A couple of questions about RAM.

Factual Questions
1

I am embarrassed to ask this, but I fear I have wallowed in my ignorance for too long. My father wants to upgrade his two computers and I told him that the best place to start would be the RAM; as he is using XP and only has 256 MB on both. One computer uses RDRAM and the other uses DDR.

What I want to know is:

  1. How can I find out what the speed of the RAM is in both computers.
  2. How can I find out what the max speed of RAM these two computers are capable of taking advantage of.
  3. Opals view on the situation.

Thanks.

2

The manual that came with each computer would be a good place to start. Mine came with a special section on ugrades which describes the types of ram it can take and how to install new ones.

3

If you don’t have the manual, putting the make and model of the motherboard (printed on it somewhere) in Google will hopefully provide an online version.

4

Motherboard manual is the first and best option. Motherboard info is usually flashed up at boot time, prior to POST.

Alternatively, download Belarc Advisor which will give you the details of your motherboard but not the speed of installed memory, then go to the motherboards manufacturer’s site for specs, as advised above by GorillaMan

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

5

For number 1, if no manual is available then a handy (free) utility is SiSoft’s Sandra. Tells you far more than you needed to know about the hardware you’re running. The memory info is found in the “Mainboard Information” module; it should tell you the make, model and even serial number of what’s installed.

Personally I’d advise against going for faster memory as well as more; what’s installed is almost certainly matched to the processor/motherboard in terms of the bus speed it runs at, so buying faster stuff will probably be a waste of money. Doubling up to 512MB will make a huge difference though, you’re bang on there.

6

Would it be too much to ask for me to paste the info from Sandra and have one of you explain it too me?

Please? :smiley:

7

Sure. The module type is listed about two thirds of the way down the “mainboard information” page on my machine, in a subsection called “memory modules”. It’ll probably help if you let us know the mainboard manufacturer and model as well…

8

It will be big and ugly, but I will just paste the whole thing for both of them.

This is the info for the main computer with the DDR ram that I built for him a year or two ago:
SiSoftware Sandra

System
Manufacturer : MSI
Model : MS-6712
Version : 1.0
Serial Number : 00000000
ID : 00000000-00000000-00000000-00000000

System Chassis
Manufacturer : Uknown Chassis Manufacture
Type : Desktop
Can be locked : No
Version : Version 1.00
Serial Number : 123456890
Asset Tag : 0123ABC

Mainboard
Manufacturer : MSI
MP Support : 1 CPU(s)
MPS Version : 1.40
Model : MS-6712
Version : 1.0
Serial Number : 00000000
System BIOS : 62-1226-009999-00101111-040201-VIA

Memory Controller
Error Detection Method : ECC
Error Correction Capability : 1-bit
Supported/Current Memory Interleave : 1-way / 1-way
Number of Memory Slots : 3
Maximum Installable Memory : 3072MB
Maximum Module Size : 1024MB
Supported STD/FPM/(B)EDO Speeds : 70ns, 60ns
Supported Memory Types : STD, FPM, EDO, Parity, ECC, SIMM
Supported Memory Voltages : +3.3V

Physical/BIOS Memory Banks
DIMM1 (RASL-1 RASL-0) : 512MB DIMM SDRAM double-bank
DIMM2 : Empty
DIMM3 : Empty

Chipset 1
Model : VIA Technologies Inc VT8377 Apollo KT400/A/600 CPU to PCI Bridge
Bus(es) : ISA AGP PCI IMB USB FireWire/1394 i2c/SMBus
Front Side Bus Speed : 2x 135MHz (270MHz data rate)
Maximum FSB Speed / Max Memory Speed : 2x 166MHz / 2x 200MHz
Width : 64-bit
IO Queue Depth : 4 request(s)

Chipset 1 Hub Interface
Type : V-Link
Width : 8-bit
Full Duplex : Yes
Multiplier : 1/1x
Speed : 8x 66MHz (528MHz data rate)
IO Queue Depth : 9 request(s)

Logical/Chipset 1 Memory Banks
Bank 0 : 256MB DDR-SDRAM 2.5-3-3-7CL 2CMD
Bank 1 : 256MB DDR-SDRAM 2.5-3-3-7CL 2CMD
Bank Interleave : 4-way
Speed : 2x 168MHz (336MHz data rate)
Multiplier : 5/4x
Width : 64-bit
Power Save Mode : No
Fixed Hole Present : No

APIC 1
Version : 0.03
Speed : 16MHz
Multiplier : 1/2x
Maximum Interrupts : 24
IRQ Handler Engaged : Yes
Enhanced Support : Yes

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module 1 : 512MB 16x(32Mx8) DDR-SDRAM PC2700U-2533-700 (CL2.5 up to 167MHz) (CL2 up to 133MHz)

Environment Monitor 1
Model : Winbond W83697(T)HF ISA
Version : 6.00
Mainboard Specific Support : No

Temperature Sensor(s)
Board Temperature : 41.0°C / 105.8°F
CPU Temperature : 59.5°C / 139.1°F

Cooling Device(s)
Auto Fan Speed Control : No
CPU Fan Speed : 3689rpm

Voltage Sensor(s)
CPU Voltage : 1.76V
+3.3V Voltage : 3.28V
+5V Voltage : 4.97V
+12V Voltage : 12.34V
-12V Voltage : -12.28V
-5V Voltage : -5.50V
Standby Voltage : 4.97V
Battery Voltage : 3.42V

AGP Bus(es) on Hub 1
Version : 2.00
Speed : 4x 66MHz (264MHz data rate)
Multiplier : 1/2x
Fast-Writes Enabled : No
Fast-Writes Support : Yes
Side Band Enabled : No
Side Band Support : Yes
Aperture Size : 128MB

PCI Bus(es) on Hub 1
Version : 2.10
Number of Bridges : 1
PCI Bus 0 : PCI (33MHz)
Multiplier : 1/4x

LPC Hub Controller 1
Model : VIA Technologies Inc VT8235 PCI to ISA Bridge
ACPI Power Management Enabled : Yes
Multiplier : 1/4x
Speed : 8MHz
DMA Multiplier : 1/2x
DMA Speed : 4MHz

USB Controller 1
Model : Micro-Star International Co Ltd (MSI) VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (All VIA Chipsets)
Version : 1.10
Interface : UHCI
Channels : 2
Speed : 48MHz
Supported Speed(s) : Low (1.5Mbps) Full (12Mbps)
Legacy Emulation Enabled : No

USB Controller 2
Model : Micro-Star International Co Ltd (MSI) VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (All VIA Chipsets)
Version : 1.10
Interface : UHCI
Channels : 2
Speed : 48MHz
Supported Speed(s) : Low (1.5Mbps) Full (12Mbps)
Legacy Emulation Enabled : No

USB Controller 3
Model : Micro-Star International Co Ltd (MSI) VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (All VIA Chipsets)
Version : 1.10
Interface : UHCI
Channels : 2
Speed : 48MHz
Supported Speed(s) : Low (1.5Mbps) Full (12Mbps)
Legacy Emulation Enabled : No

USB Controller 4
Model : Micro-Star International Co Ltd (MSI) VT6202 USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller
Version : 2.00
Specification : 1.00
Interface : EHCI
Channels : 6
Companion Controllers : 3
Supported Speed(s) : Low (1.5Mbps) Full (12Mbps) High (480Mbps)
Addressing Support : 32-bit
Legacy Emulation Enabled : No

FireWire/1394 Controller 1
Model : Creative Labs Audigy 2 Firewire Controller
Version : 1.10
Interface : OHCI
Enhanced Support : No
Channels : 64
Speed : 400MHz

System SMBus Controller 1
Model : VIA VT823x SMBus
Advanced TCO Mode Enabled : No
Slave Device Enabled : No
PEC Support : No
Speed : 16kHz

Expansion Slot(s)
PCI1 (1h) : PCI 32-bit +3.3V Shared PME Full-Length Available (VIA Technologies Inc ProSavageDDR P4X333 CPU to AGP 2.0/3.0 Bridge)
PCI2 (2h) : PCI 32-bit +3.3V Shared PME Full-Length Available
PCI3 (3h) : PCI 32-bit +3.3V Shared PME Full-Length Used
PCI4 (4h) : PCI 32-bit +3.3V Shared PME Full-Length Available
PCI5 (5h) : PCI 32-bit +3.3V Shared PME Full-Length Available
PCI6 (5h) : PCI 32-bit +3.3V Shared PME Full-Length Available

Port Connector
USB - Def : SSA SCSI - Mini Centronics / DB-25 pin male

Performance Tips
Notice 224 : SMBIOS/DMI information may be inaccurate.
Tip 2511 : Some memory slots are free so the memory can be easily upgraded.
Warning 100 : Large memory sizes should be made of Registered/Buffered memory.
Tip 2546 : Large memory modules should be ECC/Parity.
Tip 2 : Double-click tip or press Enter while a tip is selected for more information about the tip.

9

Here is the info for the second, Gateway, computer with RDRAM.

SiSoftware Sandra

System
Manufacturer : Gateway
Model : MONTEREY
Version : 4000762
Serial Number : 0028111909
ID : A8713D80-11B21DE3-55E20080-077C6ACC

System Chassis
Manufacturer : Gateway
Type : Desktop
Can be locked : No
Version : SFD01B06
Serial Number : 0028111909

Mainboard
Manufacturer : Intel Corporation
MP Support : No
Model : D850GB
Version : AAA49507-904
Serial Number : IMGB15005084
System BIOS : 51-2300-000000-00101111-030199-

System Memory Controller
Location : Mainboard
Error Correction Capability : ECC
Number of Memory Slots : 4
Maximum Installable Memory : 2GB
RIMM1 - J7J1 : RIMM RAMBUS 128MB/16 @ 400Mt/s
RIMM2 - J7J2 : RIMM RAMBUS 128MB/16 @ 400Mt/s
RIMM3 - J8J1 : Empty
RIMM4 - J8J2 : Empty

Chipset 1
Model : Intel Corporation 82850 Host-Hub Interface Bridge Device (A2-step)
Bus(es) : X-Bus AGP PCI USB i2c/SMBus
Front Side Bus Speed : 4x 100MHz (400MHz data rate)
Maximum FSB Speed / Max Memory Speed : 4x 100MHz / 2x 400MHz
Width : 64-bit
IO Queue Depth : 8 request(s)

Chipset 1 Hub Interface
Type : Hub-Interface
Version : 1.00
Number of Ports : 1
Width : 8-bit
Full Duplex : Yes
Multiplier : 1/1x
Speed : 4x 66MHz (264MHz data rate)

Logical/Chipset 1 Memory Banks
Bank 0 : 256MB RDRAM 8/9CL
Channels : 2
Speed : 2x 400MHz (800MHz data rate)
Multiplier : 4/1x
Width : 16-bit
Refresh Rate : 1.95µs
Power Save Mode : No
Fixed Hole Present : No

System Clock Generator
Model : ICS 9250-22
Software Programmable : Yes
Read-Back Support : No

Environment Monitor 1
Model : SMSC M10x/14x LPC
Version : 0.01
Mainboard Specific Support : No

Cooling Device(s)
Auto Fan Speed Control : No
CPU Fan Speed : 3413rpm

AGP Bus(es) on Hub 1
Version : 2.00
Speed : 4x 66MHz (264MHz data rate)
Multiplier : 1/2x
Fast-Writes Enabled : No
Fast-Writes Support : Yes
Side Band Enabled : No
Side Band Support : Yes
Aperture Size : 64MB

PCI Bus(es) on Hub 1
Version : 2.20
Number of Bridges : 2
PCI Bus 0 : PCI (33MHz)
PCI Bus 2 : PCI (33MHz)
Multiplier : 1/3x

LPC Hub Controller 1
Model : Intel Corporation 82801BA LPC Interface (ICH2 B4 step)
ACPI Power Management Enabled : Yes
Delayed Transaction Supported : Yes
Delayed Transaction Enabled : No

LPC Legacy Controller 1
Type : SMSC LPC v1
Version : 59.01
Number of Enabled Devices : 5

USB Controller 1
Model : Gateway 2000 82801BA/BAM USB Controller #1 (ICH2/ICH2-M B4 step)
Version : 1.10
Interface : UHCI
Channels : 2
Speed : 48MHz
Supported Speed(s) : Low (1.5Mbps) Full (12Mbps)
Legacy Emulation Enabled : No

USB Controller 2
Model : Gateway 2000 82801BA/BAM USB Controller #2 (ICH2/ICH2-M B4 step)
Version : 1.10
Interface : UHCI
Channels : 2
Speed : 48MHz
Supported Speed(s) : Low (1.5Mbps) Full (12Mbps)
Legacy Emulation Enabled : No

System SMBus Controller 1
Model : Intel 801xx/63xx SMBus
Version : 0.04
Specification : 1.00
Advanced TCO Mode Enabled : No
Slave Device Enabled : No
PEC Support : No
Speed : 100kHz

Expansion Slot(s)
J4E1 (1h) : PCI 32-bit +3.3V PME Full-Length Available (Intel Corporation 82850 AGP Bridge (A2-step))
J4D1 (2h) : PCI 32-bit +3.3V PME Full-Length Available
J4C1 (3h) : PCI 32-bit +3.3V PME Full-Length Used
J4B1 (4h) : PCI 32-bit +3.3V PME Full-Length Used
J4A1 (5h) : PCI 32-bit +3.3V PME Full-Length Used
J5E1 (5h) : AGP-4x 32-bit +5V Shared Full-Length Used

Port Connector
J1L1 - USB1 : USB - None / USB
J1L1 - USB2 : USB - None / USB
J1K1 - COM A : Serial Port 16550A - None / DB-9 pin female
J1J2 - LPT1 : Parallel Port ECP/EPP - None / DB-25 pin male
J1M1 - Keyboard : Keyboard - None / PS/2
J1M1 - PS2Mouse : Mouse - None / PS/2
J10G1 - Floppy - None : None - Floppy Disk / None
J9G2 - PRI IDE - None : None - ATA / None
J9G1 - SEC IDE - None : None - ATA / None
J7A2 - SCSI LED - None : None - None / None
J9D2 - Control Panel - None : None - None / None
J7M2 - Power Supply Fan - None : None - None / None
J6L1 - CPU Fan - None : None - None / None
J8C2 - Configuration Jumper - None : None - None / None
J9C1 - USB Front Panel : None - None / None

Performance Tips
Notice 224 : SMBIOS/DMI information may be inaccurate.
Tip 2511 : Some memory slots are free so the memory can be easily upgraded.
Tip 2546 : Large memory modules should be ECC/Parity.
Tip 2 : Double-click tip or press Enter while a tip is selected for more information about the tip.

10

Right, well; first computer. For starters, this seems to already have 512MB of RAM in it. Here’s the info page for the motherboard you’ve got. The page I linked to is slightly confusing. It claims to support up to a maximum of an Athlon XP 2800+ processor, but also claims to support DDR400 memory. To the best of my knowledge the 2800+ only has a 333MHz bus, so there’s absolutely no point running memory faster than that. The memory you’ve got already installed is a single 512MB stick of 333MHz DDR RAM, which suits the processor perfectly. The installed memory is apparently unbranded, so you’d probably be okay installing just another stick of unbranded DDR333/PC2700 memory. I don’t find the difference between 512MB and a gig of RAM all that noticeable, but then your dad might be a CAD engineer. :slight_smile:

Second computer: I’m not so familiar with RDRAM and pentium machines, so it’s probably best to take the following with a pinch of salt.

I’ve got my info from this page, since Intel don’t seem to have the info for your exact motherboard on their site. Basically RDRAM needs to be fitted in identical pairs; if you open up the Gateway there should be four memory slots, two of which will have 128MB RIMM modules in, and two of which should be empty (or have some little spacer thingies in). The bad news with RDRAM is that it’s on the way out, hard to find, and getting kind of expensive (especially since you have to buy identical pairs). If you decide to go for it, you need PC800 RDRAM, which runs at 800MHz. For example, two sticks of Samsung RAM from newegg will be about $100, while two sticks of 256MB unbranded memory will be over $200. I’m not sure about compatibility issues with buying RAM that doesn’t precisely match what’s already installed. It might be alright, and as far as I can tell it should be, but memory is weird sometimes, particularly when mixing and matching. Probably best to make sure you can send it back if it doesn’t work.

Hope this helps…

11
      • Without reading all of the above (because I am lazy), here’s my quick-and-dirty take on the situation:
  1. the RAM types are different, so they cannot be mixed with each other (used in one computer). So even if you were willing to pay more for faster RAM and put the slower ram in one PC and the new faster in the other, you can’t.
  2. If you have two different speeds of RAM, both run at the slower one’s speed.
  3. there’s usually a sticker on each describing critical technical aspects of it. (ECC or non-ECC is the kicker for DDR, if your mobo needs ECC then you MUST use ECC. Otherwise, you can stick ECC or non-ECC in, but ECC costs more, so don’t buy it unless you need it. ECC stands for “Error Correction Circuitry”, by the by)
    Soooo…
  • Take a look in each, and if there is a sticker on the memories, go out and buy a duplicate 256-meg card of each of those types of RAM, and pop them in alongside. Don’t worry about getting a faster speed because the faster one will only run as fast as the older slower one, to get the faster one to run faster you would have to take out the slower one–wasting ~$50 per stick. And anyway–going from 256 to 512 megs does make some difference in normal activities, but really (I recently did it) it really only matters most when playing FPS games.
    Which was the real reason I did it.
  • 256 megs of ECC DDR RAM cost about $53 where I went. If I had not needed ECC DDR, I could have paid only ~$40.
    ~