RAM Troubles

Discussion in 'PC hardware help' started by LDee, Mar 14, 2006.

  1. LDee

    LDee Regular member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2005
    Messages:
    496
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    26
    Hello,
    I bought some ram to upgrade a pc for a friend, but it doesn't seem to be working. The ram currently inisde the pc has a sticker on it that says "Infineon, 32mx64 sdram, 256mb sync pc133, cl3" amongst other information. So I assumed I was looking for pc133 168pin sdram.

    So I bought a stick of 512mb pc133 sdram with the hope of increasing the ram to 768mb. It fits and everything it just doesn't work. The system still boots aslong as the old ram is still in, but when the new ram is in on it's own, no boot.

    This is the thing, in the BIOS the information about the ram currently in the pc is "Installed memory - 256mb/pc100". Nothing wrong with that apart from the fact that on that same stick of ram it states it is a pc133, and that's why I bought pc133 ram to upgrade with. Could there simply be the wrong sticker on the ram? I'm more inclined to trust what the bios says that a sticker on the ram.

    The motherboard is a Trigem Lomita (crappy one I guess), it's a Hewlett Packard celeron 1.20 ghz system HP P6373A-ABG 510A. The system only has 4mb of video memory (on board) and the main reason I bought the ram for my friend was to try and get video's (avi's mpeg's divx etc) to run smoothly. Currently it refreshes so slow as to be unwatchable.

    Any comments on my problem are much appreciated. Thank you.
     
  2. tocool4u

    tocool4u Guest

    IS it non-ECC ddr DIMM?
     
  3. LDee

    LDee Regular member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2005
    Messages:
    496
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    26
    Does that mean is it not for use in Europe?

    Hmm, ok didn't think of that. The pc itslef with the old ram in originally came from Australia. The new ram I have just bought came from US and I am in England.
     
  4. tocool4u

    tocool4u Guest

    No it doesn't mean that......Tell me what exactly you got
     
  5. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2004
    Messages:
    39,197
    Likes Received:
    146
    Trophy Points:
    143
  6. garmoon

    garmoon Regular member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2004
    Messages:
    3,971
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    46
    good one ddp
     
  7. LDee

    LDee Regular member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2005
    Messages:
    496
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    26
    Thanks very much ddp.

    I guess I could have found that out without posting a thread, I apologize. It did cross my mind that the max could be 512 using 2 sticks but I thought, nah, no way can the maximum be 512, it's been 1g or over for years now. Anyway, I was wrong.

    Thanks for sorting my problem, cheers!
     
  8. wdowsing

    wdowsing Regular member

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2005
    Messages:
    697
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    26
    I had the same problem for an old laptop, it was running at full at 384 then i took the 256mb out and replaed it with 512 and kept coming up with a bsod. I was wondering for ages what the hell was rong with it, then i found the manuel...
     
  9. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2004
    Messages:
    39,197
    Likes Received:
    146
    Trophy Points:
    143
    i have a "famous" saying & is not meant to be mean but always do a R.T.F.M.D.(Read.The.F***ing.Manual.Dummy.). teach & learn
     
  10. LDee

    LDee Regular member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2005
    Messages:
    496
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    26
    Hello again,

    I sorted out the ram and now have 512mb running in the system. But there are two issues I would like to understand.

    1. The ram is pc133, however in the bios it shows as pc100... ?

    2. Videos are still so jerky as to be unwatchable. Is this due to the low amount of video memory? Shows up in display properties as 4mg, however in the web page ddp pointed me to showing me the spec of the system, it says direct AGP 11mb UMA. There is no AGP slot on the motherboard, is direct AGP onboard AGP or something? How can I get videos/dvds playing smoothly considering the computer is so rubbish and I have no AGP slot?

    Thanks
     
  11. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2004
    Messages:
    39,197
    Likes Received:
    146
    Trophy Points:
    143
    1: ram Speed 133 MHz synchronous (System speed is 100 MHz)
    2: check in bios to see if can increase shared ram from 4meg to higher
    3: check out pci videocards with 128 or 256meg ram on them
     
  12. boxwrench

    boxwrench Guest

    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 25, 2006
  13. LDee

    LDee Regular member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2005
    Messages:
    496
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    26
    Thanks very much for your help

    I'll look into getting a pci card now.
     
  14. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2004
    Messages:
    39,197
    Likes Received:
    146
    Trophy Points:
    143
    no problem, teach & learn
     

Share This Page