How much RAM?

[Tyr-7BE]

My family hasn't upgraded their computer since 1995 so I say it's about time. They're running Windows ME on a P233 with 32 megs of RAM. Since they're not willing to shell out the dough for a new processor, and a 233 (although it's definately lower-end) will still get you where you're going, I'm gonna put in some RAM. What I'd like to know is how much. How much do you guys recommend for a 233 MHz system running modern apps (modern MS apps)?

[Unruly]

at the very LEAST get another 32 meg in there, 64 megs will hold you over for about a year or so of M$ apps (if you like it painfully slow that is). Anything above the 64 meg mark just makes things exponentially better... until you hit about 128, then you really need a new processor to get the extra oomf out of it.

But, I'd suguest to them, get a 'newer' processor, like see if the mobo can go up to something like 400 mhz, which are REALLY cheap, and will help a LOT.

[siqe]

I have a P200 with 64 megs of ram sitting right next to me and it takes about 12 seconds to start up Word 2000. Then once you're in it takes forever to do anything else. I would definitely get 128 megs. 64? you might as well save your money.

[Tyr-7BE]

Thanks for the advice. I'll try to find out what kind of mobo they have, as they threw away the documentation. It's built to take one of the original Pentiums, but it might take a PII, which combined with a 128 meg chip (dirt cheap these days) will probably result in a performance boost that drops their jaws. The only challenge is finding a good retailer. I live in an area that will try to charge you $200 for 128 megs SDRAM. I guess there's always shopping online...

[Derango]

I doubt it will take a P2, as they use different sockets to connect to the motherboard, and most motherboards don't have the socket 7 (pentium) and slot 1 (p2) on the same motherboard. It couldent hurt to look though.

[Tyr-7BE]

Damn...if that's the case then it seems they're stuck with a pentium, as there's no way in hell that they'll shell out the money for a new mobo. Ah well...RAM it is :) Perhaps I could overclock it a few MHz, but that's always risky in so many ways...

[Bradmont2]

IIRC, there were problems with old mobos and more than 64 megs of ram... I'm not too sure of the specifics, but wont more slow things down a lot?

[PaleoKing]

Don't forget to upgrade the motherboard's BIOS. In doing so, you will usually find support for more RAM and additional features, as well as problem fixes.

[TaeShadow]

If you're planning to upgrade to Windows XP when the time comes, you'll need to get a new machine. From what I hear, it's an amazing resource hog.

[elomire678]

While you can't put a Pentium II in there, you will most likely be able to stick an AMD K6-2 or K6-3 in there and boost the speed a bit that way.

[Derango]

and the K6 is probably cheaper than the p2 anyway ;)

[Jerry557]

That is one of the things I hate about Windows is how much of a resource hog it is. No matter how much RAM you jam into it.

You can download your email using Outlook Express but forget about doing anything else. I always get this error message saying my "system is dangerously low on resources" and then get trapped shutting down every program and suddenly the dreaded BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH pops on.

I'm sure you've all been through it many times and guess what! XP is no different! Sucks in all your system resources so it can reign on your computer with ease.

[Tyr-7BE]

That's right! I can get a K6 and stick it in there (it's a Houston Tech M575) and in all probability it'll run like a dream.
Bradmont...how old is old Mobo?

[Tyr-7BE]

Never mind...I just found the manual online and it can take up to 384 :o

[655321]

Man, how do they survive? I've got a 700 mhz Athlon with 192 megs of pc133 ram, and a NVidia TNT2 with 32 mb of ram and I still cringe at times in Windoze. I'm actually thinking of getting 128 or 256 more, its really cheap on pricewatch right now ($20 for 128 :eek: ).

I would say get at least 128, and make sure the bios is set up to handle that much. With that system, I would probably shoot towards 160 or 192, though.

Now, what you should do is convince your family to learn unix and put Linux on that system, it would really blow their minds to see how fast that old thing could run :)

[ 04 May 2001: Message edited by: 655321 ]

[Tyr-7BE]

Not a reality...I come from a family which just figured out how to check their email. They had to because I was leaving for University :) They can surf the web, open Word, check their email, and that's about the extent of it.

[geddy]

why do u cringe in Windoze? I have almost the same setup as you and windows is at least 4 times faster than linux in every way.
For instance: staroffice takes forever to load and Word 2000 opens instantly. Web browsing is also twice as slow under linux, no matter what browser you use. Maybe it's just mandrake 8.0. This doesn't bother me because at least linux looks really cool and it's fun to play with.

[Tyr-7BE]

StarOffice is a memory hog. If you download the same thing for Windows you'll notice similar behavior. Opera and Konqueror both load pages incredibly fast. It's just Mozilla and Netscape that suck a lot. Mandrake 8 is probably your problem for speed. You're probably using either KDE 2 or Gnome 1.4. They'll both drag the thing to the bottom. I run Debian with Blackbox window manager and the thing flys like it had wings. Faster than Bendows could ever go. I just don't want to risk giving a tool like linux to my family. It's kind of like giving a particle collider to a janitor who needs a wrench. Unfortunately, Windows is NOT easy on resources so hence the RAM upgrade.


Here's a really really stupid question, but I know fsck-all about motherboards. It's a matter of clarification. Here's the exact text from the manual:

Supports Pentium 90 ~ 300 MHz with
P54C/P55C (MMX), Cyrix/IBM 6x86, 6x86L,
6x86MX (M2), IDT C6, and AMD K5/K6 CPUs at
60/66/75/83.3 MHz external clock speed

If I were to rip out the Pentium and put in a K6, would I still be limited to 300 MHz? WTF is it talking about with the 60/66/75/83.3 MHz clock speeds with the K6? Please forgive my ignorance.

[geddy]

what should i use with mandrake 8.0 to make it faster?

[bdg1983]

. I live in an area that will try to charge you $200 for 128 megs SDRAM.

Since your from Waterloo, you could always drive to Toronto on the weekend and pickup some sdram if your system does in fact support it and not the older 72pin edo.

The store I shop at has 128MB sdram for $52/60 oem/major and 256MB $105/120 oem/major. Purchased 1GB over the past few weeks.

[JCopin]

if your board is using EDO SIMMS for ram and it most likely is...hell SIMMS are soo ****ing expensive 64MB of EDO ram will cost you mosre than 256MB SDRAM..why u ask?? because nobody makes EDO anymore=p

not upgrading for 6 years..eww..id be stuck playing counterstrike for the next 6 years=p

you can buy a whole new setup for not to much money..well unless ur making $5.15 a hour ..then everything is alot of money heh


il list price of a hard drive since yours is 6 years old..its gotta be butt****ingly slow
...Also your sound and video as well must be so horrible il throw those in too=)

AMD Duron 750Mhz $36.00
Abit KT7A Motherboard $119.00
256MB SDRAM PC133 $39.00
SoundBlaster Live Value $40.00
IBM 40GB ATA100 IDE Hard Drive $106.00
Geforce2MX 32MB $52.00

all prices come from www.pricewatch.com (http://www.pricewatch.com)

as you can see nowadays it doesn't cost nearly as much to upgrade to good stuff as it did back in 1995..or even 1999=p
all this hardware is considered low end but with the computer your using it will be good...oh yes..it will..=p

[Tyr-7BE]

Damn...I gotta change my profile. I'm now living in Nowhere, BC, Canada, and nobody knows anything about computers so the stores can rip off big time.

geddy: Give Blackbox or WindowMaker a shot...they're not NEARLY as pretty or convenient as Gnome or KDE, but they get the job done and save a whole lot of memory. It's a choice between speed and looks.

Alrighty then...next item on the agenda, getting a credit card for pricewatch.com...prices are beyond belief. And my mobo takes both SIMMs and DIMMs. Right now there's 32 megs SD in there, and I'll probably pick up 128 megs today, and check out prices on a K6.
All I can think of for a pricewatch explanation is that a lot of these sales aren't legit. I mean, 36 bucks for 256 megs of RAM? That's UNHEARD of! Can anyone confirm these sickening prices?

[JCopin]

if you have beed following PC hardware in general..and/or specifically RAM prices you would know prices of ram have bottomed out

PC hardware in general prices have bottomed out bad.
you can actually purchase in quantities of 1 ;) a AMD Athlon 1.33Ghz CPU 266Mhz bus for under $200.00
also the 39$ price for the 256MB of PC133 is for generic stuff
generic is fine for the average user but if you are [H]ardC0re about your Computer parts ad overclocking youl want mushkin or corsair ram which is a little more expensive
Corair 256MB PC133 is 80 bucks

u can get infineon ram 256MB for $79.00 which is sweet ****ing ram heh kick *** ****

or micron 256MB PC133 for 66 bucks

but since u have not upgraded in 6 years you obviously are not into PC's very much so generic ram will do you just fine and dandy


*I AM Hardware GOD*! :)

[Tyr-7BE]

Me, I'm relatively into hardware...this is for my family. My comp has an AMD Athlon 800 with 192 megs of RAM...it's generic though :(
Here's a question...can you take specialized RAM (eg corsair) and mix it in with generic (eg 256 megs corsair and 128 megs generic for a total of 384)?
Update: I just threw in 128 megs generic SDRAM and there's a difference, but it's not huge. Seems the main problem is the processor. Tomorrow I hit the local hardware stores (praying they'll be open sunday) and ask about K6's. Shouldn't be too hard to get a freakin GREAT price on one nowadays. Once I have that it's just a matter of figuring out how to install it. PCI slots and RAM are one thing...CPU and IDEs are another ;)

[ 05 May 2001: Message edited by: Tyr-7BE ]