Adding Ram to a computer

Solberg · May 15th, 2008, 10:02 PM

My friend has 4 GB of ram and just got 2 sticks of ram (each stick is 1 gb). In total he will now have 6 gb. My question is, do you just slot it in or do you need to change something in the bios and/or in Vista?

Also I remember reading somewhere that when adding new ram, you need to take out the ram sticks you had and only add the new ones and then, you need to run some tests, and then you put in all the ram (old and new) and run some more tests. Wow, just noticed what a long sentence that is images/smilies/tongue.gif

Anyway, is that testing stuff nonsense or is it needed?

Thanks!

the Interceptor · May 15th, 2008, 10:19 PM

As long as the RAM modules are compatible with each other in general, they run in the proper mode and the computer works fine, you don't have to test them. I wonder why anyone would need 6 gigs however...

Cobol74 · May 15th, 2008, 10:22 PM

Enough slots in the MoBo? I only have three although I can have up to 6 Gig configured I think - they have to be 2 Gigs each in that case - you may run into this "lack of slot" trouble.

Nabster · May 15th, 2008, 10:22 PM

Unless he's on a 64-bit OS he's wasted his money, as a 32-bit OS will only recognize something like 3.5GB of RAM at the very most.

Anyway, it is wise to run some tests on the new RAM since it is most likely to fail or develop problems when it's new. Taking out the old stuff and leaving only the new ones in, I'd run tests overnight with something like Memtest86.

prizrak · May 15th, 2008, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nabster

Unless he's on a 64-bit OS he's wasted his money, as a 32-bit OS will only recognize something like 3.5GB of RAM at the very most.

Anyway, it is wise to run some tests on the new RAM since it is most likely to fail or develop problems when it's new. Taking out the old stuff and leaving only the new ones in, I'd run tests overnight with something like Memtest86.

Thats not true an OS has no problem addressing more than 4 gigs of RAM regardless of being 32 or 64. In XP you had to use the /3GB switch to get it to work, Vista I'm not sure about but I think it supports more than that out of the box.

I do agree with a Memtest86 burn in though.

jeffy777 · May 15th, 2008, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nabster

Unless he's on a 64-bit OS he's wasted his money, as a 32-bit OS will only recognize something like 3.5GB of RAM at the very most.

I don't think that's an issue with Vista, only XP.

Vette Boss · May 15th, 2008, 11:25 PM

It's not really an issue so to speak, but just the technology of that time. Any 32-bit OS will only recognise up to 3.5gb. Nothing can be done about it. XP 64-bit will soak up any amount of RAM you choose.

MadCow809 · May 16th, 2008, 12:14 AM

Tell your mate to download memtest and burn it to a CD.

Boot with the CD and just let the machine run the ram test, go have coffee, watch porn or whatever...and if the pc pass the test, it means there are no problem/conflict with the ram.

AFAIK, There is no need to change anything in the BIOS, not if all the CAS Latency and voltage are all the same.

If not, you might want to change them down to match the slowest ram, or tune up the CL of slowest ram to the fast ones.

Most gaming/performance DDR2 800 Ram should run @ 2.1v with 4-4-4 or 5-5-5, depending on the quality/brand.

h-p · May 16th, 2008, 03:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vette Boss

It's not really an issue so to speak, but just the technology of that time. Any 32-bit OS will only recognise up to 3.5gb. Nothing can be done about it. XP 64-bit will soak up any amount of RAM you choose.

Yep. In 32 bits you can put just over 4.2 billion addresses, some are taken by OS etc. You end up with around 3.5 billion addresses, so you have 3.5 GB of memory. In 64 bits you can put 4 billion times more addresses, so they're not going to run out very soon. images/smilies/biggrin.gif

essentialatom · May 16th, 2008, 04:30 AM

Having a 64-bit OS is only useful anyway if you're running 64-bit programs, as 32-bit software cannot use more memory natively (64-bit Windows is actually a 32-/64-bit hybrid), and AFAIK there still aren't a great deal of them (they tend to be highly specialised suites for editing video/audio, that sort of thing). Eventually 64-bit will become a necessity as software becomes more and more demanding, but remember - the fact that your operating system can use more than 4GB of RAM doesn't mean that the software it runs can.

ANYWAY. images/smilies/tongue.gif

It can't hurt to test the new memory, though I echo the others in asking if your mate's motherboard has the slots to fit all 6GB.

Viper007Bond · May 16th, 2008, 04:33 AM

Why would you want 6GB anyway? I have to try hard to use my 2GB. Then again, I'm not on Vista.

MadCow809 · May 16th, 2008, 07:55 AM

^

better buy those ddr2 ram before the prices go up

you will need 4gb in the future, buy them while they are still cheap.

Solberg · May 16th, 2008, 08:19 AM

He has 4 slots and 4 stick 2 sticks of 2 gb and 2 sticks of 1 gb. He is also running vista 64 bit like me. My vista uses about 1.4 GB of ram when doing nothing at all. So you need all that ram for sure.

Edit 1 - I had a look on google and there seem to be dozens of versions of memtest. Which one do I need?

And on more thing. How long should it take to test 2 GB?

cvrefugee · May 16th, 2008, 08:21 AM

I saw a sale at Newegg for 8GB of RAM for only $80. That is damn cheap!

MadCow809 · May 16th, 2008, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solberg

He has 4 slots and 4 stick 2 sticks of 2 gb and 2 sticks of 1 gb. He is also running vista 64 bit like me. My vista uses about 1.4 GB of ram when doing nothing at all. So you need all that ram for sure.

Edit 1 - I had a look on google and there seem to be dozens of versions of memtest. Which one do I need?

And on more thing. How long should it take to test 2 GB?

That's alot, mine is sitting around 550~600mb when idling.

the Interceptor · May 16th, 2008, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solberg

My vista uses about 1.4 GB of ram when doing nothing at all. So you need all that ram for sure.

... which raises the question: why do you need Vista? images/smilies/tongue.gif

Solberg · May 16th, 2008, 08:38 AM

I just put memtest on a cd and booted from the cd and windows just came up normally. How do I run the test?

argatoga · May 16th, 2008, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nabster

Unless he's on a 64-bit OS he's wasted his money, as a 32-bit OS will only recognize something like 3.5GB of RAM at the very most.

Anyway, it is wise to run some tests on the new RAM since it is most likely to fail or develop problems when it's new. Taking out the old stuff and leaving only the new ones in, I'd run tests overnight with something like Memtest86.

A 32-bit OS can use more than 3.5GB with PAE. However no single process can use more than the 3.5GB limit. PAE has been around since The Pentium Pro and is supported in XP.

MadCow809 · May 16th, 2008, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solberg

I just put memtest on a cd and booted from the cd and windows just came up normally. How do I run the test?

you sure you booted into memtest? (check your bios boot order)

the test runs automatically, you just have to boot into memtest and the test runs itself until you stop it.

May 15th, 2008, 10:02 PM	#1
Solberg Joined: Apr 24th, 2008 Last Online: 08:11 PM Posts: 1,039 Rep Power: 22	Adding Ram to a computer My friend has 4 GB of ram and just got 2 sticks of ram (each stick is 1 gb). In total he will now have 6 gb. My question is, do you just slot it in or do you need to change something in the bios and/or in Vista? Also I remember reading somewhere that when adding new ram, you need to take out the ram sticks you had and only add the new ones and then, you need to run some tests, and then you put in all the ram (old and new) and run some more tests. Wow, just noticed what a long sentence that is Anyway, is that testing stuff nonsense or is it needed? Thanks! __________________

May 15th, 2008, 10:19 PM	#2
the Interceptor Joined: Feb 22nd, 2005 Last Online: 08:08 PM Location: Germany Posts: 1,964 Car: BMW E36 323i superleggera (-85 kg to date) Rep Power: 48	As long as the RAM modules are compatible with each other in general, they run in the proper mode and the computer works fine, you don't have to test them. I wonder why anyone would need 6 gigs however... __________________ "We have to laugh at the Germans, because they're so riddled with guilt about their history, they can't laugh at themselves." - Jeremy Clarkson

May 15th, 2008, 10:22 PM	#3
Cobol74 Joined: Mar 21st, 2006 Last Online: 07:44 PM Location: Southampton Posts: 5,806 Car: Vauxhall Zafira 1.9 TDI Slush box. Rep Power: 50	Enough slots in the MoBo? I only have three although I can have up to 6 Gig configured I think - they have to be 2 Gigs each in that case - you may run into this "lack of slot" trouble. __________________

May 15th, 2008, 10:22 PM	#4
Nabster Joined: Oct 15th, 2007 Last Online: 07:07 AM Location: Laramie, Wyoming Age: 20 Posts: 264 Car: 1969 Mustang Coupe - 01 Grand Prix GTP Rep Power: 10	Unless he's on a 64-bit OS he's wasted his money, as a 32-bit OS will only recognize something like 3.5GB of RAM at the very most. Anyway, it is wise to run some tests on the new RAM since it is most likely to fail or develop problems when it's new. Taking out the old stuff and leaving only the new ones in, I'd run tests overnight with something like Memtest86. __________________ █████████LegendZ live forever.

May 15th, 2008, 11:25 PM	#7
Vette Boss Joined: Nov 14th, 2004 Last Online: 06:37 PM Location: United States, Britain, in time Age: 22 Posts: 2,979 Car: Nissan Altima 3.5-litre SE Rep Power: 33	It's not really an issue so to speak, but just the technology of that time. Any 32-bit OS will only recognise up to 3.5gb. Nothing can be done about it. XP 64-bit will soak up any amount of RAM you choose. __________________ 2003 Nissan Altima 3.5SE SHIFT_the future

May 16th, 2008, 12:14 AM	#8
MadCow809 Joined: Feb 23rd, 2006 Last Online: 05:53 PM Location: Durban, South Africa / Los Angeles, California Age: 23 Posts: 2,908 Car: 2007 E87 BMW 130i Rep Power: 28	Tell your mate to download memtest and burn it to a CD. Boot with the CD and just let the machine run the ram test, go have coffee, watch porn or whatever...and if the pc pass the test, it means there are no problem/conflict with the ram. AFAIK, There is no need to change anything in the BIOS, not if all the CAS Latency and voltage are all the same. If not, you might want to change them down to match the slowest ram, or tune up the CL of slowest ram to the fast ones. Most gaming/performance DDR2 800 Ram should run @ 2.1v with 4-4-4 or 5-5-5, depending on the quality/brand. __________________ Supporting : A.Priaulx, Kimi Räikkönen, J.Button, R.Kubica, P.Solberg, M.Hirvonen, J.Plato & M.Jackson FinalGear's Car/Bike Register 08 Currently looking for a car.... 08 Honda Civic Coupe 06 BMW 130i 05 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS 05 Ford Bantam 1.3i 95 Mercedes Benz E320 Sportline Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 @ 3Ghz (333 X 9 @ 1.44v ~ 35°c with ZEROtherm BTF90/92mm Cooler) \| DFI INFINITY P965-S \| Corsair XMS DDR II 800 6 Gb \| GeCube ATi HD3850 512mb @ 800/1000Mhz \| Seagate 160Gb + 500Gb + 500Gb + 750Gb \| LITE-ON 20X DVDRW \| XION 600W PSU \| Logitech Z-2300 \| Logitech MX1000 \| Logitech G25 \| Dual 22" LCD Display @ 3360 x 1050 \| CoolerMaster Centurion 590 \| Vista 64 Ultimate \|

May 16th, 2008, 04:30 AM	#10
essentialatom Joined: Jun 29th, 2005 Last Online: 07:10 AM Location: Solihull / Warwick University Age: 20 Posts: 538 Car: None any more, my brother pranged it a bit... Rep Power: 17	Having a 64-bit OS is only useful anyway if you're running 64-bit programs, as 32-bit software cannot use more memory natively (64-bit Windows is actually a 32-/64-bit hybrid), and AFAIK there still aren't a great deal of them (they tend to be highly specialised suites for editing video/audio, that sort of thing). Eventually 64-bit will become a necessity as software becomes more and more demanding, but remember - the fact that your operating system can use more than 4GB of RAM doesn't mean that the software it runs can. ANYWAY. It can't hurt to test the new memory, though I echo the others in asking if your mate's motherboard has the slots to fit all 6GB. __________________ Your Opinion Is Worthless - check it out! And to a lesser extent - A Payne in the Glass

May 16th, 2008, 04:33 AM	#11
Viper007Bond Lazy Head Dude Joined: Sep 21st, 2003 Last Online: 01:29 PM Location: Portland, Oregon Age: 24 Posts: 20,988 Car: Dodge Viper (I wish!) Rep Power: 234	Why would you want 6GB anyway? I have to try hard to use my 2GB. Then again, I'm not on Vista. __________________ Fight back against the evil Quiky by +1'ing this post! There is no replacement for displacement. - Wolfgang Bernhard, Chief Operating Officer, Chrysler Group talking about the Dodge Viper SRT-10 ... I ask Herb Helbig, vehicle synthesis manager for SRT and a member of the original Team Viper development group since day one, if they'd ever thought of adding traction control. "It comes with two," he says, pointing at my feet. "Learn to use them." Got it. - Motor Trend on the 2006 Dodge Viper Coupe, November 2005

May 16th, 2008, 07:55 AM	#12
MadCow809 Joined: Feb 23rd, 2006 Last Online: 05:53 PM Location: Durban, South Africa / Los Angeles, California Age: 23 Posts: 2,908 Car: 2007 E87 BMW 130i Rep Power: 28	^ better buy those ddr2 ram before the prices go up you will need 4gb in the future, buy them while they are still cheap. __________________ Supporting : A.Priaulx, Kimi Räikkönen, J.Button, R.Kubica, P.Solberg, M.Hirvonen, J.Plato & M.Jackson FinalGear's Car/Bike Register 08 Currently looking for a car.... 08 Honda Civic Coupe 06 BMW 130i 05 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS 05 Ford Bantam 1.3i 95 Mercedes Benz E320 Sportline Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 @ 3Ghz (333 X 9 @ 1.44v ~ 35°c with ZEROtherm BTF90/92mm Cooler) \| DFI INFINITY P965-S \| Corsair XMS DDR II 800 6 Gb \| GeCube ATi HD3850 512mb @ 800/1000Mhz \| Seagate 160Gb + 500Gb + 500Gb + 750Gb \| LITE-ON 20X DVDRW \| XION 600W PSU \| Logitech Z-2300 \| Logitech MX1000 \| Logitech G25 \| Dual 22" LCD Display @ 3360 x 1050 \| CoolerMaster Centurion 590 \| Vista 64 Ultimate \|

May 16th, 2008, 08:19 AM	#13
Solberg Joined: Apr 24th, 2008 Last Online: 08:11 PM Posts: 1,039 Rep Power: 22	He has 4 slots and 4 stick 2 sticks of 2 gb and 2 sticks of 1 gb. He is also running vista 64 bit like me. My vista uses about 1.4 GB of ram when doing nothing at all. So you need all that ram for sure. Edit 1 - I had a look on google and there seem to be dozens of versions of memtest. Which one do I need? And on more thing. How long should it take to test 2 GB? __________________ Last edited by Solberg; May 16th, 2008 at 08:22 AM..

May 16th, 2008, 08:21 AM	#14
cvrefugee Joined: Aug 16th, 2004 Last Online: 07:49 PM Location: Corona, CA Age: 28 Posts: 3,399 Car: 2005 Scion xB Rep Power: 58	I saw a sale at Newegg for 8GB of RAM for only $80. That is damn cheap!

May 16th, 2008, 08:38 AM	#17
Solberg Joined: Apr 24th, 2008 Last Online: 08:11 PM Posts: 1,039 Rep Power: 22	I just put memtest on a cd and booted from the cd and windows just came up normally. How do I run the test? __________________

May 16th, 2008, 09:05 AM	#20
Solberg Joined: Apr 24th, 2008 Last Online: 08:11 PM Posts: 1,039 Rep Power: 22