Upgrading PC Memory

[str]

Just had a HP PC fixed by a local shop, who advised that it might be worthwhile upgrading the RAM memory.

is this easy for a lay person to do or is it a more complicated job?

the repair shop quoted me £49 for an upgrade to a GB - does this sound reasonable?

 

[EddieM]

Yes, sounds reasonable, but 1GB is small beer these days. Depends what you're running but 1GB is pretty much the minimum for XP despite M$ lies. an 2GB is the min for Vista <shudder. </shudder>.

 

[dave.m]

The easiest way to see what your computer can run with is to run the Crucial Memory Scanner:
http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/drammemory.aspx

This will inform you of all the varies sizes of memory that will fit and also tell you how much you already have, and how many slots you have. (will probably be 4 slots)

Decide which you want to install, best bet is to get a matching pair of 1GB and you will not save much by getting them from somewhere other than Crucial, so order them from there.

This explains how easy it is to fit them
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/video/2228202/upgrading-memory-desktop

If the original is only 256MB then when yopu remove it just put it on one side and install 2 x 1GB new sticks.

Should take you 15 to 30 minutes tops to do it.
Side off,
Locate the old memory and remove it and push in two new sticks,
Side back on and reconnect and boot up.

The RAM memory slots are the two blue and two purple slots at the top right of the picture, but yours may be a different colour but they will be in a similar place on the motherboard.

I got 2 x 1GB sticks for my PC last week and they cost £24 and I fitted them myself. So a good saving and the experience of opening a PC cabinet will do you good.

dave

 

[str]

dave

thanks for thank - ordered 2x 1GB and they arrived next day.

the system scan is ideal.

1 question though - on opening my PC I have 4 ports, two which were being used by 2x 256MB, but they were not in adjacent slots, so I just put the 2 1GB cards into the empty slots.

I'm not sure if this is right as I read that they work best in parallel.

At present, they are in as 256MB, 1GB, 256MB, 1GB - but should they be in 256 MB, 256MB, 1GB, 1GB?

 

[dave.m]

It is 'normal' practice to put the sticks in adjacent slots.
When you first had a look at the slots, the end one with a 256 stick in was No.1 so put the two x 1GB sticks in slots 1 and 2, then the smaller sticks in 3 and 4.

Whilst you have the side off (if you didn't last time) give it a good clean out especially the fan blades, inlet grills and any other nook and cranny.
Use a clean soft paint brush and just blow the fluff out. Do NOT use a Hoover.

dave

 

[str]

cheers dave

I did blow some of the dust out but there was still a fair amount in there, will give it a good clean when I change the memory over

 

[kjacko]

Just an append here;

Dave, the pic you posted, is that of str's board?
Cos a lot of boards have their dual channel ram slots paired alternately, not just adjacently. So if i may add to str, populate the 2 slots that are the same colour (dual channels) with identically matched ram, whether they are next to each other or not.
Oh and get rid of the 2 x 256mb sticks, no need for them once you've put the 2 x 1gb sticks in, chances are they're running at slower speeds anyway, and possibly even a different voltage. On top of 2gb, 512mb won't make much difference.

 

[str]

that wasn't a pic of my board

but, the slots where differently coloured, with the two filled with 256MB boards one colour and the two empty slots a different

so I should leave as I have it? I did rerun the Crucial Scan and it showed the upgraded memory and the PC does seem to be running better/quicker

 

[kjacko]

yup...all is good