Re: RAM
- From: "Bob Knowlden" <invalid@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:13:53 -0400
Something does not compute here. The board is supposed to be capable of taking 512MB DIMMs. A 512MB total system RAM limit with three DIMM slots would be unusual.
An alternate document:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph07293&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN
says that the board supports 1.5GB of RAM (3 X 512MB).
In principle the original poster could add a single 512MB DIMM to the third slot, for a total system RAM of 1GB. I don't recommend that, though, because I've had compatibility issues when mixing different makes of RAM. Such problems can be worked around with manual BIOS settings, but appliance PCs (HP, Dell) may not make those settings available.
I think that the 512MB of RAM that's already in place should be adequate for XP, if the machine isn't running too many memory-intensive applications. (Unfortunately, up-to-date antivirus software can use a lot of memory.) The obvious clue is whether the hard disk activity light is on a lot of the time, which would indicate too much use of virtual memory. If there is excessive disk activity, having more RAM may improve performance.
PC133 SDRAM is an old type, so it's more expensive than types currently in use (DDR2, DDR3). It's still possible, though, to get 512MB PC133 SDRAM DIMMs for about $25 (plus shipping) at www.newegg.com. (I'd normally refer people to www.crucial.com, for safety, but their prices on 512MB SDRAM appear to be about $60 - too much of a premium.) I suggest removing the old RAM and installing two 512MB DIMMs; the system may be less stable if all 3 memory slots are filled.
A hint, in case of trouble with the new RAM: I recently max'd out the RAM of an old Dell Dimension 2350. It had only 256MB of RAM installed, and it was choking very noticeably. (It uses DDR, also somewhat old and expensive: $18 each for two 512MB sticks.) It wouldn't boot with the new RAM initially. I cleared the CMOS with the jumper, and then the machine recognized the RAM. (I ran Memtest86+ on it without generating any errors, so it must have been sound.) It wasn't magically transformed into a fast PC, but it runs much more pleasantly without the disk thrashing.
"SC Tom" <sc@xxxxxxx> wrote in message news:O4Nobn4TKHA.5552@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
.
"Melvin" <marvwade@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:%230QcXC4TKHA.4484@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxMy daughter-in-law has an older HP system with a ASUSTeK P4B-LA REV. 1.xx motherboard and a 2.00 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor. The MB has three memory slots. Slots 1 & 2 contain a memory stick of 256MB. She wonders why the system is slow.According to the manual here http://www.elhvb.com/mboards/OEM/HP/manual/amazon_manual.pdf , the max allowed is 512MB, so it looks like you're already there.
I would like to add more memory but my question is can I add a 1 GB of memory in the 3rd slot? Can different size memory co-exist without problems or do I need to add two 1GB cards in slots 1 & 2?
I'm looking for the least expensive methods that accomplishes the desired result.
Mel
The system may be slow from numerous other causes besides lack of RAM, although depending on what applications are being run, 512MB should be sufficient. Try running Disk Clean-up, and checking for viruses and other malware. Look for stuff that's installed that may not be used any more. Do a Google for "Why is my computer so slow." There are a lot of things that may help speed it up some.
SC Tom
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: RAM
- From: Paul
- Re: RAM
- Prev by Date: Re: RAM
- Next by Date: Re: RAM
- Previous by thread: Re: RAM
- Next by thread: Re: RAM
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
