How do i upgrade a pentium 3 that has 128mb RAM?

Question

Hi
I have a pentium 3 with SDRAM, PC133 128mb Ram and it is running slow. Any idea how i go about getting the correct amount of ram and then installing it?? Thanks!

i have 2 sdram,pc133 memory slots free..

Answer 1

Find out what motherboard it is, it's printed on the board in largish white letters usually, or if it's an off-the-shelf PC the make and model are enough. Then google for the info as far as maximum amount of RAM the motherboard will take. You have the type of RAM already, it's PC133.

But seriously, you're not gonna get very far with it. I would imagine with 128 off the shelf it will take 3x256.

Answer 2

Go here and take a few seconds to scan your system. This will tell you exactly how much and what type of ram your motherboard takes.
No more guesswork:

http://www.crucial.com/

PC133 128MB ram is the slowest and lowest amount of ram available. A ram upgrade will significantly improve your overall performance.
When you get your results at crucial.com you can use that info and go to www.newegg.com where they have excellent low prices and 3 day shipping. I would recommend atleast 1GB.
When you get it just unplug your pc, open the side panel, remove the old or move it over a slot and install the new stick. You want the largest stick of ram in the first slot. Make sure you install the ram pushing firmly and make sure both of the clips on each end snap to make sure it is seated properly in the slot.

Answer 3

Hardware wise, about all you can do is increase the amount of memory. PC133 memory is cheap, you will probably be able to get a couple 128mb sticks for under $50 (possible under $25). Add them into the empty slots and it should make a huge difference.

Beyond that, you can try the "standards" for speeding up a pc: free up space, defrag, check for spyware etc. (See my standard checklist below)


1) Check for spyware. Run Skybot ( http://www.safer-networking.org ) to remove any spyware. Then go to microsoft.com and download Defender to protect against future infections.

2) Check that you have a least 10% of your hard drive free. Go to My Computer and right click on the Local Drive (C:). Look at the properties. If it has less that 10% free space, you will need to delete some files, or move them off the hard drive and on to a CD or DVD. Start by running the disk cleanup, which will remove temporary and other unneeded files. Go to Start, then All Programs, Accessories, then System Tools and click the Disk Cleanup icon.

3) Run the msconfig utility. Go to Start, then Run and type in: msconfig
Go to the startup tab
You will see a list of all the programs that are loaded when your computer starts up. Uncheck any that you do not have to have. (Usually you can uncheck them all). If you decide you to need one, you can go back and recheck it.

4) Defrag the hard drive. Go into My Computer and right click on the Local Drive (C:). Select Properties and go into the Tools tab. Click the Defragment Now button to start the defrag program. If you have not defrag recently (or never) it may take several hours for the program to complete.

5.) If you do not already have a virus program, download and run AVG virus scanner from http://free.grisoft.com for free

Answer 4

hi mate
first you need to visit http://www.crucial.com/ and run the online memory utility,this will inform you on the correct memory for your p.c
its more than likely going to be pc133(133mhz) sd-ram,although sd-ram also comes in speeds 66mhz(pc66) and 100mhz(pc100),although the pc133 are the most efficent of the sd ram,s
also check what is the maximum installable memory,the crucial website will let you know this,and then your best trying to get the most memory you can afford
for example a 256MB, 168-pin DIMM, SDRAM, PC133 memory module (http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT32M64S4D7E) is just £30 and 256mb would make a massive difference to your p.c
i used to have a pentium 3 and its maximum installable memory was 512mb,and to be honest it was a trusty little p.c,never let me down
any problems let me know
good luck mate !

Answer 5

You will be able to install it on your system though i doubt you will get the windows Aero theme with that GPU That hard drive of yours is probably a 5400RPM HDD so you can expect a decline in performance there and also with you RAM In order to run Vista/Windows 7 smoothly i recommend you get 2GB or more RAM

Answer 6

Turn off and unplug the PC, unscrew the case, be sure that you have the correct type of memory handy, and place it in with the old memory. Be aware that your maximum ram will probably be 512MB. If this is too confusing, you could always go to Geek Squad

Answer 7

buy 2 sdram pc133 chips and install them.

Answer 8

Hi
I want to suggest you to install two 256 SDRAMs so, it will fast your system speed but plz tell me about processor speed / processor's Clock Frequency.

Answer 9

change your computer to pentium 5 and speed your computer
300% and improve your ram...and all by download program
hare from the internet.

Answer 10

its a very complicated procedure. just have somebody smart do it. (no offence)