Deskpro EN - RAM advice?
 

I almost forgot - this computer came with a single 256 mb RAM card in,
DIMM, 133mhz etc. According to Crucial.com it should only have up to
three 128 mb cards. It seems fine. Can I safely add a second one of
these, 256 mb again.

(I have a 64mb card in a drawer as salvage, but it is different speed,
100mhz - would that spoil things if I added it too? Or that and a
single 128 mb card?)

It is slightly cheaper to buy two 128 mb cards than one 256 - is there
any reason why a single 256 mb card would be better? I will probably
buy a second hand card for £6 from an ebay seller with 100% rep - I'm
aware of pitfalls with dodgy sellers there.

Thanks.

Deskpro EN - RAM advice?
 

On Sat, 8 Nov 2008 02:33:41 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

I almost forgot - this computer came with a single 256 mb RAM card in,
DIMM, 133mhz etc. According to Crucial.com it should only have up to
three 128 mb cards. It seems fine. Can I safely add a second one of
these, 256 mb again.

(I have a 64mb card in a drawer as salvage, but it is different speed,
100mhz - would that spoil things if I added it too? Or that and a
single 128 mb card?)

It is slightly cheaper to buy two 128 mb cards than one 256 - is there
any reason why a single 256 mb card would be better? I will probably
buy a second hand card for £6 from an ebay seller with 100% rep - I'm
aware of pitfalls with dodgy sellers there.

Thanks.


You don't specify the exact machine type, but normally yes, you can
add 256MB more.
100 or 133mhz: you might need to adjust in the BIOS/setup disk or it
might do that itself- but the speed difference is neglectable.
Important: you need Compaq-compatible modules. Compaqs are known picky
about that. Buy something that comes out of a Compaq, or ask for the
exact type number and search the datasheet.

Deskpro EN - RAM advice?
 

The 256 mb card fitted is a CL2 type. If I put the same RAM size but
CL3, will the diference be negligible? I understand this will make
the CL2 work at CL3 speed, but is the difference between this and
having two CL2's negligible?

Thanks.


On Nov 8, 2:07*pm, Secoh wrote:
On Sat, 8 Nov 2008 02:33:41 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

I almost forgot - this computer came with a single 256 mb RAM card in,
DIMM, 133mhz etc. *According to Crucial.com it should only have up to
three 128 mb cards. *It seems fine. *Can I safely add a second one of
these, 256 mb again.

(I have a 64mb card in a drawer as salvage, but it is different speed,
100mhz - would that spoil things if I added it too? *Or that and a
single 128 mb card?)

It is slightly cheaper to buy two 128 mb cards than one 256 - is there
any reason why a single 256 mb card would be better? *I will probably
buy a second hand card for £6 from an ebay seller with 100% rep - I'm
aware of pitfalls with dodgy sellers there.

Thanks.

You don't specify the exact machine type, but normally yes, you can
add 256MB more.
100 or 133mhz: you might need to adjust in the BIOS/setup disk or it
might do that itself- but the speed difference is neglectable.
Important: you need Compaq-compatible modules. Compaqs are known picky
about that. Buy something that comes out of a Compaq, or ask for the
exact type number and search the datasheet.

Deskpro EN - RAM advice?
 

It's a Deskpro slim desktop type, 866 mhz, with Windows 2000 pro SP4
and all updates installed.


On Nov 8, 3:06*pm, wrote:
The 256 mb card fitted is a CL2 type. *If I put the same RAM size but
CL3, will the diference be negligible? *I understand this will make
the CL2 work at CL3 speed, but is the difference between this and
having two CL2's negligible?

Thanks.

On Nov 8, 2:07*pm, Secoh wrote:



On Sat, 8 Nov 2008 02:33:41 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

I almost forgot - this computer came with a single 256 mb RAM card in,
DIMM, 133mhz etc. *According to Crucial.com it should only have up to
three 128 mb cards. *It seems fine. *Can I safely add a second one of
these, 256 mb again.

(I have a 64mb card in a drawer as salvage, but it is different speed,
100mhz - would that spoil things if I added it too? *Or that and a
single 128 mb card?)

It is slightly cheaper to buy two 128 mb cards than one 256 - is there
any reason why a single 256 mb card would be better? *I will probably
buy a second hand card for £6 from an ebay seller with 100% rep - I'm
aware of pitfalls with dodgy sellers there.

Thanks.

You don't specify the exact machine type, but normally yes, you can
add 256MB more.
100 or 133mhz: you might need to adjust in the BIOS/setup disk or it
might do that itself- but the speed difference is neglectable.
Important: you need Compaq-compatible modules. Compaqs are known picky
about that. Buy something that comes out of a Compaq, or ask for the
exact type number and search the datasheet.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Deskpro EN - RAM advice?
 

Deskpro EN - RAM advice?
 

Secoh wrote:
On Sat, 8 Nov 2008 02:33:41 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

I almost forgot - this computer came with a single 256 mb RAM card in,
DIMM, 133mhz etc. According to Crucial.com it should only have up to
three 128 mb cards. It seems fine. Can I safely add a second one of
these, 256 mb again.

(I have a 64mb card in a drawer as salvage, but it is different speed,
100mhz - would that spoil things if I added it too? Or that and a
single 128 mb card?)

It is slightly cheaper to buy two 128 mb cards than one 256 - is there
any reason why a single 256 mb card would be better? I will probably
buy a second hand card for £6 from an ebay seller with 100% rep - I'm
aware of pitfalls with dodgy sellers there.

Thanks.


You don't specify the exact machine type, but normally yes, you can
add 256MB more.
100 or 133mhz: you might need to adjust in the BIOS/setup disk or it
might do that itself- but the speed difference is neglectable.
Important: you need Compaq-compatible modules. Compaqs are known picky
about that. Buy something that comes out of a Compaq, or ask for the
exact type number and search the datasheet.

No. The 866MHz Pentium 3 implies 133MHz speed memory only... Ben Myers

Deskpro EN - RAM advice?
 

Hi!

Your system uses the Intel 815 chipset, which can accept PC133 SDRAM.
If you have PC133 parts to install, you should use them, as they will
provide the best performance and stability. (PC100 modules might not
be stable in your system, since they will probably be overclocked a
bit.)

You can install a maximum of 512MB RAM. Amazingly, high density
modules *are* supported. I've put a single 512MB PC133 modules in one
of my Deskpro EN systems and it worked fine. The system recognized all
the capacity.

The memory controller in these things is really pretty tolerant and
will happily take modules of mixed sizes. You don't have to pair them
up, although some performance gain might be seen if you can.

You can put more than 512MB RAM in place, but if you do, the BIOS will
tell you that you've installed too much RAM and must remove some of
it. (I think it might be possible to hack the BIOS and remove this
limit, but I haven't tried mainly due to lack of skill in this area.)

William

Deskpro EN - RAM advice?
 

William R. Walsh wrote:
Hi!

Your system uses the Intel 815 chipset, which can accept PC133 SDRAM.
If you have PC133 parts to install, you should use them, as they will
provide the best performance and stability. (PC100 modules might not
be stable in your system, since they will probably be overclocked a
bit.)

You can install a maximum of 512MB RAM. Amazingly, high density
modules *are* supported. I've put a single 512MB PC133 modules in one
of my Deskpro EN systems and it worked fine. The system recognized all
the capacity.

The memory controller in these things is really pretty tolerant and
will happily take modules of mixed sizes. You don't have to pair them
up, although some performance gain might be seen if you can.

You can put more than 512MB RAM in place, but if you do, the BIOS will
tell you that you've installed too much RAM and must remove some of
it. (I think it might be possible to hack the BIOS and remove this
limit, but I haven't tried mainly due to lack of skill in this area.)

William

512MB is the limit imposed by the Intel 815 chipset family... Ben Myers

Deskpro EN - RAM advice?
 

Hi!

512MB is the limit imposed by the Intel 815 chipset
family... Ben Myers

I read that somewhere, but the Deskpro EN's behavior has me wondering
what would happen. It can and does count up the RAM beyond the 512MB
limit.

Maybe one of these days I'll sit down with one of my assembler books
and try to teach myself about assembly language programming and
program disassembly. Then I can see about trying to Advanced BIOS
Diddling (which may end up being the truth!) ...

William

Deskpro EN - RAM advice?
 

William R. Walsh wrote:
Hi!

512MB is the limit imposed by the Intel 815 chipset
family... Ben Myers

I read that somewhere, but the Deskpro EN's behavior has me wondering
what would happen. It can and does count up the RAM beyond the 512MB
limit.

Maybe one of these days I'll sit down with one of my assembler books
and try to teach myself about assembly language programming and
program disassembly. Then I can see about trying to Advanced BIOS
Diddling (which may end up being the truth!) ...

William

Right here it says that all the 815 are limited to 512MB:

http://www.intel.com/design/chipsets/mature/index.htm

What you are seeing is a defect in the BIOS allowing it to count more
memory than is supported. Not exactly for successful BIOS diddling.
Start by getting yourself some old published IBM PC AT BIOS listings,
the various Intel instruction set manuals, Microsoft's MASM (or open
source equivalent). There's a steep learning curve here. I'm on the
downside of that learning curve from the last century... Ben Myers