So, I have an ancient 98 machine, and I don't want to let go of her. I've been doing a bit of upgrades. A month or two ago, put in a 500 Watt power supply. Now I want to upgrade my RAM, BUT... I don't know how much to get. I don't know the limit my motherboard can take. Is it 512 MB? 1 Gig? How would I be able to find this out?
Memory upgrades, flash media, and usb storage at Crucial.com They have a little app on their page that will not only tell you how much RAM you can fit, but also what type. Even if you don't buy from them (which I personally do) it's a very useful little tool. Remember, however, that with 98 you won't be able to USE much RAM, no matter how much you can FIT.
Wow, thanks alot! This is VERY, VERY useful, Draven. Thanks much! Also, while my machine is ancient, the OS is XP.
Good stuff there Draven! ^^ xp 32 bit can address 4 gigs. not like you can stuff 4 gigs in tha board but im just sayin. have you tried to increase your virtual memory (page-file) size to recommended size of 1.5 your Physical Ram currently installed? To have Windows choose the best paging file size, click System managed size. The recommended minimum size is equivalent to 1.5 times the amount of RAM on your system, and 3 times that figure for the maximum size. Example, if you have 256 MB of RAM, the minimum size would be 384, the maximum size would be 1152. I would set the "initial size and maximum size" to be equal numbers. do 1152 initial and 1152 maximum. I would try to do a defrag on the HD 2 times, restart and defrag once more as well to possibly speed up performance and minimize clutter. And maybe do a chkdsk scan for fun. Pagefile Optimization
The best way to find out how much RAM your board can take is to find message boards that deal with your make and model specifically. I have an old eMachine and it says it can only take 256, but with a BIOS update (from HP, who used the same motherboard, but unlocked everything required for upgrade) you can actually put in 512. (and it reads and accesses all of it without any problem.) Also, you can find out what the maximum size processor that the board can handle, and it's quite easy to replace and upgrade those as well. Good luck.
Old 98 machine you say. What do you use it for? If it is just for basic tasks, ie no gaming, then you may be able to throw in a light Linux Distro. You will get much better performance than you are with 98.
Well, I used Draven's program and it said I could take 3 sticks of 256 MB in all 3 slots. I've tried to find a BIOS update for my mobo, but I can't get anything... I've ordered 2 x 256 MB sticks of RAM off eBay, so I think I'll be good for a while.
I think it more like 2.9 gigs. You CAN address all 4 gigss successfully on 32bit. I think 64 bit can see 16gig total.
WinXP Pro can address up to 4GB in total, but that will include any memory you have on your graphics card + sound card. So if you have 512mb ram on your graphics card and 4GB system memory windows will probably show 3.5 or 3.25GB, it also depends a bit on the sideband adressing. Win98 max supports 768mb ram, sometimes with a little fix you can get it to rund with 1024mb ram but more often than not it doesn't run properly. Also if it's an old pc be sure to check what kind of memory you can use. PC-100/133, DDR-1 or DDR-2.
D'OH!! ... I got the wrong PC type of RAM. I got 133 when it's supposed to be just 100... I was a bit comfused, then I noticed something... The two PC100's had just 8 total of the black rectangle things... One stick had all 8 on one side, while the other had 4 on either side. The new sticks have 8 on each side, for a total of 16. So yeah... I got the wrong stuff.
I don't think it matters - if the 133 vs. 100 is clock speed, the computer will just slow it down to match the other 100 RAM. The physical arrangement of the memory on the stick doesn't mean anything and can vary depending on who made it. Pop it in and try it.
I tried it in every possible way. Put in the 128 MB PC100 with the 2 x 256 MB PC133's and the computer beeped at me. I tried it with just the PC 133's. Beeped again. Now only 1. Still beeping. Put the 128 PC100 back in. It works. Also, I can see your point, but my Motherboard is old. It might not be able to handle the clock speed of over 100.
usually if your computer cant use the clock speed, it'll just use whatever it can. i have 1.5gb PC3200 (or something) total installed but it only uses 1.28gb and uses it as PC2800 or something.... ...but like you said, maybe yours is older and that's what is causing it. maybe try updating your BIOS
If I could update my BIOS I would but I can't find anywhere for the update!! >.< I have a motherboard that I'm keeping an eye on eBay and it's a Dual CPU 1 Ghz each PIII. The RAM on that board is PC133's, so if I get it, I could possibly use this new RAM on that... Problem is, the Mobo doesn't seem to come with an I/O Panel or any drivers. Then again, I don't know what types of Inputs are on it...
Without knowing who manufactured your computer, and which model it is, it's pretty much a crap shoot for us to help you. Oh and most computers of that age (the one you have) take non-ecc, low density, double sided RAM. (The eight chips you were talking about.) If one strip is incorrect for the machine, it will prevent the other from booting up. So, try both strips, but one at a time. I'm almost 100% sure the double sided one will load just fine. Though, there are rare cases when the RAM is ecc, and high density. (It's cheaper, but not as efficient.) Oh and by updating your BIOS, the motherboard will be able to either run at 133, or like it was said, force the memory into 100. (however, you need RAM that is backwards compatible. Most low density, double sided RAM strips are.) Be warned though, this stuff isn't made anymore, and it's expensive. Even used.
