The Mother Board

[toby1ne]

Hi, my mum has the above and would like to add some more ram. I can get some decent ram from a number of places, athough im not sure what the mobo can handle per slot! below is the spec....


DDR SDRAM

Memory connectors: two

Memory capacities: 128-, 256-, or 512-MB

Minimum memory: 128 MB shared DDR SDRAM

NOTE: Between 32 and 64 MB of system memory may be allocated to support graphics, depending on system memory size and other factors.

Maximum memory: 2 GB

Memory type: PC2100 (266-MHz) or PC2700 (333-MHz) DDR SDRAM (non-ECC)


My question is: if each slot can hold 512mb ram, how can the maximum amount of ram be 2gb? there are only two slots!


Thanks, T.

[Mr T]

Welcome to the motherboards.org....

I get asked this question a lot and always ask them to bring the system into the shop so we can get some RAM that will work properly.... What you find on elderly systems like this is that they were produced before 1Gb sticks were heard of in the home use zone, so basically literature and BIOS's just didn't support it...

So,

I would take it into a PC shop (reputable) and get them to fit 1Gb sticks of DDR333 (DDR400 should work but run at 333) and see if they work.. If they don't then it saves a lot of messing about returning stuff, recovering any corrupt files in the rare event the system crashed and so on...

However, if the system is running fine and dandy, albeit a bit slow, I would be sorely tempted to invest in a completely new setup. It is probably the more feasible option in the long run...
_________________
I have been programming on computers since the ZX81.
I am an apprentice trained Electronics Engineer with qualifications to back it up.
I have been repairing computers since 1996.
Yet to some people I still know nothing...

[toby1ne]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

I think she wants to keep the pc because there isnt actually anything wrong with it...apart from the fact its so dreadfully slooow.

If the ram is the correct spec and if i put 512 in each slot (from a twin pack of ram) is it unlikely to work?

[Mr T]

It is more likely to work, however DDR had loads of compatibility issues... Most of the time all is ok, but sometimes not... Getting hold of DDR new is not that easy unless you pay over the odds from someone like Crucial, but at least it is guaranteed to work...
_________________
I have been programming on computers since the ZX81.
I am an apprentice trained Electronics Engineer with qualifications to back it up.
I have been repairing computers since 1996.
Yet to some people I still know nothing...

[Big Jake]

I agree with Mr. T that on a system as old as yours that you may be better off just replacing the unit all together. Other components can fail such as the power supply.

But if you want to go the upgrade route, here is a link from Crucial's web site that says the 1 GB sticks of memory will work in the 2400 series.
http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=Dimension%202400%20Series

Before you invest in the memory, either mail order or at your local computer shop, remenber that there can be other reasons for slow performance, such as a full/fragmented disk drive, malware and so forth.

Jake
_________________

Main Rig: ASUS P6X58D-E, i7-930, OCZ3X1600R2LV6GK, ATI Radeon 5770 PCP&C 750W PSU

Lenovo T61 widescreen, 4GB RAM, 500GB 7200, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M 512 MB, Win 7 Ultimate 64, Server 2008 and XP Pro

ASUS P5K Deluxe, E8400 3.0GHz, 2x2GB OCZ Reaper DDR2 800 CL 6, 3.5 TB 7200rpm, ATI Radeon 5770, Win 7 Ultimate 64, OCZ 750 W PSU

[lannaheim]

I am big on helping to revive little-old-lady computers...up to a point.

Cash in the Dell. "Nothing wrong apart from it running excruciatingly slow" is not worth more head-banging. Save data and ditch it. ZT sells nice systems for less, and better than freaking Dell...
_________________
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read.
--- Groucho Marx

A member of Folding Team number 33258 for a cure for PARKINSONS DISEASE