Best place to buy: 2GB kit (1GBx2), 184-pin DIMM, DDR PC3200 memory module

Hey_Dude

Morning Dudes,

It's my birthday :beer:

Time to get some more RAM - according to Crucial I need this:

2GB kit (1GBx2), 184-pin DIMM, DDR PC3200 memory module

My PC currently has 512MB of RAM

Do I need to get 2 1GB kits and ditch the 512 stick?

And where is the best/money saving place to buy.

Thanks Dudes and be gentle I'm a not a techy!

Take her easy.

Duder

Donnie

Play.com followed by Funky Giraffe.

Donnie

If a premium version of Vista, yes. Otherwise, buy according to your budget.

shoperholicnot

buy it from crucial

Hey_Dude

Windows XP......

Donnie

Don't buy it from Crucial...it's just more expensive.

penrhyn

If its XP, you would be wasting your money going above 1Gb total memory.
32 bit Vista HP, can see up to 3.5Gb.

Hey_Dude

Crucial scan says:


Your Medion Powerplus 3000 Specifications



Currently installed memory:

128MB

DDR PC3200

4GB

EMPTY

EMPTY

Each memory slot can hold DDR PC3200,DDR PC2700 with a maximum of 1GB per slot.*
*Not to exceed manufacturer supported memory.
· Maximum Memory Capacity: 4096MB
· Currently Installed Memory: 4.125GB
· Available Memory Slots: 2
· Number of Banks: 4
· Dual Channel Support: No
· CPU Manufacturer: GenuineIntel
· CPU Family: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.06GHz Model 2, Stepping 7 CPU Speed: 3059 MHz

Installed in pairs of modules.



But the bit I don't get is that my system has 512MB of RAM but the scan seems to be picking up 4GB somewhere...?????

I am going to buy the right RAM, yes? Help!

Duder (somewhat confused)

Hey_Dude

penrhyn wrote: »

If its XP, you would be wasting your money going above 1Gb total memory.
32 bit Vista HP, can see up to 3.5Gb.

Now I'm slipping into bewildered mode.

So are you saying the best I can get is: PNY PC3200 / 512MB / 400MHz / DDR / 184pin DIMM / Computer Memory here at Play.

Is that going to enhance my PC somewhat?

Thanks

Duder

PS According to system properites I have a Pentium 4 CPU 3.06GHz if that means anything????

Donnie

Don't know how many times I've written on here that one should not place one's faith in the Crucial Tool.

On your keyboard, press the Flying Windows Key together with the Pause Break key to see how much is installed.

Use CPU-Z to find out what type is inside.

Jesthar

Donnie wrote: »

Don't buy it from Crucial...it's just more expensive.

A bit more expensive, yes, but it is also very good quality and tends to run faster and better than cheaper brands. Whatever the vagries of the Crucial Tool, this really is a case of you do get what you pay that little bit extra for (in my personal opinion), but if cost is more important than a little extra performance then there are cheaper options out there - just make sure you do a little research on customer satisfaction with the brand first, in particular customer service in case things go wrong!

Dude - to answer your basic questions:

Yes, it is best to buy a 'kit' of two 1GB sticks - RAM always runs best when installed in matching pairs. However, if you can't afford that, your computer will still work faster if you add in a 1GB stick alongside your 512 stick.

As I said, I prefer to buy branded RAM for quality reasons, and Crucial are a good make. However, there are cheaper options out there and they should be fine for you too unless you do a lot of demanding things on your computer, such as playing big games. If you do go down the cheaper route, read a few reviews first, just to make sure you're getting something decent and if things go wrong you'll be OK - better safe than sorry and all that!

Oh, and XP can definitely handle more than 1GB of RAM, and 2GB tends to be the best performance/cost ratio.

Hope that helps,

~Jes