Family PC - annoyingly slow

[unclebob123]

So after coming back from uni, some how my family have runined the home PC. I am going to reinstall windows, but first I have a couple of questions.

The PC currently only has 512mb of 3200 RAM. I have 1.5Gb of spare RAM laying about, but it is only 2700. So my first question is, can you mix these types of RAM, and if so, would it be worth it, or better just to stick to 512mb of 3200.

Secondly, i understand that you need to install the motherboard drivers after installing windpows, unfortunately the discs that came with the pc, presumably with the drivers are nowhere to be found. Is there any easy way to find out what motherboard drivers I will need to be installing. Its a pre built dell PC whihc is about 2.5 years old.

And lastly is there anything else that I need to be aware of. It doesnt have a gfx card so no drivers need there. But are there any other drivers that I will need to be installing?

Thanks for your time.

 

[semi-pro waster]

You don't say what the rest of the system is (i.e. CPU or motherboard as the most important parts) but you can mix different Ram speeds normally, however it will only work at the speed of the slowest Ram (unless you are lucky and the PC2700 overclocks). This means you might have to fiddle about in the bios with dividers to get the CPU back running at the correct speed.

Have a look on the builders website for that model of PC, they might still have drivers up there or perhaps a list of components installed as standard and you can work it out from there. AIDA32 can be useful for identifying parts as well although I'm sure there are more options.

It will still need graphics card drivers even if it is onboard, the difference is that they should come with the motherboard, if you need them and you don't have the motherboard disks then find out if it is ATI, Nvidia or S3 (as the most common onboard solutions) and download the generic drivers from there for the relevant chipset.

 

[Uriel]

Adding more RAM is usually a great way of giving a boost to an older PC. XP's got a lot more bloated in its old age. My XP install used to hit over 500MB just running Norton Antivirus and Firewall (got rid of those hogs now) before loading anything else. Dells tend to come with a bit of bloatware, which would make matters worse

Go over the physical RAM limit and you're left with virtual memory which is horrendously slow. I'd have a look in task manager to see how much you're currently using.

I would add the RAM first and see how it performs. You might save yourself a lot of trouble.

If you go for a full reinstall, you'll make things a lot easier on yourself if you download all the drivers you need before doing so and keep them somewhere you can access. Getting access to the internet could be difficult if you don't have the correct USB controller or network drivers.

 

[unclebob123]

You don't say what the rest of the system is (i.e. CPU or motherboard as the most important parts) but you can mix different Ram speeds normally, however it will only work at the speed of the slowest Ram (unless you are lucky and the PC2700 overclocks). This means you might have to fiddle about in the bios with dividers to get the CPU back running at the correct speed.

Have a look on the builders website for that model of PC, they might still have drivers up there or perhaps a list of components installed as standard and you can work it out from there. AIDA32 can be useful for identifying parts as well although I'm sure there are more options.

It will still need graphics card drivers even if it is onboard, the difference is that they should come with the motherboard, if you need them and you don't have the motherboard disks then find out if it is ATI, Nvidia or S3 (as the most common onboard solutions) and download the generic drivers from there for the relevant chipset.

I didn't mention the other parts as I wont be touching them. Just wondering it it was worth adding more (slower) RAM to the existing 512mb or if it was better to leave the existing (faster) RAM. I guess its weighing up speed and amount. My guess would be having more running at the slower speed (2700 vs 3200) would be better?

Just checked out the manufacturers site. You can search for relivant drivers using the service tag, which is useful.

Thanks everyone.

 

[PhoenixUK]

If it will be slower or faster due to ram its all up to your CPU.
For example if CPU is running @ 100fsb and you have 2 different memories: one is 100mhz and other is 133mhz - It wouldnt matter if you put the 100 or 133 since the CPU limits the ram speed there.

On the other side, if your CPU works on 133 fsb, then a 100mhz memory will slow it down a bit .