed, polished, precise, prone, proportionate, regular, rolled, same,
smooth, stable, steady, straight, supine, trim, trimmed, unbroken,
unfluctuating, uniform, uninterrupted
"

Keep reading until you spot "identical".

That aint what MATCHED means either.

Are you being delibrately stupid for fun, or are you REALLY that dense?

Mindlessly silly. Plenty of systems are quite capable of using
the lowest common denominator specs, and even those that
arent can usually get that result by putting the lowest spec
dimms in the slot that it bothers to check the specs of the dimm in.

"Plenty" and "usually" are far from a guarentee. It's just dumb to
assume that a system will behave itself if you willy-nilly mix and
match. I've seem plenty of systems misbehave because some idiot put two
different spec dimms in. Any problems you can avoid, you should.

And even with P2, hordes of systems never even bothered to
read the spd on the dimms, so you dont necessarily achieve
a damned thing by having the dimms 'matched'

Why invite trouble?

 

[Rod Speed]

(e-mail address removed) wrote

Rod Speed wrote

Let's just say I've YET to spot a pentium 1 class system
that won't handle 32mb simms. (If it handles simms at all)

You need to get out more. Particularly with
systems that came with an 8MB simm.

See the list, alphabetized for your convenience.
"
Synonyms: akin, aligned, alike, calm, commensurate, common,
comparable, consistent, constant, continuous, equable, equivalent,
even, exact, flat, flush, horizontal, identical, in line, leveled,
like, lined up, matched, matching, parallel, plain, planate, plane,
planed, polished, precise, prone, proportionate, regular, rolled,
same, smooth, stable, steady, straight, supine, trim, trimmed,
unbroken, unfluctuating, uniform, uninterrupted
"

Keep reading until you spot "identical".

Mindlessly silly stuff. That aint what MATCHED means with simms.

Are you being delibrately stupid for fun, or are you REALLY that dense?

Never ever could bullshit its way out of a wet paper bag.

With simms, matched means that EVERYTHING matches.

The absolute vast bulk of systems of that era handle a
mismatch in the speed with the other detail the same fine.

"Plenty" and "usually" are far from a guarentee.

You never said a word about guarantee until
now, you pathetic excuse for a bullshit artist.

It's just dumb to assume that a system will
behave itself if you willy-nilly mix and match.

No assumption involved with noticing that plenty of systems
manage to use the lowest common denominator specs with
the data they get from the spds.

That is after all the whole point of the spds in the first place, stupid.

I've seem plenty of systems misbehave because
some idiot put two different spec dimms in.

Yes, most socket 7 motherboards dont even bother to
read the spds, but you made a stupid pig ignorant claim
about dimms in general, not just socket 7 motherboards.

Any problems you can avoid, you should.

Mindlessly silly with system that read the spds and use
the lowest common denominator specs for the memory.

Why invite trouble?

Why piss your money against the wall with matched dimms
when the system will work fine with dimms that arent matched,
including all of mine ? Only pig ignorant fools are actually that stupid.