Which PC SDRAM

sleepali

I am trying to speed up & update my friends very old & very slow PC.

The motherboard is a Micro-Star MS-6183 Version 1.0 and has PC100 64MB 100MHZ SDRAM fitted.

I have purchased 2 x 256MB PC100 133MHZ (although I've received PC133 - upwards compatible?).

I have fitted the new ram but the PC will not boot up. I removed one of the sticks and it still won't boot so I've replaced the 64MB for now.

Does the memory HAVE to be PC100?

I have installed Win XP but can't do all the updates as it's painfully slow.

Any help/suggestion will be gratefully appreciated.

Thanx in anticipation

John_Gray

My usual trip is to the (UK) Crucial website, and plugging in the information you give brings up this webpage ... from which I spot (left-hand side) that the motherboard supports a maximum of 512 MB of memory. So take out the 64 MB module, and put the two 256 MB modules in, and see what happens!

John

PS I didn't check the MS6183E which is a possible alternative to what you quoted!

sleepali

John_Gray wrote:

My usual trip is to the (UK) Crucial website, and plugging in the information you give brings up this webpage ... from which I spot (left-hand side) that the motherboard supports a maximum of 512 MB of memory. So take out the 64 MB module, and put the two 256 MB modules in, and see what happens!

John

PS I didn't check the MS6183E which is a possible alternative to what you quoted!

I have already fitted both and then one stick and neither of them work.

I'm trying to determine if this PC will take either or both sticks or whether they are faulty?

According to the mobo manual, the max memory is 1 x 256 (64m) or 512 (128m).

theCapt

PC133 is backwards compatible for PC100 motherboards.

Exactly the same for DDR ratings but DDR and DDR2 are different designs so it isn't possible to use DDR RAM in a DDR2 slot and vise-versa.

try putting the highest capacity meomory module in slot 1 and work your way down to lowest capacity memory module in the later slots.

also have a look in your BIOS CMOS settings, accessable (usually) by pressing the "DEL" key when you start your system up.

sleepali

theCapt wrote:

PC133 is backwards compatible for PC100 motherboards.

Exactly the same for DDR ratings but DDR and DDR2 are different designs so it isn't possible to use DDR RAM in a DDR2 slot and vise-versa.

try putting the highest capacity meomory module in slot 1 and work your way down to lowest capacity memory module in the later slots.

also have a look in your BIOS CMOS settings, accessable (usually) by pressing the "DEL" key when you start your system up.

I have tried both/single sticks in a configuration of both slots but to no avail.

Have got into the BIOS CMOS but what am I checking please?

theCapt

check the standard cmos settings and check to see it the system is registering the fact the memory is installed, if it isn't the memory is probably damaged from static or a power surge in operation.

sleepali

theCapt wrote:

check the standard cmos settings and check to see it the system is registering the fact the memory is installed, if it isn't the memory is probably damaged from static or a power surge in operation.

The system is not recognising the installed memory at all.........looks like both sticks are faulty??

theCapt

try just one of the modules in at a time just to check it isn't a dodgy module corrupting the other, again check in the BIOS settings, worth a try like, nothing to lose.