Virtual Memory Problems

Factual Questions
1

Hey all. Technophobe here, looking for advice that won’t trigger panic attacks.

It seems my compy is old enough that I just don’t have enough RAM (.5 gig) to run the sort of software I’d like to on a regular basis. Now, I’ve run AIDA32, and SiSandra. Sandra implies that I have 3 memory slots, one of which is being used. AIDA concurs that I have:

Memory Slots
DRAM Slot #1 512 MB (PC133 SDRAM)

But says nothing about the other slots. Perhaps because they’re not being used? I dunno. It does, however, give me this ominous message:

Problem Motherboard chipset cannot handle more memory.
Problem AGP is disabled. This may cause performance penalty.

Can I put in more memory? I’m unsure. I am also, as mentioned, a supreme technophobe, and the idea of mucking about with this without a step-by-step, reliable plan (which I’m hoping dopers can help me with) scares the bejesus out of me.

If it makes any difference, the motherboard data:

Chipset Properties
Motherboard Chipset Intel Solano i815E
In-Order Queue Depth 4
CAS Latency 3T
RAS To CAS Delay 3T
RAS Precharge 3T
RAS Active Time 7T

Integrated Graphics Controller
Graphics Controller Type Intel i752
Graphics Controller Status Disabled

Memory Slots
DRAM Slot #1 512 MB (PC133 SDRAM)

AGP Properties
AGP Version 2.00
AGP Status Disabled
AGP Aperture Size 64 MB
Supported AGP Speeds 1x, 2x, 4x
Fast-Write Not Supported
Side Band Addressing Supported, Disabled

Chipset Manufacturer
Company Name Intel Corporation
Product Information http://www.intel.com/products/browse/chipsets.htm
Driver Download http://support.intel.com/support/chipsets/index.htm

Problems & Suggestions
Problem Motherboard chipset cannot handle more memory.
Problem AGP is disabled. This may cause performance penalty.
Anyone able to take pity on me and make sense of all this gobbledygook?

Thanks much.

2

How old is your computer? I believe that some motherboards can’t address more than a certain amount of memory. You need to give more information about your system, including the motherboard type. Also, it might be handy to know what version of Windows you’re running.

First, though, try going to the Crucial website and using their system scanner. It should tell you how many memory slots you have, how many are filled, and what (if any) upgrades you can make. The system scan is perfectly safe.

3

The computer itself is second-hand, and I don’t know how old it is. I’m running Win2000SE. The information given from the scan you suggested is:

Maximum Memory Capacity: N.A.
Currently Installed Memory: 512 MB
Available Memory Slots: N.A.
Number of Banks: N.A.
Dual Channel Support: N.A.
CPU Manufacturer: GenuineIntel
CPU Family: Intel Pentium III processor Model 8, Stepping 3
CPU Speed: 863 MHz

System Manufacturer: Gateway
System Model: N.A.
Motherboard Manufacturer: IntelCorporation
Motherboard Model: D815EEA

Hrm. By googling the D815EEA, it seems it only supports 512 Meg of ram… I assume this means I’m completely out of luck?

4

Afraid so. That motherboard has room for 3 DIMMs (i.e., it has 3 memory slots), and supports a max of 512Mb total.

A Pentium III 863MHz processor is getting pretty old and slow now, and 512MB of RAM is not a lot if you’re running memory-hungry programs. What sort of software do you want to run?

5

In this case, some older MMO’s. City of Heroes has been crashing like crazy recently, and last night I got my first Warcraft-based crash. It is, to say the least, annoying.

6

866 MHz and 512 MB is plenty for Windows 2000. I’m guessing that the graphics are onboard and using the main memory and that you want to minimise expenditure.

Gateway support page.

This page says that 1.0 or 1.5 GB will actually work. A 512 MB stick of PC133 will be modestly cheap.

If you do want to minimise your expenditure while giving a decent result, plug in a Nvidia 7600 GS or the equivalent Radeon.

Equally, if your system is becoming twitchy, it may be time for a complete reinstall.

Lastly, since you like MMORPGs, if your PC can’t cope with Warcraft, you might like to know that the BBC has an article on Runescape which is targetted at low-spec PCs. Indeed, yours is good enough to run Runescape at the High Detail setting. MMORPGs aren’t my thing, so I’ve no idea how good it actually is.