What do I have to take note of when increasing the RAM of my PC?

Question

The PC in question is a Compaq Presario 6000 with a 256MB. Is it as simple as buying another 256MB RAM to add onto another slot?

Answer 1

Assuming you buy identical memory to what is already there and
there is another slot ... yes, its that simple. Please turn the machine
off when you do this!

However, you won't be that lucky. They probably don't make the 256MB
RAM that you currently have, so you'll need to make sure that the one
you buy has the same or faster clock speed and the same number of
contacts.

Answer 2

To increase the Ram of your pc first you should feel the necessity.I mean u must judge how much u use the computer.If you don't use the computer much & only use for playing games then I say it is a waste.
The system u have may not support the new ram .There might be many reasons behind it.
**the first reason may be due to the type of board used.only the latest board only supports 2 rams at a time.I mean u have the aim to increase the ram not totally getting a new one giving away the older one.
**Also you must take in consideration about the bus width .It is difficult to match the bus width of the ram & the board u have.If u can overcome these problelms then i am sure you can add the new ram,

Answer 3

Before buying you want to open your computer and see what exactly you have in there. Often computers ship with 2 cards that equal the total RAM. So in your case you most likely will have two 128mb cards. Ideally you'll want to have 2 of the same cards in there, or one card with the other slot empty (you can leave one empty if you choose) So I'd recommend learning exactly what type of RAM your machine uses, then deciding how much you want to upgrade it. You could get one 512mb chip, or two 256mb chips. Also check your manual or Compaqs website to try and find out the maximum amount of RAM your PC is upgradable to (there are limits)

Answer 4

Not sure about that specific PC, but the guys at Best Buy could tell you for sure.

Need to know if you can add mixed pairs of memory, i.e. could you add a 512Mb to your 256Mb?

What is the maximum supported memory? Maybe you can't go higher than x Mb?

What is the speed of the memory? You need to make sure the memory you buy runs as fast or faster than required. It won't go any faster if you buy fast memory. It just won't work if your memory won't run at the clock speed the system is trying to run it at. Like trying to take a car that will only go 20Mph on a freeway running at 65Mph. You can always take a car that will to 100Mbh on that highway, you just go 65Mph.

All this info should be in the hardware manual that came with the computer. If you don't have it, I know that you can look it up on one of the memory vendor web sites - Kingston for example.

Answer 5

Your PC uses 266 MHz DDR memory. Open up your PC and see how many Memory slots are used. Im assuming they are all used (probably 2 slots with 2 128MB sticks), if there is no empty slot you will have to replace the old memory with larger capacity memory sticks. eg. 266 MHz DDR memory stick that has 256, or 512MB capacity. I would be careful, do some research on your motherboard before buying faster memory as your motherboard may not support faster memory speeds.

Answer 6

you need to consider the configuration rules of your PC. Some require that RAM upgrades be performed in sets - also, even if you have only two slots, simply adding another 256 could actually do harm. Its usually best if you buy two sequential RAM chips from the same batch - it will most likely perform better.

Answer 7

Umm lets not forget like the most important thing about installing ram. Its VERY VERY easy to ruin. Make sure you are grounded and dont touch ANY of the contact points. As far as where the ram actually "plugs".

Answer 8

Hi. Yes, except if I was upgrading RAM I would add as much as I could afford. As long as it is the same type it will work. Can you swing 1 GB?

Answer 9

How much the mother board can support...
Usually another 256 from 256 MB will be able to support.
Older mother boards can only support up to 1/2 Gb.
Newer ones up to 4GB or more.

Answer 10

You have to match the type and speed of the existing memory. Check the Compaq (HP) web site for info on the memory and then match its speed and style.