[burly50]

It's time for a RAM upgrade. Only problem is, when I look at all the options, I'm not sure which type I need. I think it should be 184 pin, DDR SDRAM. But, there are so many other options, I get confused. The comp is a few years old and the mother board can take two 1 gig cards. I have a single 512 in there now. That card doesn't give me any clue as to what type it is. Is there an easy way to check what type I have? Thanks for any help.

 

[binary visions]

Go to the manufacturer's website and plug your model number in, they should have a spec sheet. Alternately, doing the same in Google (e.g. Dell Optiplex 620) will give you spec information, too.

If it's 184 pin DDR, though, all the speeds will work, it's just a matter of what speed your motherboard supports. If you buy RAM slower than what your motherboard supports, you're not taking full advantage of the board. If you buy it faster, you've wasted a little money because it won't run that fast... but it'll all work.

I believe PC3200 is the most common.

 

[burly50]

Thanks. I figured I was on the right track. I just didn't want to waste money on the wrong product that can't be returned.:biggrin:

--edit-- On the mfgr web site, it states that my unit will support:

DDR2 533, 400
DDR 400/333/266
SDRAM w/ECC

Is this a good choice?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145527

Also, I am confused by the pin counts. It seems that all the DDR options are at a 184 pin count, and the DDR2 options are at 240 pin count. As stated above, my system can take either DDR or DDR2. Does this mean that either pin count will work in my mobo? Thanks.

 

[Mastamind]

One extremely helpful site when I upgrade memory for people is this...
www.crucial.com

 

[burly50]

Thanks. I tried that web site's system to determine the right upgrade, but my system model was not listed. Wondering if it's too old to show up. I got the case and mobo at a comp fair about 3-4 years ago. The manufacturer is Via Technologies, model PT800 - 8237. This model isn't listed on the Crucial site, or the Via site. This stuff changes so fast, the older stuff probably falls off the tail end sooner than I am ready to replace it. Any way, thanks for the help.

 

[Kornphlake]

I could be wrong but I believe that the model you list is just the chipset, not the actual mobo. It's been a long time since I've seen a motherboard with 2 different types of slots for memory, let alone 3 slots, I'll bet that those specs you found are the types of memory that the via PT800 chipset can support, it's up to the mobo manufacturer to decide which type of memory to use. That said I'm pretty certain that you'll be okay with 184 pin DDR RAM, I'd get the 333 or 400 mhz stuff. You can tell what you have by opening up the case and pulling out your memory module. If you are lucky there will be a sticker that says exactly what it is, if not you can count the number of pins, that will at least give you some place to start.

 

[Mastamind]

Thanks. I tried that web site's system to determine the right upgrade, but my system model was not listed. Wondering if it's too old to show up. I got the case and mobo at a comp fair about 3-4 years ago. The manufacturer is Via Technologies, model PT800 - 8237. This model isn't listed on the Crucial site, or the Via site. This stuff changes so fast, the older stuff probably falls off the tail end sooner than I am ready to replace it. Any way, thanks for the help.

That seems like the chipset. I've found memory for computers older than that on crucial. Try this... Look for the serial # of the mobo on top of the serial and/or parallel port and look for the name screen printed somewhere on the board need the RAM slots or the Bios chip.

I would take an educated guess that 184 pin RAM would be ok for you.

EDIT: If nothing else, if you have a digital camera, take a pic and I will look at it for you.

 

[burly50]

You guys are correct. The info I found was actually for the chipest, not the mobo. There are no indications on the mobo as to what type of memory to instal. Unfortunately, I have no patients. Instead of waiting for more replies, or doing more research, I ordered the 240 pin memory that the chipset can handle, but my mobo only takes 184 pin.oster_oops: I hope New Egg has a generous return/exchange policy.

As for multiple types of RAM, I have found new mobo's that can accept 184 and/or 240 pin. But, that's not what I have.

 

[binary visions]

I hope New Egg has a generous return/exchange policy.

They do not, actually. If it is not defective, you have to pay a re-stocking fee.

 

[narlus]

hey BV, you still interested in my RAM, or should i PM burly50?

 

[binary visions]

Ahh, crap. I read the PM, which marked it as unread in my inbox, and promptly forgot to respond. You'll have a PM in a minute

 

[burly50]

Yeah, so it's definitely the wrong pin count. New egg may waive the restocking fee since I'm still buying a similar product at the same value. If I were just returning, the fee would stand. Hopefully I got it right this time. Thanks all for the help, even though I didn't listen.

 

[burly50]

Since I did the RAM upgrade, my comp has been locking up when trying to run complex processes. Any time I perform memory intensive work in PS, and possibly other programs (haven't tried yet), the comp just freezes. The only way to get it back is to press and hold the power button until it shuts down. It never did this until the RAM instal. Someone has suggested that one of the RAM sticks may be defective. I haven't tested either yet. I want more opinions on this.

Unfortunately, this stuff only happens when someone needs me to do a project for them. What are the largest files you PS people work on? Some of my files are sneaking up on the 1 gig size. Before the upgrade, these would stall the program, but not affect my ability to Ctrl/Alt/Del out of it and continue using the comp. Now, every thing freezes. Hopefully some one can help. I need to finish a project for a Christmas gift. Thanks

 

[binary visions]

Pull out the new RAM and try again. If it doesn't freeze, then your RAM is almost guaranteed to be defective and you need to exchange it.

If you want to isolate the problem, AFTER you pull them both out and make sure the problem isn't occurring, put one back in at a time and see if you can isolate the defective one.

 

[burly50]

Pull out the new RAM and try again. If it doesn't freeze, then your RAM is almost guaranteed to be defective and you need to exchange it.

If you want to isolate the problem, AFTER you pull them both out and make sure the problem isn't occurring, put one back in at a time and see if you can isolate the defective one.

That's exactly what I was going to do. I just wanted to see if there could be other issues at work. Hopefully, it's just a bad stick. Lifetime warranty will come in handy.

 

[binary visions]

That's exactly what I was going to do. I just wanted to see if there could be other issues at work. Hopefully, it's just a bad stick. Lifetime warranty will come in handy.

If at all possible, figure out an exact set of repeatable steps that will always cause your computer to freeze before you pull the memory out (e.g. a specific file you open in Photoshop that crashes it reliably, every time). That way, you can be sure that you're getting the troubleshooting steps right.