Is it ok to buy 2nd hand RAM?

happymummy

I've just discovered my pc is running on 128MB of PC800 Rambus memory and a quick google has informed me this is quite expensive to buy (when you consider the cost of a new machine these days)

I've seen 256MB for sale on ebay, starting at £4 do you think it'd be ok? its made up of 2 x 128's, is there space in my computer for 3 of the thingies (technical term!) so I would then have 384MB?

I'm toying with the idea of scrapping this now, selling the bits and bobs that are sellable and just getting a new one from dell, I only need a basic one anyway, would I be better off in the long run just doing that, what do you think?

I dont have a clue about computers, just the basics so this is all way over my head, I am grateful for any advice I can get!

Thanks, Viv

rogerramjet

I've bought second hand ram...had no problems...if I'm not mistaken rambus has to be put in pairs. bet its a P4 socket 423 mobo you got

MercilessKiller

I tend to avoid anything second hand when it comes to computer hardware:

No warranty
As its second hand, less time before it breaks through general use

Get what you pay for

happymummy

Maybe time to upgrade then! I dont see the point in paying out £100 when I could get a brand new system for £300

Cant believe we paid the amount we did for this, but back then it was a good deal!!

Whats a P4 socket 423 mobo?

ncd

happymummy wrote:

Maybe time to upgrade then! I dont see the point in paying out £100 when I could get a brand new system for £300

Cant believe we paid the amount we did for this, but back then it was a good deal!!

Whats a P4 socket 423 mobo?

P4 = Pentium 4 Proccessor, the thing that processes the info etc
Mobo = Just means `motherboard' - ie what your RAM, Processor, Graphic Card, Sound Card etc all plug into. The main board in your comuter.

happymummy

Ah right I see, thanks.

Yes it is a pentium 4, but I dont know about the rest of it!

Its a few years old now, Dell Dimension 8100 if that means anything to anyone.

CIS

If you want more rambus, you'll need to buy a matched pair as it only works in 2 equally matched RAM sticks.

That means that you'll have to replace the ones you've got now. it sounds like you have 2*64Mb, so replacing them with 2x128mb would give you a 100% boost. For £4, I would take it - extremely cheap for rambus.

With normal ram , you can use 1 stick of ram or 2 or 3, it doesn't matter , but having matched pairs to run was one of the main (and expensive) failings of rambus.

lee__48

I'd recommend Crucial RAM. I've had trouble with other budget brands but the Crucial Value range has been good for me. If you are buying second hand I'd recommend going to Crucial's website http://www.crucial.com/uk/ and checking which RAM is suitable for your PC then check the serial number against the RAM advertised.


Lee

chuckles1066

lee__48 wrote:

I'd recommend Crucial RAM. I've had trouble with other budget brands but the Crucial Value range has been good for me. If you are buying second hand I'd recommend going to Crucial's website http://www.crucial.com/uk/ and checking which RAM is suitable for your PC then check the serial number against the RAM advertised.


Lee

Crucial don't sell Rambus RDRAMS, they never have.

If I buy memory on eBay I always stress test the sticks with Memtest86+ - one of the best bits of free software about :beer:

lee__48

chuckles1066 wrote:

Crucial don't sell Rambus RDRAMS, they never have.

Doh! Didn't think of checking that! I have Memtest on a Linux distro, my eBay RAM sometimes reports errors, but other times it appears error free. Is this normal?

Lee

irnbru_2

MercilessKiller wrote:

As its second hand, less time before it breaks through general use

That might be true for components with moving parts but not for solid-state ones.

If your buying 2nd hand memory - ask if its been passed with metest (see earlier post from chuckles1066).

If your buying a 2nd hand cpu make sure its not been overclocked.

Hard drives, DVD drives, graphics cards with onboard fans etc .... I tend to avoid unless the seller has good feedback.