256mb -> 1gb DDR worth it?

richyb_safc · 30 Mar 2009 at 15:24

hi guys,

just a quick question, I have just tried to use my parents pc for the first time in a while and I am slightly offended by it. I have already asked and they wont let me build them a new one

Its a Compaq Presario SR1819UK, I've opened the case and had a quick look and there is currently 256mb of DDR PC3200 ram. As you can get hold of this relitavely cheaply I'm sure they would splash out this little bit if it was going to give a noticable difference. They only really use the pc for internet browsing but it takes a good 20 minutes to load up at the minute. I'm going to sort out the stuff on the hard drive and defrag it, possibly even a format if I trhink it's worth it. But I was just wondering if you guys think the ram upgrade would be worthwhile?

Cheers,
Richy

gt_junkie · 30 Mar 2009 at 15:27

I assume it's an XP machine - TBH anything from 512mb would be best. With only 256mb available i would imagine it's caching a heck of a lot of data to the HDD which is why it's so slow.

1gb would be ideal.

gt

Sash · 30 Mar 2009 at 15:28

I think it would be worth it to be honest.

Tony Williams · 30 Mar 2009 at 15:30

Deffo up the RAM, RAM is usually the cheapest and easiest thing to upgrade. In some cases it's very effective.

richyb_safc · 30 Mar 2009 at 15:32

yeah, I was thinking the same. iirc they only got this about 2 or 3 years ago so I was quite suprised by the lack of ram, I half expected ddr, but 256??

Just checking now and its got a AMD sempron 3000+ with the CPU speed at 1800MHz, does anyone know if this is about the right speed? or if its worth a small overclock?(mobo permitting)

This is going to be a fun afternoon!!

richyb_safc · 30 Mar 2009 at 15:32

gt_junkie said:
I assume it's an XP machine - TBH anything from 512mb would be best. With only 256mb available i would imagine it's caching a heck of a lot of data to the HDD which is why it's so slow.

1gb would be ideal.

gt

yep, its xp

gt_junkie · 30 Mar 2009 at 15:35

richyb_safc said:
Just checking now and its got a AMD sempron 3000+ with the CPU speed at 1800MHz

Speeds right - you could push it if you like but it probably won't be much of a boost.

richyb_safc said:
yep, its xp

I'd aim for as much ram as you can up to a gig or so. Would be much better then - plus it might extend the HDD's life a bit too.

gt

Sash · 30 Mar 2009 at 15:36

If its only for web browsing stick with the RAM upgrade, see what effect that has.

Rainmaker · 30 Mar 2009 at 15:45

If it's any use to you, I have a matched pair (2x 512MB) of PC3200 DDR RAM from my old Compaq SR1719UK rig. It's an Elixir matched kit, and I'd be more than happy to post it in MM for you at a reasonable price (much cheaper than new). The RAM was only used for about 2 months (at stock speeds/volts) before I canned the Compaq and built the rig in my sig. Just let me know if you're interested

richyb_safc · 30 Mar 2009 at 15:56

I'm off to get it in a few minutes mate, cheers for the offer though! - that must have been a nice upgrade for you, going from the compaq to your sig!!

Rainmaker · 30 Mar 2009 at 15:59

Yeah, just ever so slightly!

No worries mate, it's just been sat around so I thought I'd offer. If you're buying 1GB, make sure you get 2x512MB and install them in the right mobo slots (I have a PDF manual for that series if you want it) so it runs in dual channel. It'll be slightly better performance than if you buy 1x1GB stick on its own. Ditch the old 256MB stick, a single clean dual channel kit will run better than one with a spare old stick in the works, imho, even if it is "extra" memory in theory.

My email's in trust if you want that manual. Cheers.

richyb_safc · 30 Mar 2009 at 16:06

just noticed, it was actually a 512 stick that was in, will any other 512 ddr pc3200 stick work to get it up to 1gb? or do I have to match the whole PC3200U-30330

Rainmaker · 30 Mar 2009 at 16:13

I thought 256MB sounded a bit low. My SR1719UK came with 512MB originally, though is a slightly different model to your parents' so I didn't question it. So long as the RAM you buy is PC3200 and the same timings it should work fine. I just added extra RAM to my sister's laptop (an extra 1GB module) and that's running in dual channel fine despite the brand differences.

Basically, matched kits of the same brand and batch are ideal. But matching specs will work just fine too if you already have half the kit in your rig. No point throwing away a stick of RAM just to buy an exact replacement from a different brand.

richyb_safc · 30 Mar 2009 at 16:16

aye, thats what I thought. I was thinking when I was telling my Dad that 256 was a bit low, and I had the stick in my hand, didnt think to check it though

I'll just get a 512 stick then and put them in the right slots (emailed btw

)

linktoinsanity · 30 Mar 2009 at 16:22

richyb_safc said:
just noticed, it was actually a 512 stick that was in, will any other 512 ddr pc3200 stick work to get it up to 1gb? or do I have to match the whole PC3200U-30330

You should just be alright to match the PC3200 part.

Even so, 512mb to 1GB? Nice difference in performance.

Admiral Huddy · 30 Mar 2009 at 16:25

1gb from 256mb is def worth the upgrade.

jackthezipper · 30 Mar 2009 at 16:28

If it hasn't been cleaned in a long time (disk wise) you might notice a big difference with that. Once you run advanced system care/adaware/defrag

.

When I was running with 512 on my old machine a defrag of the ram used to help sometimes as well. Don't forget to check what is running at startup and what you can take off that.

bledd · 30 Mar 2009 at 16:30

20 minutes to load?

teach them how to use it properly.

richyb_safc · 30 Mar 2009 at 17:07

bledd. said:
20 minutes to load?

teach them how to use it properly.

already tried several times mate

mattyj1085 · 30 Mar 2009 at 17:25

Im on a PC now with 256mb ram, 1.2ghz, XP SP2, geforce2 MX 200 and 2x 40gb drives.

It starts up pretty quickly and runs fine, even videos work ok. theres also 30 processes running, im quite suprised really. Maybe you should just clean some stuff off it thats not needed and save them some money (and your time)