RAM Upgrade Advice

So, I'm currently getting everything lined up to pick up some new RAM...
Here is my current setup:

1. MOTHERBOARD - ECS nForce3-A, Socket 754, FSB800, DDR SDRAM standard, AGP8x, LAN, S-ATA, 6-channel Audio RAID

2. PROCESSOR - Intel Athlon 64, Socket 754, tray version

3. COOLERS - SPIRE CPU Cooler - 754, 939, 940, SP708S3-1, Slave

4. MEMORY - DDR SDRAM standard 400MHz, 512 MB, CL2.5 (32Mx8) 2.5V 184pin, MS type

5. FLOPPY DRIVES - 3.5'' FDD, 1.44 MB, black

6. HARD DRIVES - Western Digital Caviar 80 GB HDD, 7200rpm, 2MB, UATA/100, plus a second Hard Drive that's about 320 GB, though I'm not entirely sure of the exact specs—if that ends up being vital, I'll dig around and let you know.

7. CASE - Codegen MIDI TOWER ATX F6099-CA, 400W, USB, Audio, includes 2 extra cooling fans

8. GRAPHICS CARDS - ATI Radeon equivalent VGA, 128MB, AGP8X, TV-out, DVI

9. MULTIMEDIA - Sony Trinitron equivalent Dual Layer DVD Writer, DVD+/-RW, black, bulk

10. ADAPTERS AND CABLES - IDE ATA 66 / ATA 100 Cable

11. MONITORS - 17'' PHILIPS CRT Monitor, black, flat screen

Sorry if I just dumped a massive list of stuff that might not even matter; I didn't include things like my keyboard, mouse, or modem 🙂🙂🙂, but I figured it was better to be thorough just in case.

Anyway, I was hoping someone who really knows their way around hardware could point me in the right direction regarding which specific brand of RAM I should go with. If you could provide links or the exact model names and brands, I would truly appreciate it... My main goal is to get enough performance to play World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade smoothly.
PLEASE, THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME...

Walter James said:1. MOTHERBOARD - MBO socket 754, ECS, nForce3-A, FSB800, DDR400, AGP8x, LAN, S-ATA, RAID Audio6ch

That bolded part refers to the specific type of RAM you need to pick up. Just write this whole quoted section down on a scrap of paper, head over to a local Best Buy, and ask them for memory that actually fits.

Thanks so much for clarifying! So, I guess the main thing is just making sure it’s DDR SDRAM standard...
Now, I actually have another question for you all...

Right now, my computer is running on a single 512 MB stick of Crucial RAM equivalent, and I was wondering about my options for upgrading. Is it possible to just buy a 1 GB stick and add it to the existing 512 MB to get a total of 1.5 GB, or would I be better off buying another 512 MB stick to match what I have? Or, looking at it another way, should I just pull out the old 512 MB module entirely and swap it out for two 1 GB sticks instead?
Does the specific configuration actually make a difference in how it performs?
If anyone could walk me through how this works, I would really appreciate the help...

Walter James said:Thanks so much! So as long as it's DDR SDRAM standard, I'm good...
Now, I have one more question...

I've got a single 512 MB stick of RAM in my PC. Can I just buy a 1 GB stick and add it to the existing 512 MB, or should I get another 512 MB stick instead? Or would it be better to pull the old 512 MB out and just swap in two 1 GB sticks?
Does any of this actually matter?
If anyone could walk me through this, I'd really appreciate it...

I'm pretty sure your motherboard doesn't support dual channel. You could probably grab an extra 1GB, but the issue is that the new 1GB stick and the old 512MB one might not play nice together. Honestly, you're probably better off just getting two 1GB modules to avoid the headache. That'll run you about $133

Thanks so much!
And one more thing... if I decide to pull out this 512 MB stick and swap it for two 1 GB sticks instead, do I need to go through any special installation process for the RAM, or does the system just pick it up automatically? I'm only asking because I remember when I was setting up my Hard Drive, I had to deal with all that manual configuration for the MASTER and SLAVE settings on the cables...

Walter James said:Alright, thanks!
One more thing though... if I pull out this Crucial RAM equivalent and swap in two 1GB sticks instead, do I need to run some kind of setup for the memory, or does it just handle itself? I'm asking because I remember having to mess with Master and Slave settings when I was setting up my Hard Drive...

Nah, you just pop them in and the PC handles the rest... Just make sure they're the same brand and speed, I guess.

Alright, thanks everyone! You guys were a huge help!😁😁😁

Hey, there’s one more thing I was wondering about...🙂
If I’m currently running some 184-pin RAM, am I strictly stuck buying more 184-pin sticks, or is it actually possible to mix in some 200-pin or maybe even 240-pin modules?

Walter James said:So, there's one more thing I was wondering about...🙂
If you've got 184-pin RAM, I guess you're pretty much stuck with that specific type. You probably can't just swap in 200-pin or 240-pin modules; they likely won't fit, or at least they won't work. Maybe check the specs first, though.

DDR has 184 pins, while DDR2 uses 240. You can only fit DDR if you have the 184-pin slot... anything else probably won't even go in.

Oh, awesome!
I was looking closely at those two options you mentioned, but neither one actually specifies the pin count in the description.
Does anyone here happen to know the specs on these?

All DDR SDRAM standard memory modules share the exact same pin count, don't they? 👍

Yeah, if they say it's DDR, you can pretty much assume it's got 184 pins.

Thanks so much, everyone! I finally picked up two 1 GB sticks of Crucial RAM to finish my upgrade, and man, it made a world of difference—my computer is running smooth as silk now!😁😁😁

Walter James said:Thanks so much, everyone! I picked up 2 x 1 GB sticks of Crucial RAM, finished the upgrade, and now this machine is absolutely flying! 😁😁😁

That’s great news. It can be tricky, though—mixing different memory brands sometimes leads to compatibility issues, which can slow things down or even crash the whole system.

Walter James said:Thanks a ton, everyone! Just picked up 2 x 1 GB of Crucial RAM, did the upgrade, and now this thing runs like a dream! 😁😁😁

Heh, no worries. If you ever need anything else, just swing by this subforum. 👍

I am looking to upgrade my Toshiba laptop—it's a Toshiba Satellite equivalent—by adding an extra 512MB of RAM. I actually managed to scavenge this 512MB stick from my old Dell laptop. Does anyone know if they are even compatible? Is it DDR or DDR2???

I did try sliding it into the empty slot just to see, and physically, everything seems fine; it clicks right into place.

Here is what is written on the labels (I went ahead and transcribed everything for you)

The current RAM already inside the Toshiba:
Crucial RAM equivalent 512MB 2Rx16
DDR SDRAM standard

The old RAM I want to plug in:

ELPIDA JAPAN
EBD5UC8AARA-7B
PC2100S-2533-0
(512MB DDR PC2100)

I have an HP Pavilion equivalent currently running with 448MB of RAM. I am looking to bump that up to 1GB. Is that even a realistic upgrade? If so, what kind of price am I looking at? Please let me know, as I am a bit out of my depth with this sort of thing.😁

Thanks in advance 😁

This is the exact memory you're looking for:

The key thing is that it needs to be DDR2 and PC533—you might see it listed in some catalogs under the PC2-4200 label, but don't let that trip you up, it’s the same stuff...

Much appreciated 🙂

Let me jump straight into this topic.

My computer is already about 7 or 8 years old, and honestly, I can feel it getting slower and more sluggish by the day, which is just incredibly frustrating.

Anyway, I have two main questions for you all.
First off, would my current setup, which is running Windows XP Service Pack 3, actually handle Windows 7 without falling apart?

• Intel Pentium 4, 1800 MHz (13.5 x 133) 2200+
• 1.25 GB of RAM
• 50 GB of space on the C: drive

Secondly, how much sense would it even make to upgrade the RAM on this aging machine, and what kind of damage would it do to my wallet?

I'm using an ASUS motherboard (http://ee.gigabyte.com/products/page/mb/ga-7n400-l/) and from everything I can gather, the compatible models should be Dual Channel DDR4 / 333 / 266 184pin.

Now, if anyone here happens to be an expert, could you tell me which manufacturers or specific models I should be looking at to ensure that any new memory plays nice with the two sticks I currently have installed? I really don't want any compatibility headaches.

Here is what I am working with right now:
Memory Bus Information

• Bus Type: Dual DDR SDRAM
• Bus Width: 128 bit
• Base Frequency: 200 MHz (DDR)
• Effective Frequency: 400 MHz
• Bandwidth: 6400 MB/s

Device Description
• DIMM1: SUPERTALENT02

o Module Capacity: 1024 MB (2 ranks, 4 banks)
o Memory Module Type: Unbuffered
o Memory Type: DDR SDRAM
o Module Speed: PC3200 (200 MHz)
o Module Voltage: SSTL 2.5
o Refresh Rate: Reduced (7.8 us), Self-Refresh

• DIMM2: Crucial RAM

o Module Name: Crucial RAM
o Serial Number: F1089245h
o Manufacturing Date: Week 38 / 2004
o Module Capacity: 256 MB (1 rank, 4 banks)
o Memory Module Type: Unbuffered
o Memory Type: DDR SDRAM
o Module Speed: PC3200 (200 MHz)
o Module Width (bit): 64 bit
o Module Voltage: SSTL 2.5
o Refresh Rate: Reduced (7.8 us), Self-Refresh

Thanks in advance.