Ram it in...(Updated) (Unbranded Memory in General)

Name: Del_Boy

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Product:	Unbranded Memory in General
Date:	27/08/01 (474 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Speeds up accessing of programs

Disadvantages: May not be needed

(Update at bottom of opinion)

Upgrading a computer by buying more ram

What is Ram? A quick explanation
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RAM = Random Access Memory. This is the type of memory that your computer uses for temporary storage. When you open a program for example the computer will load as much of that program as it can into RAM. This enables it to work quicker, and also enables multi-tasking of programs.

When you turn off the computer contents of RAM will always be erased.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of purchasing more RAM?
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This all depends on a number of factors, factors such as:

·What do you use the computer for?
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Certain types of usage will require more RAM than other types. For example, if you use your computer for accessing the internet, typing documents in word or doing the odd spreadsheet then having an abundance of RAM will be wasted – if that is all you do. I recommend 64mb as the minimum and 128mb as the maximum.

·If you use your computer for games playing, then it is again all relative to the types of game that you play, as well as what equipment you run them on. If you tend to run older games then 64mb will do you fine.

·If however you run newer games, then 128mb is an acceptable amount. Though if you have a processor of around 600mhz or above then I would recommend upping your RAM to 256mb, as RAM is very cheap at the moment as well as being an extremely easy upgrade to fit.

I currently fit into the category of being quite a big games player as RAM was so cheap at the moment I bought an extra 256mb of it. This gave me 384mb altogether. This also helped immensely when running intensive applications, as well as when I am multitasking.

·If you use your computer for 3D graphics rendering applications, or intensive video edit
ing. I would recommend having as much RAM as you can reasonably afford.

To find out how much your RAM usage is and to gauge whether or not to purchase more I would recommend a utility to called Cacheman. This is freeware and available to download from a number of sites www.tweakfiles.com being one of them. This will tell you how much RAM you are using.

The benefits of having more RAM in general are:

Quicker loading times
Better multi-tasking
Less use of the Swap File*
I find that I get fewer crashes now with more RAM (that is subjective though)

*The Swap File is something that Windows uses if there is no RAM available. It will use the Hard Disk to store and retrieve information instead. The trouble with that is that Hard Disk access is much slower when compared to RAM access times. The more memory you have the less of a swap file you will need. This is because Windows will move more information into the RAM, when it needs different information it can then use the Swap file whilst it clears out things that it doesn’t need in RAM.

Important note: If you have more than 128mb of RAM at the moment Windows 98 may not be using it to it’s full effect. To make Windows use follow these simple steps:

1.Go to Start> Run and then type in System.ini (press enter)
2.Scroll down the system.ini section and look for the section headed [386Enh]
3.Go to the bottom of that section and paste in this line:

ConservativeSwapFileUsage=1

4.Save and exit. When you next restart a performance increase should be apparent this forces Windows to use up the RAM before it goes to the swap file. Please note however this should only be done if you have over 128mb in my opinion. If you do this with less RAM at your disposal the effects can be detrimental to the overall running of Windows.

If you have over 512mb and are running a version of Windows over than Windows 2000 or NT th
en you will encounter problems. There is a patch on the Microsoft website to fix this and is all due to how Windows uses memory.

How do I know what type of Ram I will need?
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I recommend you look in your motherboard manual. There are also utilities you can use to find out what type of RAM you currently have installed.

I will put a few links into this opinion later.

If you motherboard accepts 66 or 100mhz then generally it will also accept 133mz type though it will run at the lower speed. That is not a guarantee though.

66 or 100mhz ram will not work in a motherboard that needs 133mhz.

Types of RAM
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There are many types the most common and used is called SDRam, which comes in 3 speeds 66, 100 and 133mhz.

There is also memory such as:
EDO ram (used in older machines)
DDR ram (used in Athlon C motherboards)
Rambus (used in Pentium 4s for the time being only)

There are also a few other types that are pretty much obsolete.

If you are buying more RAM for a Pentium 4 system be warned you need to buy them in pairs at the moment for the majority of systems. If you want 256 then you need 2x128 Rimms. I know it’s confusing isn’t it.

I will end this opinion by saying, if you need any help at all deciding on whether or not you should upgrade, what type of memory you will need etc, then drop me an email on:

kevinliversage@btinternet.com

or leave a comment in the feedback section.

Kev

UPDATE

To test what DIMMS you have download this small 18k file it will tell you how much memory you have, which slots it is in, and what speed they are running at.

http://www.tweakfiles.com/memory/dimmid.html

Summary: