upgrading my PC

sakani

Hi All,

I have a PC with an ok spec. It is only used for outlook, web browsing and some basic photo processing. Problem is it is running slow so I was thinking of upgrading the RAM.

Currently it has 512mb ddr ( i only know this from the system properties). Can anyone let me know how I can check without opening up the machine what type of memory i need to buy. Oh and I would rather not download any software from online :-)

Tea_Bag

sakani wrote: »

Hi All,

I have a PC with an ok spec. It is only used for outlook, web browsing and some basic photo processing. Problem is it is running slow so I was thinking of upgrading the RAM.

Currently it has 512mb ddr ( i only know this from the system properties). Can anyone let me know how I can check without opening up the machine what type of memory i need to buy. Oh and I would rather not download any software from online :-)

if you're not willing to download software that will tell you, and you're not willing to open the case, then id start getting used to 512mb of ram...

when you do get tired of it though, go to crucials ram scanner and report back to us with the results..

Serephucus

When you do come to your senses... Speccy is a very simple tool that will tell you all of your system specs.

If you don't want to open the case, or download anything, there is no way to find out what RAM you have. Enjoy your 512MB!

Messerschmitt

You need to find out the make and model of your motherboard. Without opening the PC or installing software I can think of one or two possibilities.

Try opening the run command from the start menu, or pressing windows+r should do it. Type dxdiag and hit enter. Under system model, the motherboard model may be displayed, but it doesn't always work this way. If it does work, google the string of letters or numbers and see if it brings up a manufacturer.

You could try to find your PC through Google. Try to Google the brand of PC (Dell, HP etc.) along with info such as that found in System Properties (ie. operating system, processor and amount of ram). If you can find your PC through google, the manufacturer might provide info about the motherboard.

If you have any luck, head over to http://www.crucial.com/ to use their memory advisor.

sakani

Messerschmitt wrote: »

You need to find out the make and model of your motherboard. Without opening the PC or installing software I can think of one or two possibilities.

Try opening the run command from the start menu, or pressing windows+r should do it. Type dxdiag and hit enter. Under system model, the motherboard model may be displayed, but it doesn't always work this way. If it does work, google the string of letters or numbers and see if it brings up a manufacturer.

You could try to find your PC through Google. Try to Google the brand of PC (Dell, HP etc.) along with info such as that found in System Properties (ie. operating system, processor and amount of ram). If you can find your PC through google, the manufacturer might provide info about the motherboard.

If you have any luck, head over to http://www.crucial.com/ to use their memory advisor.

Thank you for your useful information Messerschmitt. This is much appreciated. I have found the information which i needed and that website has given me a good indication as to what i need. This may seem simple and basic to some people but we all have to learn somewhere

Serephucus wrote: »

If you don't want to open the case, or download anything, there is no way to find out what RAM you have.

Tea_Bag wrote: »

if you're not willing to download software that will tell you, and you're not willing to open the case, then id start getting used to 512mb of ram...

To the others, my appologies for looking for some basic computer information in order to learn something. :eek: It seems you can find out without downloading software or opening the machine. And for the record, I will install the RAM i just bought online by myself next weekend (fingers crossed it all goes to plan!)

Serephucus

The advice Messerschmitt gave works in most cases. Simply googling your PC however doesn't always work, and you might well have bought the wrong RAM; at the very lest, probably not the most cost effective for your system (higher frequency RAM than it can support, that will downclock when installed for example). The only way to know for sure is to open your PC up, or download something. We're not being a pain in the ass, we just know what we're talking about.

Tea_Bag

Serephucus wrote: »

and you might well have bought the wrong RAM; at the very least, probably not the most cost effective for your system (higher frequency RAM than it can support, that will downclock when installed for example). The only way to know for sure is to open your PC up, or download something. We're not being a pain in the ass, we just know what we're talking about.

This.

there is a large variety of RAM that you can buy. just because it says you need/have DDR3 (or more likely DDR2 in your case) doesnt mean getting any old DDR(2/X) RAM is going to be good (or even work)

RAM is very picky when you're simply adding some to your system. you want to get RAM with the same or similar at most timings, voltages and frequencies etc.

the purpose of downloading some tiny bit of software (and the one i linked you to doesnt even install anything on your system, it just runs and can be deleted from temp files if your pedantic) is to show what free slots you have available, the max amount the PC will support (this is very important in older systems), the fastest speed ram it will use. this can all have a baring on what ram you should buy.

eg/ your PC might have 512mb of RAM, but it might be better off throwing out those sticks and putting in faster memory than just adding 512 + x amount of ram you bought, cause the PC will always divert to the settings of the slowest ram.

and googleing your PC doesnt always work, especially if it is from an OEM like Dell. i know this from experience of my Dell and friends working the lines there. My old Dell Dimension E3100 or whatever didnt have the RAM or HDD that was associated with it in dell's servicelog.

anyway, enough ranting, you probably arent even going to read this.


i hope everythign works out for you.:)

sakani

Tea_Bag wrote: »

This.

there is a large variety of RAM that you can buy. just because it says you need/have DDR3 (or more likely DDR2 in your case) doesnt mean getting any old DDR(2/X) RAM is going to be good (or even work)

RAM is very picky when you're simply adding some to your system. you want to get RAM with the same or similar at most timings, voltages and frequencies etc.

the purpose of downloading some tiny bit of software (and the one i linked you to doesnt even install anything on your system, it just runs and can be deleted from temp files if your pedantic) is to show what free slots you have available, the max amount the PC will support (this is very important in older systems), the fastest speed ram it will use. this can all have a baring on what ram you should buy.

eg/ your PC might have 512mb of RAM, but it might be better off throwing out those sticks and putting in faster memory than just adding 512 + x amount of ram you bought, cause the PC will always divert to the settings of the slowest ram.

and googleing your PC doesnt always work, especially if it is from an OEM like Dell. i know this from experience of my Dell and friends working the lines there. My old Dell Dimension E3100 or whatever didnt have the RAM or HDD that was associated with it in dell's servicelog.

anyway, enough ranting, you probably arent even going to read this.


i hope everythign works out for you.:)

Thank you for the information Tea_bag. I did read your post and i appreciate your honesty and opinions. I posted in order to find an alternative to opening my machine at that given time and to avoid downloading a program. This was a personal choice.

Messerschmitt

Simply googling your PC however doesn't always work, and you might well have bought the wrong RAM; at the very lest, probably not the most cost effective for your system (higher frequency RAM than it can support, that will downclock when installed for example).

I never claimed that it would always work. Also, I didn't suggest that you should Google which type of RAM your PC has, but rather which motherboard. I tried this on an old HP PC there and I found the exact mobo model. Crucials memory advisor will do the rest, it will tell you what speed and capacity the motherboard can support so there should be no downclocking etc.

Also, I didn't state it explicitly because I guessed the OP would see, Crucials memory advisor also allows you to search by the make and model of your PC. For example, it gives this info about your Dell Dimension E3100 http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=Dimension%203100&Cat=RAM

I'm not ranting, I just believe in trying your best to meet the OP's requests, even if you don't understand them. This kind info can be useful to people. Like if you have a laptop you may not want to open it. And I trust Speccy, but I am familiar with my hardware. If I trusted Cyberlinks bluray advisor I would be going around thinking I had an Intel Pentium III xeon processor. I don't.

Good luck chaps, I hope it all works out for you.