Computer RAM Question????

[Kevin Palmer]

Restoring an older PC for my youngest daughter. Want to update the RAM for her while I am at it. Went to the local stores only to find out they no longer make/stock it. Can special order it but too much money for what it is.



I have three PC133 128meg bars in the machine. Found some decent deals on ebay and a few other places. Would like to buy either 2 512's or three 256's.



Most places show pictures, some do not. My question is?

As long as I buy PC133 type product am I good to go. Or,,, is there something else I need to know?



And, if any of you know of a good place to buy some I'll take that info too.

Thanks much...

 

[Josh OH]

Depends on the computer and the config of the RAM. Some older comptuers take a different RAM than others..

 

[Andy G]

What kind of CPU is it?



If it is an AMD Athlon, it can handle 512Mb sticks....



If it is an older P4 (that takes PC133), it can handle 512Mb Sticks..........



If it is a Pentium 3, it can handle 512Mb sticks......



If it is a P3 Celeron, it cannot handle anything larger than 256Mb per stick.



If it is an AMD K6, K6II, or K6III, it cannot handle anything larger than 256Mb per stick.



Pentium 1s and 2s........256Mb is typically safe, but some older P1s can only handle 128Mb per stick...



This is not a "concrete" law, but it is a general rule of thumb that is right 90% of the time. Some Celerons can handle 512 sticks, but most (PIII Celerons) cannot......same with K6s....



When upgrading older machines, I stick with this rule and never have had any issues......

 

[TracN Jack]

Coastie I am cleaning my office and might still have some 256 stick in pc133, if i uncover them in this mess I let you know

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Andy, good info, thanks. Pretty sure it is a P3. Need to go look at it again.



TracNJack, I'd be interested. Please let me know..

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Andy or who ever.

I removed the panel and can not prove or disprove what it is. I remember buying it and recall it being a P3.



Here is the info off the RAM itself.

Bar 1). PC133U-333-542 M3666S1723CTS-C75

Bar 2). PC133U-333-542 M3666S1723CTS-C75

Bar 3). Samsung, USA 0107 M3666S1723ATS-C1L (128MHZ, CL3)

Bar 3). is an original item that was installed in the computer when I bought it about 5 or 6 years ago. It has a COMPAQ Part Number on it. P/N 323013-001.



I am fine with getting 256's even. 512 would be nice but not if were not sure it will work within the system. Getting three 256's is much better than the three 128's I have.



Will any of this help you help me???

 

[Cory Richards]

In my opinion, the best place to buy any computer part or accessory is newegg.com. I've done business with them a ton of times...always have low prices, and cheap, fast shipping.

 

[Greg Grimes01]

let me look ,,i think i have a couple of 256 -or even a 512 .let me check tomorrow. if so you can have it...

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Would be great, thanks.



I am doing an on-line chat with Compaq, (HP) now trying to confirm exactly what I have and what I can put into it.

 

[Jacob Dryer]

The only other thing that might be an issue is whether they are single sided or dual sided.



Meaning some older computers don't like missmatched or one or the other.



So if your 128's all have black chips on one side or both sides you might need to stay with that. If they are mixed then disregard everything I just said

 

[Kevin Palmer]

They are all matched at this time. Being older, I feel they need to be matched.

 

[Casey B]

The motherboard is what you need to research, not the cpu. The compacity and specs that are possible should be available on the vendors website. Different vendor types of ram won't matter as long as the specs are the same.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

OK, just got off a fairly long on-line chat with Compaq (HP) support. All I can say is WOW he was a trooper. Hung in there until we got it all figured out.



The machine has three slots and will support ONLY up to 768.

So I am looking for three 256's.



Here is what it takes,

"You can upgrade up to 768mb, there are 3 PCi slots, 168pin PC133 dimm it will support."



So if any of you are sitting on this please let me know. If not, I'll buy it new as it is pretty affordable on-line.



Thanks...

 

[Glenn Brown]

Can I get in here and get some tips also??

I have a 2001 Gateway 1400PC, Pentium 4 with 128mb RDRAM PC800 Memory.

To upgrade, it is recommended to get 256mb. Could I go as high as a 512mb with this system? Still have Windows ME edition. Or would the 256mb be enough? Also any good deals for this ram, since it seems costly!!

 

[Casey B]

Coastiejoe-I think I may have a stick or two of PC133. I'll check and get back to you.



The gateway requires a pair of sticks. I would try to put as much in that your budget will allow. A lot of times a memory upgrade can give a better performance gain than a new cpu. I have 1 gig in both my laptop and desktop.





Sorry Kev, it was a 32mb and 64mb pc100 that I have in my tacklebox. They would work but they are small and would slow down other pc133.

 

[Dre L]

1.21 JIGABYTES!



The best computer parts place ever. zipzoomfly.com. Never had any issues with them.



Kingston 256MB PC133 CL3

$37.23 Free shipping

 

[Dre L]

GlennB, RDRAM is very specific, the tech is very proprietary. You may need to add the memory in matching pairs of sticks or have a "Continuity RIMM" in order to use a single stick.



Contact Gateway tech support to find what your board can hold, or try the link below, just enter make and model.

 

[Glenn Brown]

Thanks for the help!

 

[Gavin Allan]

Agree with researching the specs on the motherboard mfg website. Put as much ram in as it will hold (well, at least a gig). RAM is cheap and makes big improvement.

One of my favorite computer parts suppliers is