# How do I know how many pins my computer has? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 29, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-know-how-many-pins-my-computer-has/522871 "2009-12-29T03:28:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-know-how-many-pins-my-computer-has/522871/21 "2009-12-29T14:39:34Z")
Download and run CCleaner from [Filehippo](http://www.filehippo.com/) Defrag the drive then reset virtual memory to 1500MB(Max & Min) so a portion of your drive is permanently reserved for that and nothing else.To be fully effective the drive must be defragmented immediately before the change or you risk having Windows allocate it in bits and pieces instead of a contiguous block. Check out [Crucial](http://www.crucial.com/index.aspx) for good memory at sensible prices and an alternative scanner to guide your choice. I have used them many times (UK though) and have always been very satisfied with them. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-know-how-many-pins-my-computer-has/522871/22 "2009-12-29T16:01:57Z")
> [@shellofmyformerself](#): > > Okay…yall are killin’ me with this technical stuff! But I’m appreciative for the info/advice! > > **runner pat** , when I go in to change that, on the tab is says “total paging file size for all drives is 768MB”. When I click on the Change button is says: > > C: > Available 44634 MB > > “Custom” is selected, then it says Initial - 768, Maximum 1536 > > Then further down it says “Total paging file size for all drives: > Minimum allowed: 2MB > Recommended: 763MB > Currently Allocated: 768MB” > > So should I change anything? It sounds like I’m already over some kind of limit. > > Oh, and **Palooka** …I do defrag regularly, so at least I got that going’ for me. (Which is nice.) Also, your link–I take it you build computers? Change it to **System Managed Size**. Windows will adjust it automatically. The problem will go away. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-know-how-many-pins-my-computer-has/522871/23 "2009-12-29T16:30:42Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > Hmm, [there’s](http://support.microsoft.com/kb/826513) a [few](http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2089076,00.asp) fixes for that, generally it stems from not having enough space on the HDD; Not really, it comes from not having enough RAM. Virtual memory is a way of working around a limited amount of system memory. Since hard drives are hundreds of times slower than RAM, virtual memory is a huge performance thief. By having extra system RAM, even a little excess, you give your CPU the maximum amount of breathing room for large and or multi tasking operations. For $22 an extra GB of ram is an excellent investment in extending the useful life of his machine. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-know-how-many-pins-my-computer-has/522871/24 "2009-12-29T16:33:08Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Not really, it comes from not having enough RAM. > > Virtual memory is a way of working around a limited amount of system memory. Since hard drives are hundreds of times slower than RAM, virtual memory is a huge performance thief. By having extra system RAM, even a little excess, you give your CPU the maximum amount of breathing room for large and or multi tasking operations. For $22 an extra GB of ram is an excellent investment in extending the useful life of his machine. No doubt, but there are fixes for the Virtual Memory pop-up other than adding more RAM. Like I said though, it wouldn’t hurt at all. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-know-how-many-pins-my-computer-has/522871/25 "2009-12-30T03:42:24Z")
> [@shellofmyformerself](#): > > This is probably a stupid question but how much can I add? My co-worker seemed to think I should go ahead and add 1GB but I’m not sure I need that…or do I? I don’t do gaming…mostly just email, web-browsing, and stuff related to work (PowerPoint, Word, Excel). Two answers, one you care about and one you don’t. The one you care about is dependent on your motherboard. Going online to any memory manufacturer and by putting in your computer’s model number you should get the info you need. If you can, upgrade your memory to 2 GB because of the Windows overhead and you will see a huge difference in performance and it is relatively cheap. The same memory you got cost me $50 for both gigs (now sitting unused since I built a new machine). It’s how I got an extra year out of my Presario 6600 and would have gotten more too if my hard drive hadn’t died. Now for the answer you dont care about. Yes, most memory limits are dependent on the motherboard, but a 32 bit operating system can only address about 3.3 GB of RAM. Almost anyone with a 32bit OS will upgrade to 3 GB max or to turn it around, 4 GB or more will need Win7-64bit to adress all of it. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-know-how-many-pins-my-computer-has/522871/26 "2009-12-30T10:12:22Z")
I’ve been beaten to the punch, but I too would recommend a purchase of 2 x 1 GB modules. This will give you 2.5 GB (2 x 1 GB and 2 x 256KB) which will be fine until you want to go 64 bit. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-know-how-many-pins-my-computer-has/522871/27 "2009-12-30T12:42:10Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I’ve been beaten to the punch, but I too would recommend a purchase of 2 x 1 GB modules. This will give you 2.5 GB (2 x 1 GB and 2 x 256KB) which will be fine until you want to go 64 bit. At the risk of yet another cook in your broth, here are my 2c worth: You have a Dell Dimension 4600. As with any computer, there is a physical (motherboard-based) slot-based limit on how much RAM you can put on the computer, and there is a functional limit determined by the rest of the design and the operating system. Your computer uses **PC2700** (333-MHz) or **PC320** 0 (400-MHz) DDR SDRAM (non-ECC). Forget the Pin crap. A while back the industry decided they should just name memory, and so all you have to do is look for those two types. Either one is fine, but the PC2700 is cheaper and your machine will not be faster with the faster PC3200. How much? Well, per your technical specs [Support Home | Dell US](http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4600/en/4600i/sm/specs.htm#1119251) , your computer can take a maximum of 4 GB (8 x what it has now). It has four memory slots, so you’d have to put in 1 GB chips in each of the four slots. This would require throwing out whatever is in there now. Your machine probably needs a lot of fine tuning, but as a rule of thumb adding memory is very very easy and very useful in speeding up a machine. Right now you probably have two slots occupied with 256 memory chips, giving you 512 total, and two free slots. I’d recommend putting 1GB chips in each of the two remaining slots, if that’s your config, and I would not worry in the least that someone will screw up your computer putting it it. A monkey can do it. Look here to see how easy it is (scroll to see the section on Memory): [Support Home | Dell US](http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4600/en/4600i/sm/parts.htm#1152058) New 1GB PC2700 is about $35/stick and you need two (for technical reasons, we always replace memory on these types of machines in pairs). That’s $70 new; there are lots of sources for used old memory cannibalized from old machines, and I would not hesitate to buy it. Memory either works or it doesn’t. There are lots more issues. It’s sort of like deciding what to do with a used car that works pretty well but is starting to get annoying. Somewhere around $100 should get you thinking about a replacement machine since a brand new machine can be had for a few hundred bucks. Best. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-know-how-many-pins-my-computer-has/522871/28 "2009-12-30T13:03:33Z")
shellofmyformerself let me know if you did the software fix that will cost nothing and work. Post if you had a question. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-know-how-many-pins-my-computer-has/522871/29 "2009-12-30T13:50:37Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > Your computer uses **PC2700** (333-MHz) or **PC320** 0 (400-MHz) DDR SDRAM > (non-ECC). Forget the Pin crap. A while back the industry decided they should just name memory, and so all you have to do is look for those two types. Either one is fine, but the PC2700 is cheaper and your machine will not be faster with the faster PC3200. Are you sure about that? The 2.8 GHz P4s could have a FSB of either 533 MHz or 800 MHz. The OP should get memory that matches his current chips. But PC 3200 shouldn’t cost more than PC 2700 these days anyway, and will work just fine at the slower rate. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-know-how-many-pins-my-computer-has/522871/30 "2009-12-30T16:26:14Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Are you sure about that? The 2.8 GHz P4s could have a FSB of either 533 MHz or 800 MHz. The OP should get memory that matches his current chips. But PC 3200 shouldn’t cost more than PC 2700 these days anyway, and will work just fine at the slower rate. If the new memory chips are slower than what’s in there, they will all run at the slower speed, but I am guessing the performance difference between 2700 and 3200 will be unnoticeable given all the other issues with an old machine, even if her other chips are 400 MHz memory instead of 333. If you are right that 3200 is just as cheap; by all means I agree with you. Won’t hurt. I guess I was trying to simplify things and I probably shouldn’t have. Sometimes an individual wondering about what to do just needs a very simple answer: Get two sticks of PC2700 or 3200 memory. Buy used if they are cheaper. Have your buddy put them in; it’s really easy. See if it helps. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-know-how-many-pins-my-computer-has/522871.md?page=1)