Adding memory to my computer?

[halterlady]

I currently have a pentium II, 266MHz CPU with MMX Technology and 64 MB SDRAM.

At times I am bogging down and am wondering about adding memory. Fryes has 128MB 16 x 64 PC100/133 mem, 168 PINBIMM 3.3V Synchronous DRAM for $12.00. The ad says your choice?

Is someone out there knowledgeable and can give me advice on upgrading? It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!:)

www.halterlady.com

[ANHS]

What's important for you to know is what type of memory can your Motherboard support. Not all motherboards will support 133mhz RAM. Personnaly I have a PII, 333mhz and my motherboard doesn't take anything higher than 100mhz RAM. If you have the manual that came with your motherboard, check inside , it will tell you in the first couple pages where you can see all the description of what your motherboard can withhold. If you do not have a manual, I suggest you take your PC to a specialist and have them try the memory in your computer. They will be able to determine what kind of memory suits your computer.

Hope this helps!

[halterlady]

I have a 4.3GB Ultra DMA hard drive and an Intel AL440LX Pentium II motherboard. Is that the information needed to tell me which additional memory to purchase? Thanks! :)


www.halterlady.com

[SBGlasby]

If you tell the sales people what kind of BOARD it is.... they usually have a book that will list MAX memory.... and what type it is...


Most of the PII computers maxed out at 256, but a few went a little higher....

As for Bus Speed..... Not all memory is created equal..... But if the memory isgood Quality.... and If your board will handle 100mhz ram, it will usually handle 133mhz....... you just won't get the extra spped from it...... " 100 mhz ram is getting harder and harder to find", but it is out there....

If it 66mhz..... " a lot of the older PII boards were 66mhz ", Dont' try anything bur 66mhz.... nothing else will work....

Some of the Cheaper manufacturers of Ram won't crossover....
I've had some bad experiences with some, but I've found the better names in memory.... will crossover.... "kingston" & " Crucial" are pretty good stuff.... never ahd a problem out of any of it I've used.....

Hope this helps

[fcsnc]

Crucial has a tremendous amount of information on their website about RAM. The website also has a "memory configurator" where you can find your exact motherboard and a list of configurations that would be appropriate for your machine.

[Starr]

Excellent site, the URL is:

http://www.crucial.com/

[Vern]

Instead of running you around on wild goose chases of what should or shouldn't buy.....Let me tell you the facts from 5 min. of time researching your motherboard.

Your Motherboard (http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/al440lx/al_mem.htm)

Adding more memory probably won't help you much because it ONLY supports 66mHz memory.... which memory isn't really the factor here, it is your BUS speed of 66 mHz.

See your BUS is named appropriately, it is where everybody (data) gets on and rides, then gets sent or let off at it's stop.
Internet and CPU throw all pictures, sound, ontop of what BUS is already doing and it joyfully throws all data in the right places in nanoseconds .000000001 of a second, that is how fast data moves inside you computer!

You have the pedal down at 66 mph, and the slow standard now is 100 mph or 100Mhz BUS, they are up to 400+, but that's technology. More than likely, enhanced webpages and clogged up internet surfing by more people and nobody upgrading lines much is slowing you down more than anything and not your memory.

If you are using a 56k connection, a computer maxes out at 266-300 CPU on the phoneline, can't go any faster!
You have the 266, extra memory may or may not help, if it did it would be very little....
The 1/3 faster BUS speed would really help you out with 128 MB of PC133 memory.
You can pick up computers at www.tigerdirect.com for $200-300, this is where I have bought ALL of my computer stuff for years!
Very Reputable company. ISO9001-9004 Cerified, to which only 400 companies in the USA have reached this standard of Quality

AMD is a high performance gaming machine that you have to tweak like hell, Pentiums are a tad slower, but REAL stable with very little tweaking.
I am really sad to see PIII cease production Dec.31, it is one SUPER stable machine.....

[SBGlasby]

OK....

1. that post was a while back.... and she's probably already done something....

2. 266-300... maxes out over a phoneline..????if she's uisng a 56K... she get's no more than 53K over the phoneline... if she get's a good connection... FCC regulates it to 53K, to minimize overspill onto the voice part of the lines.... CPU speed has absolutely nothing to do with internet.... until you hit some heavyduty java.... or fairly large client side scripts.... then depending on RAM.....

The biggest bottleneck to the internet..... is the designers... who have "cable modems", DSL, T-1's .... and forget that 90 % of america is still on dial-ups.... and throw up large Flash animations... or inexperienced designers.... that PUT 100 images on one page...... or lock everything inside nested tables...

I've got an old 486DX with 32M of 66mhz ram... It can handle everything but activeX... and java servlets.... with ease.... most well designed sites.... it has no problem with it.... even when hooked up to the DSL line.... it handles everything with ease..
but when I hit a site.... that takes more than 10 seconds for me to see anything..... THAT's what the "BACK" button is for....!!!
dial-up...cable...DSL... doens't matter... if it takes too long to load... BYE BYE..... it's usually not your computer... it's usually poor site design....

3. Let me tell you about ISO 9001-9004..... that's nothing but a marketing thing....

Sure...companies have to jump throught hoops to get their certification.....

But I've been through... and help a company attain registration... It's more about saying the right thing at the right time... than actually being better.....

ISO 9001 - is only as good as it's vendors..... If you're vendors are not 9001 certified.... "ALL OF THEM", then you really aren't 9001 certified..... You are but you aren't...

MARKETING...... that's it..... The main thing you can think of when you see the ISO certified label...... the company paid $10,000 to be able to use ISO's little symbol in your marketing materials.....

but for those who've worked for companies who are 9001 certified.... NOT IMPRESSIVE....


Ok... I've finised my coffee.... I'll quit ranting.... and get some real work done...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS everyone..... !!!!

[Vern]

I don't and WON'T put down or blame web designers for what they or how they do their sites. They bought them, paid for them, spent hundreds of hours and many years of work and learning on them and can do whatever they want with them.

I for one, enjoy the visual creativity of the internet and for me to enjoy it, I finally talked myself off my 66 mHz, Best thing I did!
First, I too bought more memory, which helped a little, but not alot.

If you buy a 300mHz system w/ a 100 mHz BUS, compared to a 900 mHz system w/ a 100 mHz BUS ($300-400 difference) you won't see much noticeable difference on a dial-up connection, even tho one is 3 times faster, the 100 mHz BUS is still the same.

ISO 9001 is much more than a marketing ploy, unless you are in management. I have been working to help company get ISO 9001 certified for quite some time as a worker on the floor as a steel and aluminum mill set-up person and operator.
Every little thing has to be documented, everything has to be just so, so, every little duck has to be in a row.
Management standpoint, they could care less what we go through for them to be able to get them certified and keep it.

Whether other companies are certified or not, we can't control the world, but in our little part of the world, as a company, we will earn it as an honor to our continuous efforts and hard work.

That is another reason I buy computer stuff from ISO 9001 computer companies, I went and am going through it on the floor and know what goes into it. It is a symbol of Quality and Workmanship over and beyond the norm. by the companies floor people. NOT Management!
I can usually buy computer stuff cheaper through ISO 9001 companies because their overhead is greatly reduced by less returns and everyone sticking to exactly the same process and continually finding ways to improve it. Faster process, Improved Quality, Less returns, means more money in everybodies pocket!