RAM Upgrade required?

polybear

My OH has a Dell Dimension E520 Desktop, which has never been the fastest in the world, but for some years has always been frustratingly slow even for basic internet and email etc. It's been owned from new, has always had up to date virus s/w etc., ccleaner and cacheclean are used etc. No gaming, music downloads etc. etc. Just shopping, a bit of banking, emails and a bit of Picassa photo storage etc. is about it's lot really. All virus scans are clear, startup programs are minimised etc. etc. In the past I've also tried completely reloading the XP OS from the original disks etc. etc.

At present it only has 512mb of RAM. Windows Task Manager (Performance) shows:

[FONT=&quot]Physical Memory (K)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Total 514020[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Available 206000** [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]System Cache 111000**[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Commit Charge (K)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Total 779972**[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Limit 1251792[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Peak 1069312[/FONT]


(The figures with ** after them are variables - they were changing as I was making a note of them). The only thing running was Outlook (and Security A/V etc.) - no Firefox or any thing else was open.
Am I correct in thinking that the above figures suggest that the RAM currently fitted in insufficient? Will fitting more RAM noticeably improve the performance - the Crucial website suggests the fitting of 2x2GB RAM modules. Bearing in mind the usage of the PC, would one be sufficient, either with or without the existing 512Mb fitted also (though I have read the matched pairs are favoured, will it make much of a difference in this instance? Many thanks!


Brian

closed

post a hijackthis log, and follow the speedup sticky

XP after a reinstall should use around 128MB commit, so the figures you posted suggest bloat, or something extra running

A machine with 1GB or more should run smoothly, provided the bloat is trimmed.

forgotmyname

No mention of processor speed. I dont think 32bit XP can access above 3 gig?

The issue i found with a previous dell machine the motherboard was locked with no visible mention of RAM timings. I tried about 7 different sticks/brands and they all crashed.

Seems they want you to buy their stuff.

macman

I'd bump the RAM up to 1GB at least, it's cheap enough. XP will run on 512MB, but more is better.
2GB on XP though is probably overkill.

polybear

Hi All,
Many thanks for the replies.
I've just checked the invoice paperwork and the processor is a Celeron 346 (3.06Ghz, 533MHz FSB, 256K cache). It's currently fitted with 2x256MB 533MHz DDR2 RAM.

The DELL website says:
"Your computer supports a maximum of 4 GB of memory when you use four 1-GB DIMMs. Current 32-bit operating systems, such as Microsoft® Windows® XP, can use a maximum of 4 GB of address space; however, the amount of memory available to the operating system is less than that installed. Certain components within the computer require address space in the 4-GB range. Any address space reserved for these components cannot be used by computer memory."

The E520 has four memory slots; DELL also says:
"DDR2 memory modules should be installed in pairs of matched memory size, speed, and technology. If the DDR2 memory modules are not installed in matched pairs, the computer will continue to operate, but with a slight reduction in performance. "

Also:
"NOTE: Always install DDR2 memory modules in the order indicated on the system board. The recommended memory configurations are:

A pair of matched memory modules installed in DIMM connectors 1 and 2, or:
A pair of matched memory modules installed in DIMM connectors 1 and 2 and another matched pair installed in DIMM connectors 3 and 4"

And finally:
"NOTICE: If you remove your original memory modules from the computer during a memory upgrade, keep them separate from any new modules that you may have, even if you purchased the new modules from Dell. If possible, do not pair an original memory module with a new memory module. Otherwise, your computer may not start properly. You should install your original memory modules in pairs either in DIMM connectors 1 and 2 or DIMM connectors 3 and 4."

- I read this that putting a pair of new 1GB RAM Cards in DIMM connectors 1 and 2 (i.e. closest to the Processor), and refitting the original pair of 256 GB Cards in slots 3 and 4 should be ok, giving a total of 2.512GB of RAM.

I've not run a Highjack this log for some years, and never on this pc. Can anyone post a link to the best site which explains how to do it please, as I've long forgotten! It may be some time before I get a chance to run one though.

Many thanks!
Brian

macman

But you said you had only 512MB RAM, now you say '2x2MB'-I assume you mean 2 x 2GB?
You could just bump the RAM to 1.5GB if the former (add 2 x 512mB modules). 2.5GB on XP is overkill.
1.5GB will triple your RAM and be enough.

polybear

macman wrote: »

But you said you had only 512MB RAM, now you say '2x2MB'-I assume you mean 2 x 2GB?
You could just bump the RAM to 1.5GB if the former (add 2 x 512mB modules). 2.5GB on XP is overkill.
1.5GB will triple your RAM and be enough.

Sorry! Typo - it should have read "2x256MB" (now corrected).
I'll take a look at the 2x512MB option also; the Crucial memory scanner is recommending 2 x 2GB cards, but then it would, as they're after flogging me the maximum possible amount of RAM possible!! It would also mean not being able to use the existing 2 x 256MB cards, as it would then exceed the maximum 4GB.
Many thanks.

Brian

UPDATE: 2 x 1GB Memory from Crucial costs £25-19, whereas 2 x 512MB costs £21-59. So the extra £4-40 for double the RAM amount seems to be a no-brainer.
Unless anyone out there knows where else I can look for similar quality RAM for cheaper please? Thanks!

Im_just_careful

Try e-bay for 2 of the the 1GB RAM modules, searching exactly for what the Crucial scanner recommended.

You may well be lucky.

I would stick to the resulting 3GB as it is within what the version of XP your desktop came with will support.

I've upgraded XP machines to 2GB for various friends and relatives and it makes a lot of difference.

lordra

Get the 4gb. While the OS will not use it, the hardware certainly will. ANd it isn't too much of a difference. Try ebuyer and ebay. DOn't forget quidco or TCB.

sk240

You could update the ram, but the system is from around 2005 so will struggle with pretty much anything modern on the internet, video etc.Rather than investing any money into it i would get a newer machine with a dual core processor or better.
If you don't want to spend the earth, you can get some good second hand systems for less than £100 with a lot more power than your current system.

NiftyDigits

polybear wrote: »

Sorry! Typo - it should have read "2x256MB" (now corrected).
I'll take a look at the 2x512MB option also; the Crucial memory scanner is recommending 2 x 2GB cards, but then it would, as they're after flogging me the maximum possible amount of RAM possible!! It would also mean not being able to use the existing 2 x 256MB cards, as it would then exceed the maximum 4GB.
Many thanks.

Brian

UPDATE: 2 x 1GB Memory from Crucial costs £25-19, whereas 2 x 512MB costs £21-59. So the extra £4-40 for double the RAM amount seems to be a no-brainer.
Unless anyone out there knows where else I can look for similar quality RAM for cheaper please? Thanks!

You can look at Offtek

But, if you don't mind purchasing used modules, you can buy 2 x 512MB for £4.99

So you can replace all, to get 2GB RAM, for less than £10. They also have 1GB modules for £6.49 each or perhaps a pair for less. Here