Posted: 10/22/2010 5:59:50 AM EDT
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My GF has an older Gateway PC (8 years old), running Windows XP that could use more memory.
It runs fine enough that it's impractical to go out and purchase something brand new for $500.00 or more when I could tune this one up a bit for $50.00 or less. It takes DDR-333/DDR-226 PC-2700 dimms. Right now it has 1gb of memory in two slots (2 512mb). The owners manual states that the max memory is 1 gb, but, that was 8 years ago when 512mb memory was the largest capacity available. Now I can get 2 1gb chips in the same configuration as the current chip set. Can I ignore the specified max of 1gb (2 512mb), and install 2 1gb on this machine, or will there be any problems such as the mother board not recognizing the additional 1gb?. |
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The owners manual states that the max memory is 1 gb Then that is all it will run with. If you try and use more it will just fail to boot and "beep" when it tries to start (during POST). If you want it to go faster try other things, defrag it, speed up the browser through various tweaks, maybe add a (cheap) faster hard drive. It almost certainly uses IDE drives, if you want one get it used off ebay for cheap, if you cant get it cheap use a SATA I adapter and put a SATA1 hard disk in it. |
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Quoted:
My GF has an older Gateway PC (8 years old), running Windows XP that could use more memory. It runs fine enough that it's impractical to go out and purchase something brand new for $500.00 or more when I could tune this one up a bit for $50.00 or less. It takes DDR-333/DDR-226 PC-2700 dimms. Right now it has 1gb of memory in two slots (2 512mb). The owners manual states that the max memory is 1 gb, but, that was 8 years ago when 512mb memory was the largest capacity available. Now I can get 2 1gb chips in the same configuration as the current chip set. Can I ignore the specified max of 1gb (2 512mb), and install 2 1gb on this machine, or will there be any problems such as the mother board not recognizing the additional 1gb?. Probably a waste of money. The reason being is there may not be enough registers for the memory space you're about to put in. So it may only recognize 1GB or just not recognize any. Capital "B, K, M, G, T..." to denote memory in Bytes, Kilo, Mega, Giga, Tera... btw. |
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Check each of the bios revisions, see if anywhere in the changelog they upped the maximum.
If you buy more memory, make sure its low density. High density works with only 10% of chipsets out there. High density vs low density |
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Quoted:
Check each of the bios revisions, see if anywhere in the changelog they upped the maximum. If you buy more memory, make sure its low density. High density works with only 10% of chipsets out there. High density vs low density Found it (and correction on my part... it's a Dell 4550, not a Gateway). Looks like there's no upgraded memory support... The following changes have been made to BIOS rev A07 to create A08: 1. Support 1600x900 LCD screens. 2. Processor microcode updates. 3. Fixed F12 Boot Menu hang if no bootable devices are attached. 4. Update to USB functionality. Fixes system hangs with some USB multi-function printers, USB disk keys and USB CD-ROM drives. 5. Fixed issues with some video cards that have a PCI to PCI bridge such as, but not limited to the Matrox G200 or G450PCI. 6. Fix issue with WEEKDAYS auto-power-on function No big deal. Reason I asked to begin with is that I'm doing a complete overhaul on her PC (fresh install, blow out all the dirt and dust, replace BIOS battery, new HDD, etc). I found some inexpensive refurbished DIMMs at Micro Center for short change and figured I might as well upgrade the memory while I was at it. Yeah... the PC is on the outdated side, but I look at it like I would an older vehicle with high mileage; if it still runs fine and is reliable, there's no urgent need to replace it when it can be kept running another few more years with the occasional minor repairs. She only uses it for Internet access and typing up Word docs anyways. |
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Quoted: Quoted: There is a chance the BIOS will not recognize the 1GB chips as 1GB and will only give you 512MB per chip or the system refuses to boot. Would flashing the BIOS with a newer version compensate for that? (assuming one is even still available). Maybe. You'll have to read the BIOS release notes. I really doubt that it will though. |
| I run a 2 year old sony notebook with windows 7 pro. Due to a deal I got, I installed 2, 2 gig dimms. The bios and os recognize 4 gigs but it says 4 gigs (3 gigs usable) 1 -1 gig dimm in one slot should be slightly faster than 2 - 512 gig dimms. Might even be cheaper. |