First time upgrading RAM, a few questions.

[AlexRuzhyo]

Hello there. Tried search and that, didn't really find an answer. I think I needed to make my own thread anyways since this isn't really so general.

I've been up for the last 4 hours researching RAM and my PC's compatible RAM. I've never read up on it before. The only experience I had modifying my PC was adding a new graphics card. Here's my specs:

DDR2 SDRAM 240 Pin DIMMs
Supported RAM Speeds 533 MHz • 400 MHz • 667 MHz
I have 4 slots, 2 already have 512mb's in them (I'm unsure of speed)
Max Support Storage is 4GB.

More detailed:
http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Gateway-...sktop-Computer


Anyways, I've been trying to find compatible 1G modules and all I have been coming up with are 533MHz for $22~29, witch is right in my price range, $40~ is my limit. Basically what I want to ask if anyone can illustrate to me the speed difference between the 533 and 667 MHz or perhaps how far the 1GB will improve my PC?

I went to a couple websites that can scan your PC and recommend upgrades, all of them pointed to a 533 MHz. I've manually browsed websites but didn't find Gateway (or specifically GT5012) compatible parts. If the speed difference isn't too big or there aren't any 667s for my specific model I'll just buy this:
https://www.memory-up.com/ShoppingCa...odelid%3d14941

Thanks for your time.

[Amele]

Hello there. Tried search and that, didn't really find an answer. I think I needed to make my own thread anyways since this isn't really so general.

I've been up for the last 4 hours researching RAM and my PC's compatible RAM. I've never read up on it before. The only experience I had modifying my PC was adding a new graphics card. Here's my specs:

DDR2 SDRAM 240 Pin DIMMs
Supported RAM Speeds 533 MHz • 400 MHz • 667 MHz
I have 4 slots, 2 already have 512mb's in them (I'm unsure of speed)
Max Support Storage is 4GB.

More detailed:
http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Gateway-...sktop-Computer


Anyways, I've been trying to find compatible 1G modules and all I have been coming up with are 533MHz for $22~29, witch is right in my price range, $40~ is my limit. Basically what I want to ask if anyone can illustrate to me the speed difference between the 533 and 667 MHz or perhaps how far the 1GB will improve my PC?

I went to a couple websites that can scan your PC and recommend upgrades, all of them pointed to a 533 MHz. I've manually browsed websites but didn't find Gateway (or specifically GT5012) compatible parts. If the speed difference isn't too big or there aren't any 667s for my specific model I'll just buy this:
https://www.memory-up.com/ShoppingCa...odelid%3d14941

Thanks for your time.

I would guess you probably have 533mhz.

- you'll really want to add a pair of sticks, in your budget range, the best choice would probably be something like these[1]. you'll want to install these into the slots that the two 512 sticks are currently in, then put the 512 sticks into the other two slots; (it's generally best to have the largest sticks in the first channel instead of the second channel.)

If for some reason the system doesn't work set up like that (3GB), then remove the 512 sticks, and run with 2GB.

going to 2GB+ with XP won't quite be night and day, but the performance increase should be very noticeable, especially if you like to use multiple applications at the same time.

if you have vista, going from 1GB->3GB *will* be night and day; you won't know how you lived without it.

[1]crucial is my preferred brand, there are a few other choices in a similar price range, corsair and PNY are also both pretty good in my experience.

[Akucaen]

Huh. I thought the 945G didn't support 533. Go Figure.

Anyway, your link doesn't work, shows that the cart is empty. Basically any 2Gb kit will work for you, but you might have to pull your 1Gb due to timing incompatibilities you'll be unable to fix thanks to OEM bios limitations. I personally recommend Crucial & OCZ for my preferred ram types, but everyone has their own personal favorite brand.

The difference between 1 & 2Gb is night and day, honestly. The less time windows has to page data back into ram after unloading a game (or actively doing it because too much is open) the better. I just upgraded from 2 to 4 Gb myself and it was still a night/day experience in terms of paging after unloading games. It's a personal pleasure of mine to have a fully responsive desktop not 2-3 seconds after the application quits. [Or applications load a bajillion times faster thanks to Vista's version of superfetch <3 ]

Still though, buy the 2Gb kit. I cannot recommend it enough for you. 4Gb would be extreme overkill, and if you're not using XP-x64 or Vista 64 there's a 3Gb limit.

[AlexRuzhyo]

Ah, thank you very much. I'll wait a couple days and probably order the 2gb kit you provided. I do have a newegg newsletter, so maybe I'll get an added deal with it and get to read more comments. Doing everyday tasks and small multitasking has started to grind down on me. The more time goes along the more impatient I get with it. Even a slightly noticeable boost to file movement, deletion, extraction, full screen app minimizing and having a couple programs with music up would be nice. I just wish I had the trained and knowledgeable eye you guys do. (I tried to teach myself but failed miserably)

This is the first step in creating a better and modern gaming PC. I'd at least like to play stuff on moderate to high settings. Currently using a 8500 GT I got for $25 to be able to run FFXI smoothly, but it'll probably be another month or two before I can afford at 8800 GT my friend recommended for me.

Thanks again, you helped a bunch.

[Zosi]

I opened this to post a reply, but got distracted, and by the time I got back, Amele and Akucaen had posted what I was going to, so I'll just say that they're completely correct.

[Amele]

Ah, thank you very much. I'll wait a couple days and probably order the 2gb kit you provided. I do have a newegg newsletter, so maybe I'll get an added deal with it and get to read more comments. Doing everyday tasks and small multitasking has started to grind down on me. The more time goes along the more impatient I get with it. Even a slightly noticeable boost to file movement, deletion, extraction, full screen app minimizing and having a couple programs with music up would be nice. I just wish I had the trained and knowledgeable eye you guys do. (I tried to teach myself but failed miserably)

This is the first step in creating a better and modern gaming PC. I'd at least like to play stuff on moderate to high settings. Currently using a 8500 GT I got for $25 to be able to run FFXI smoothly, but it'll probably be another month or two before I can afford at 8800 GT my friend recommended for me.

Thanks again, you helped a bunch.

the next step should probably be moving up to a dual core processor (core2duo) but this may require a new motherboard, so it could get pricey pretty quickly.. (I wasn't able to find details on the specific make/model of your system's motherboard or I could provide more specific directions.)

[Shuemue]

For future reference, www.crucial.com has a really nice tool for telling you what ram you have, how many empty slots and what it can handle.

[AlexRuzhyo]

the next step should probably be moving up to a dual core processor (core2duo) but this may require a new motherboard, so it could get pricey pretty quickly.. (I wasn't able to find details on the specific make/model of your system's motherboard or I could provide more specific directions.)

I do believe I have a dual core, at least that's what I thought my Pentium D (mine specifically is 2.8 GHz) was. From the other couple people I consulted with, the processor should be pretty good. But even if it isn't all that good, I don't think I'll be able to afford the upgrades until I'm living on my own.

[Shuemue]

It's not a genuine dual core, at best it has hyperthreading, which is like a ghetto dual core.

[Resin]

Actually, according to http://www.intel.com/products/proces.../pentium_d.htm , his CPU does have two cores, though upgrading to a Core2Duo would be a big step up and highly recommended.

Unfortunately, a quick search through Gateway's website shows that you can only use a Pentium 4, Celeron D, or Pentium D chip on your motherboard: http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERB...CZG1sp25.shtml

Also, though your motherboard supports up to DDR2 667 memory, you most likely have DDR2 400, according to this component list of your model: http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/R/GT.../5394cl2.shtml so if you're looking to save some money, DDR2 400 should work.

[Shuemue]

aha I was thinking of the prescott range, good spot