(no subject)

[pearwaldorf]

I have now successfully performed my first computer upgrade. Go me. I heart RAM. RAM is good. It's fucking amazing how well your computer runs after such a relatively inexpensive and uncomplicated upgrade. It practically purrs now, and all is good.

Comments

[strebor.livejournal.com]

How much RAM did you add? It really can make a huge difference.

[sonatine.livejournal.com]

I added a chip of 512MB to supplement the original 128MB onboard. For some reason, I think they integrated 8MB into the video card, so I was actually running something like 120 or 118 normally. It's fucking beautiful, man. The computer doesn't stutter at all anymore. *tear*

[strebor.livejournal.com]

Yeah, when you have onboard video, it uses some of your system RAM for the video RAM. Lame, but that's how they do it. I bet you're running great with that much RAM, I need to get more too.

[timefortea.livejournal.com]

Ooh, tell me more about this RAM business. I've been thinking about buying some for a while (my computer is slower than my family's old Apple IIc right now), but I have no idea how to go about it. And how expensive are we talking?

[sonatine.livejournal.com]

First, you need the specs for your computer. Crucial Technologies, a really big RAM manufacturer, makes a system scanner (http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner) (IE only) that will determine what type of motherboard you have and what types of RAM are compatible with it. Click on the link in the big red box and on the next page are all the specs you need to know when purchasing RAM.

The first line will tell you what kind of RAM module you need. Unless it's a laptop, it's probably 184 pin DIMM. The second line tells you what kind of chipset you have. Useful normally, but not here. The third line talks about the SDRAM frequencies--if there are two numbers listed, it is compatible with both, but as a rule, higher is faster. The fourth line tells you whether or not ECC (error correction capability) is supported. ECC is an issue only if you're using your computer as a web server, which you're probably not. You can use ECC RAM in a computer that doesn't support ECC, but it's just a waste of money, as ECC RAM is much more expensive. The sixth line tells you if you have buffered or unbuffered RAM. Take note of whether your computer requires, as buffered and unbuffered RAM are incompatible.

You can buy the RAM from Crucial right there, and it's guaranteed to work, but it tends to be at the high end of the price spectrum. I would recommend eBay, as the prices are very good there. But if you're not sure of all the specs of your computer or the buyer doesn't tell you all the specs you need, you might end up buying stuff that doesn't work for your computer. (Like I did. Twice. Oops.) Or, you can try Newegg.com, if you want new RAM and a way to return it if something goes wrong. It'll probably cost you between 60 and 80 dollars any way you buy it. If you want, I can come over and help you figure out what you need to buy.

(Okay, that was longer than I expected, but I hope that helped.)