I Need Some Help On Computer Memory

[Madi100]

James needs more memory for his laptop. It is very slow. Can anyone recommend a good website or deal? Thanks.

 

[OKW Lover]

I've found that Deal Ram is a good place to find just about any memory you are looking for.

 

[WebmasterJohn]

I had good luck with www.crucial.com - they have a memory test you can perform on their site that will tell you how much memory you have, what's the max you can install, any installation tips (e.g. it has be installed in pairs) and then it will offer the memory for purchase right from them at a reasonable price.

 

[zulemara]

I had good luck with www.crucial.com - they have a memory test you can perform on their site that will tell you how much memory you have, what's the max you can install, any installation tips (e.g. it has be installed in pairs) and then it will offer the memory for purchase right from them at a reasonable price.

I double that. I actually bought the wrong ram once because I didn't check everything carefully enough. They paid for the shipping for me to send back the RAM without me even asking. I highly recommend them and kingston also.

 

[firsttimemom]

I've bought memory from crucial, too. They were great. So easy even *I* could do it!!

Worst part was seeing how much dust was inside my CPU.

 

[rkdahl]

Yep, the Crucial Memory configurator checks your system and tells you what you have installed and what you need. It's great!

As far as the dust goes, many people who think they need memory or a new computer just need a good cleaning!!

Test question:What happens if your CPU heatsink and fan collect so much dust your CPU overheats?

Answer: It throttles back and SLOWS down!

Your CPU will throttle down to protect itself when it over heats. A lot of people do not realize that is happening, there are no errors, no warnings, no windows messages, it just happens.

Clean and vacuum inside your system every few months and pay special attention to the CPU, CPU heatsink fins and fans. Many people have never, ever opened their case. You would be amazed at whats inside! Go ahead, you won't hurt anything. Just unplug it and vacuum away.

Your system may in fact be throttling back. I've seen many, many systems do this and people had no clue it was happening.

A clean computer is a happy computer!

 

[MM32830]

James needs more memory for his laptop. It is very slow. Can anyone recommend a good website or deal? Thanks.

www.crucial.com is a great place to buy memory. However, if you are running 32 bit Windows, don't install more than 4GB of RAM. Windows can't address more than about 3.5GB. However, if you are running 64 bit Windows, load your computer up to as much as your motherboard (and budget) allows.



_________________
Armand

 

[k5jm]

More memory is great, but remember, if you are running XP, that XP can handle up to 3gb combined memory.

Also, How many items are in his system tray. He may only need to clean up what is running in the background and run a defrag on his hard drive.

 

[Madi100]

I had good luck with www.crucial.com - they have a memory test you can perform on their site that will tell you how much memory you have, what's the max you can install, any installation tips (e.g. it has be installed in pairs) and then it will offer the memory for purchase right from them at a reasonable price.

Thank you. That site was great. When James went to that website it laughed because his computer is such a piece of junk. I think what Dell did was go to V-tech and asked them for one of their little play computers, and then they put the Dell casing around it. That explains why when you hit certain buttons the computer starts to sing the ABCs. His computer has 1GB of memory and the most it can hold is 2GB.

 

[mickeysaver]

I used Crucial to figure out what I needed and then went to my local Micro Center when they had a sale on memory about a month later and bought the new RAM. I will say that it was a PITA to install on my laptop because there was one stick that was under the keyboard and another on the bottom side of the laptop. I lost an F2 key in the process, luckily, I rarely use any of my F keys. My laptop works much faster now and I have found that Wizard 101 plays much more smoothly now.

Good luck!

 

[robertgp124]

I love crucial. I think you sometimes pay a dollar or two more there, but they always get things right.

Tip on cleaning our computer out - if you have an air compressor, take your computer outside and use the compressor to gently blow all corners of your computer out. I did this with my dad's computer instead of using a vacuum or the "canned air." The steady pressure was nice and the computer was really clean at the end of the process. It also was silent after knocking all the crap out of the fan.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

I love crucial. I think you sometimes pay a dollar or two more there, but they always get things right.

Tip on cleaning our computer out - if you have an air compressor, take your computer outside and use the compressor to gently blow all corners of your computer out. I did this with my dad's computer instead of using a vacuum or the "canned air." The steady pressure was nice and the computer was really clean at the end of the process. It also was silent after knocking all the crap out of the fan.

You want to be careful with this. Generally you are better off with a vacuum. The problem with compressed air or canned air is that it can force the dust farther into places you really don't want it such as fan bearings and vent holes. There's less chance of doing damage if you vacuum it out

 

[firsttimemom]

More memory is great, but remember, if you are running XP, that XP can handle up to 3gb combined memory.

Also, How many items are in his system tray. He may only need to clean up what is running in the background and run a defrag on his hard drive.

I'm just throwing up my hands and getting a new computer. I think I have 2gb of room left on my 80 gb hard drive (darned RAW files!) which is not enough room to defrag and it no longer recognizes my portable drive.

Mine is 5 yrs old. DH's is 9-ish. so he's getting my old one and I'm getting an i5.

 

[Madi100]

I'm just throwing up my hands and getting a new computer. I think I have 2gb of room left on my 80 gb hard drive (darned RAW files!) which is not enough room to defrag and it no longer recognizes my portable drive.

Mine is 5 yrs old. DH's is 9-ish. so he's getting my old one and I'm getting an i5.

I wish James had your attitude. His is just so basic it's painful!

 

[FireDancer]

I'm just throwing up my hands and getting a new computer. I think I have 2gb of room left on my 80 gb hard drive (darned RAW files!) which is not enough room to defrag and it no longer recognizes my portable drive.

Mine is 5 yrs old. DH's is 9-ish. so he's getting my old one and I'm getting an i5.

Adding a larger hard drive is very easy and hard drives are cheap. Chances are you have a 2.5" form factor that spins at 5400rpm. If the computer is older than 2 years it will be IDE, if it is a year old it will be SATA, if it is in the middle it might be either. There is no limit to the size of HD you can install provided it is the correct form factor. It also gives you the chance to reinstall Windows from scratch which will usually speed the computer up as many of the old unneeded programs don't get reinstalled.

As far as the RAM goes the amount you can use is limited by a combination of how much your mother board can address and how much your OS can see. Crucial is a great resource but isn't cheap. If you use them to figure out the correct RAM for your computer make sure to get the same voltage and timing and not only the same speed. If you can get your laptop apart enough to get the make and model of the mother board you can usually go to their site and get a list of approved RAM.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

Adding a larger hard drive is very easy and hard drives are cheap. Chances are you have a 2.5" form factor that spins at 5400rpm. If the computer is older than 2 years it will be IDE, if it is a year old it will be SATA, if it is in the middle it might be either. There is no limit to the size of HD you can install provided it is the correct form factor. It also gives you the chance to reinstall Windows from scratch which will usually speed the computer up as many of the old unneeded programs don't get reinstalled.

As far as the RAM goes the amount you can use is limited by a combination of how much your mother board can address and how much your OS can see. Crucial is a great resource but isn't cheap. If you use them to figure out the correct RAM for your computer make sure to get the same voltage and timing and not only the same speed. If you can get your laptop apart enough to get the make and model of the mother board you can usually go to their site and get a list of approved RAM.

Or you could just throw up your hands and get a new one

 

[FireDancer]

Or you could just throw up your hands and get a new one

But what is the fun in that? Usually this is when anyone I know calls me to fix it. I'd bet the same happens to you.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

But what is the fun in that? Usually this is when anyone I know calls me to fix it. I'd bet the same happens to you.

Not really, I just wear one of these:

 

[FireDancer]

Not really, I just wear one of these:

I love that site. I have learned that most of the problems are pretty easy to fix and then they owe me. My friends and I have quite the little barter society going. I think I have about 10 people I can now line up next spring when I need to re-mulch the yard.

 

[dpuck1998]

Not really, I just wear one of these:

I love that site. I have learned that most of the problems are pretty easy to fix and then they owe me. My friends and I have quite the little barter society going. I think I have about 10 people I can now line up next spring when I need to re-mulch the yard.

I have a great dilbert comic on my door to my office.

"Hey Dilbert, Would you mind stopping by my house after work and seeing if you can fix my computer"

"Sure, and while I do that you can be at my house cleaning the grout in my shower"

"That's crazy talk"

"Hey, I'm not the one who majored in comparative literature"


I get so tired of people asking at work asking my about their home computers. I don't mind helping out my friends, but I get some people I barely know that ask to bring their computers in for me to fix. I've taken to saying , "sure, I'll fix it" Then I keep it for several weeks They usually don't bring it back again.