To scrimp or not to scrimp on old RAM?

The LandoStander

My wife is running sort of a Frankenstein of a PC at the moment and it's always been agonizingly slow to run newer applications. The motherboard and processor are actually going to turn 10 years old soon now that I recollect on it. As a result it uses old SD RAM and in an effort to help the system limp along just a little while longer I'm considering dropping about $25 on a 512 stick of RAM for it. This will nearly double the memory as all it had was what I'd put in it quite a few years ago, the 128 that it came with and then a 256 that I got not long after. I was young and foolish then of course so the odd memory arrangement didn't really bother or occur to me.

So now that it comes to it I've gone to NewEgg and found some of the cheapest compatible RAM. This PC isn't the main PC in the house and nor do I expect it to last another 10 years. So I wonder what you folks would choose given these options? I'm tempted to get the absolute cheapest but the few mentions of DOA memory gives me pause and the lack of reviews for other cheaper RAM makes me wary as well.

evilmrhenry

The general rule is Win98: 256mb, XP: 512mb, Vista, 1gb. In addition, whenever the computer grinds to a halt while flogging the hard drive it could benefit from more ram.

I'd recommend ebay; the only real expensive old-style ram is DDR1. SDRAM should be quite a bit cheaper than $25/512mb.

illig

get 1GB (2 sticks probably) of the cheapest PC133...

check pricewatch for good prices:
http://www.pricewatch.com/browse/system_memory/pc133_512mb

The LandoStander

So, with both Ebay and the Pricewatch stuff. I shouldn't be at all concerned that I don't know exactly what RAM I'll be getting? It just lists the specs that I'll be getting and doesn't note any sort of manufacturer etc.

Trinis

This probably isn't exactly what you're looking for, but with a cheap 512mb graphics card and a pair of matched 1gig DDR1 sticks from newegg (<$70), this shitty old dell I picked up for $25 is running fallout 3 on medium settings. Just saying that for a relatively small amount you could make that computer viable for a long time, even as a secondary gaming pc.

Thought I'd add - the ram I picked up wasn't the cheapest, but I only paid about $5 more for a more reputable manufacturer, plus they came with some nice heatsinks built in. Newegg also accepts returns on faulty items, you're only out the cost of shipping it back.

darkmayo

if only this thread existed about 8 months ago, we just recycled a metric fuckton of 1gig DDR1 sticks that werent being used at work.

AtomBomb

darkmayo wrote: »

if only this thread existed about 8 months ago, we just recycled a metric fuckton of 1gig DDR1 sticks that werent being used at work.

I work at a non-profit, and we've got around 100 computers that use DDR1 (almost all of our PCs). Of course, the person before me decided that the best place to save money was on RAM, so they all have 256mb. Some even have 128mb. If I'd only known you had those...

The LandoStander

Just to update. I've checked the specs on the motherboard for the system which is a converted HP Pavilion 8750C (old I know). The specs I came across only rate the maximum RAM capacity at 512 (two 256 sticks) and I'm not sure how pheasible it would be to update the BIOS for such an old system or if I have to do that at all and it'll just recognize a pair of 512 sticks if I shove them in there.

darkmayo

Whats the product number of that unit (usually its by the serial number listed as PN, XXXXXXX-001 or XXXXXXX#ABA or something like that)

I can check and see what other parts can go into it.

Trinis

darkmayo wrote: »

if only this thread existed about 8 months ago, we just recycled a metric fuckton of 1gig DDR1 sticks that werent being used at work.

Man, those sell for so much more than DDR2. You or your company could've made a killing selling them online.

The LandoStander

I found the specifications for the 8750C here. A quick google looking for the actual motherboard that it's using doesn't return clear results. I may have to open it up again and see what I can make of it.

If I understand things correctly it might be an option to make it recognize more than a 256 unit but it'd require updating the BIOS. Given the age of the system I'm not sure if that's a great idea to attempt.