Upgrading RAM on a PC

[Aerius Zension]

So, I've noticed a serious lag when using my computer after sleep mode, or when iTunes and/or uTorrent is running in the background and I'm trying to browse the web. I was told to upgrade my RAM.

I have bare minimum 256MB RAM and want to upgrade to 1GB. How do I know if I have SD-RAM, DDR-RAM or DDR2-RAM? Not really sure what the diff is?

Also, when I get the RAM, is it as simple as taking out the 256MB and popping in the 1GB? Anything I have to tell Windows to do, or will it automatically detect it?

I'm running XP.

 

[Liquidity]

it should automatically detect it.

best way to do this is to take out the old ram (careful that you're grounded properly), and take the ram with you when you buy your new stick.

what specs do you know about your pc?

 

[Aerius Zension]

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4500/specs.htm#1101572

 

[stir-fry]

According to the specs from that page, the most you can put in each slot is 512, so if you want a gig, you'll buy 2 pieces of 512.
You need DDR SDRAM

have you installed ram before? It can be kinda finicky as it's pretty susceptible to static damage, so you need to be properly grounded and have your machine powered down and unplugged while installing the ram.
If you aren't comfortable doing it, i'd suggest getting a computer store or a friend that knows how to do it to install it for you. A store would probably only charge a few bucks

 

[Liquidity]

hey, correct me if i'm wrong, but i think he could get away with just getting 512k and sticking it in the empty slot.

he won't notice any significant differences between 768 and 1 gig...

 

[stir-fry]

Yeah, he could definately do that if he wanted to.. however since he said he wanted a gig i just thought i'd let him know what he needed.
768 would be fine, however you can never throw too much ram at xp and i think he would notice a difference between 768 and 1 gig.


also, i think motherboards these days are designed to run smoother when the 2 pieces of ram are the same size... so there will also be a bit of a performance increase from getting 2 512 pieces

 

[Aerius Zension]

Thx.

So, what woud I need to replace to make my computer run more than 1GB of RAM, like 1.5GB? This is for future reference when people laugh that I only have 1GB.

 

[Dr. Grinch]

Originally posted by Aerius Zension
Thx.

So, what woud I need to replace to make my computer run more than 1GB of RAM, like 1.5GB? This is for future reference when people laugh that I only have 1GB.

Everything prety much. The max your board supports is 1GB. Replace the mobo and then you're replacing processor, Video, Memory, etc...
Consider this the last upgrade before you put a bullet in it.
And RAM is cheap these days, buy a nice OCZ or Mushkin 1GB kit, don't skimp and just buy a single 512.