RAM Compatability

[History_Buff]

I was looking into buying memory for a desktop, and I know absolutely nothing about what can actually fit into the slots there. Anyone know where or how I can figure out just which variety I need?

 

[Sildo]

An easy-ish way is to take the side off of your case and remove the memory. On the memory there should be a sticker. On the sticker it should say somewhere- DDR (1 or 2) "A number". That number should be in the 100's. For example- DDR 400, or DDR2 667, or DDR 500. THere are many more typs though.
That number is the type of memory you can buy. You can buy practicly any size of that memory. Example- 256mb, 512mb, or 1GB. Depending on how old your system is you probably want 512mb or 1GB.
I would recamend going to New Egg and using the filters at the top to plug in the number you got on the sticker that was on the memory.
You probably want to stick to a brand like Courser or Viking.
I hope I wasn't to complicated, though, if I knew more about any part of your system I could probably be more helpful.

 

[superslug]

Corsair and Kingston are also great brand names, although sometimes more pricey. I definitely agree on shopping at NewEgg.

Another way to potentially determine what type of RAM you need is through the Crucial website.

 

[Comraddict]

www.crucial.com has memory configurator, just select your machine or motherboard and proceed, they'll find compatible memory.

 

[taper]

From your location, I assume you live in Canada. Newegg won't ship outside the US. I've heard Tiger Direct mentioned for Canada, and there's probably others.

You'll probably want between 512MB and 1Gig total memory for your PC. Some PC's only come with 2 RAM slots on the motherboard, and there's a chance both will be filled. In that case you'll just have to replace one that's already there, so buy a little bit more.

If you click Start, Run, and type dxdiag in the box, and hit ok you'll bring up you system specs. It'll tell you how much RAM you have, but not what kind.

I've had good luck with Cosair, A-DATA, and Kingston brands.

 

[Zwelgje]

Get AIDA32, it's a program that analyzes your computer. It says what motherboard you've got, how many slots for memory there are on it and what sort of memory is supported. It also tells you how many memory slots are already taken and what type of memory is in there. With that information you can be helped much better than with the few information you've given above.

 

[History_Buff]

As for actually buying it, I'll probably just go get it from Memory Express, just because they're close to where I am. And I'll probably get the 1 GB chip too, I just wish I could do the same for my laptop.

 

[taper]

Most laptops can have extra RAM installed. One of the panels on the bottom should give access to one or two slots. Notebook RAM is different from desktop RAM though. Just remember to take the battery out before opening up your laptop.

 

[History_Buff]

Oh, I know I can do it, and I know shes currently sitting two 256 meg chips, but this stuff I'm buying is for a desktop belonging to the rest of my family, whereas tuition has rendered me poor for the forseeable future