I’m thinking of upping the amount of RAM I have in my PC. I’ve never installed RAM before, so forgive my ignorance.
Is it basically plug & play? Can I just remove one of the RAM sticks that’s in at the moment and replace it with a bigger one? Or will I have to go into the BIOS and change some settings as well? I do know what type of RAM I need, just not how to install it.
Also, are there any brands of RAM that are best avoided, or are they all pretty much the same? The ones that the average 3C or Nova sells that is.
Now that you know the RAM type its just buy that kind, plug it in and go.
You also might consider just adding another HD to your box. Its also pretty easy. XP recognizes them and makes installation pretty easy. A 200 - 300 gig HD would give you a lot more space.
TC, yeah, that’s mainly what I was checking, whether I could just plug it in and it’d be fine. I don’t know much about BIOS stuff, so if that was needed, I’d have probably taken my PC in and let a tech do it. Plugging stuff in, I can do.
And as for the HD, I’ve installed many of them. I’ve running 2 internal drives (one of which is old and small) plus 3 externals at the moment.
You do want to have 2 ram stickes that are the same though. If you have 2x 512 now you will want to buy 2x 1g NOT put in a 512 and 1 1 gig together. You can do it but it slowes you down more than it helps (I think).
But it is plug and play. Its hard to put it in wrong. Don’t force it as it has 2 slots that make sure you have it the right way around.
Advice: Buy the hard drive now. Get a big SATA2 drive and then use it in your new computer next year. Save the ram as it not cheep now and won’t be used in the new computer. (new computer will need 2 gig of DDR2).
[quote=“Chicken”]You do want to have 2 ram stickes that are the same though. If you have 2x 512 now you will want to buy 2x 1g NOT put in a 512 and 1 1 gig together. You can do it but it slowes you down more than it helps (I think).
[/quote]
Ok, that I didn’t know. Buying 2x 1GB sticks is more than I want to spend on this box. I’d hoped to be able to buy a 1GB stick, and replace 1 of the 512MB sticks that’s in there with it, giving me 1.5GB. Basically a temporary solution for the next 6 months.
The RAM is more important to me than the HD. When working in Photoshop, I’m constantly hitting the scratch disk seeking extra memory.
Maybe someone can convince me to fork out $30K or so for a nice new Core2 Duo with 2GB and some big, fast drives.
Actually the scratch disk in Photoshop uses available space on your hard drive(s). Have you partitioned your hard drive into C and D? If so, make sure you set the first scratch disk in Photoshop to D (Edit > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disks. Set “First” to D and “Second” to C).
Also, 1G for photoshop is not too bad, unless you’re doing particularly heavy work, though having seen some of your work, that’s entirely possible.
[quote=“irishstu”]Actually the scratch disk in Photoshop uses available space on your hard drive(s). Have you partitioned your hard drive into C and D? If so, make sure you set the first scratch disk in Photoshop to D (Edit > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disks. Set “First” to D and “Second” to C).
Also, 1G for photoshop is not too bad, unless you’re doing particularly heavy work, though having seen some of your work, that’s entirely possible.[/quote]
My main drive is partitioned to C and D, but I’m using another drive (G) as the scratch, which is set up as a dedicated scratch disk. I want to take some of the load off that, as it’s slower than what RAM would be.
And I’m often working with files in the 500MB - 750MB range, especially when doing panoramas or HDR, or prepping something for a commercial client and having the image open on 2 different monitors.
[quote=“cfimages”][quote=“irishstu”]Actually the scratch disk in Photoshop uses available space on your hard drive(s). Have you partitioned your hard drive into C and D? If so, make sure you set the first scratch disk in Photoshop to D (Edit > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disks. Set “First” to D and “Second” to C).
Also, 1G for photoshop is not too bad, unless you’re doing particularly heavy work, though having seen some of your work, that’s entirely possible.[/quote]
My main drive is partitioned to C and D, but I’m using another drive (G) as the scratch, which is set up as a dedicated scratch disk. I want to take some of the load off that, as it’s slower than what RAM would be.
And I’m often working with files in the 500MB - 750MB range, especially when doing panoramas or HDR, or prepping something for a commercial client and having the image open on 2 different monitors.[/quote]
Ha, OK, then I think 2GB RAM would definitely be in order.
Oh wait, I’m just re-reading the thread, is your G drive one of the external ones? You’re probably losing a bit of speed by doing that (you know, cos it has to slow down to go through the whole USB thing). Might be worth making the scratch disk internal and seeing if you notice a difference.
Just out of interest, how big’s the processor?[/quote]
It’s a measly 2GHZ Celeron.[/quote]
OK, well, try out internalising (does that word exist?) the scratch disk, and if that doesn’t speed things up enough, go for 2x 1GB sticks of RAM. Better to get a matched pair than one now and one in a few months that might conflict with it, even though it’s theoretically the same.
That said, if you’re thinking of upgrading soon, maybe hold off on the RAM.
Seriously, try moving the hard drive. You might be surprised.
Just out of interest, how big’s the processor?[/quote]
It’s a measly 2GHZ Celeron.[/quote]
OK, well, try out internalising (does that word exist?) the scratch disk, and if that doesn’t speed things up enough, go for 2x 1GB sticks of RAM. Better to get a matched pair than one now and one in a few months that might conflict with it, even though it’s theoretically the same.
That said, if you’re thinking of upgrading soon, maybe hold off on the RAM.
Seriously, try moving the hard drive. You might be surprised.[/quote]
No, the G drive is internal. I don’t want to spend 6-7K on RAM now, and then buy a new PC in 6 months. 3K now (ie 1 1GB stick) is justifiable, but if it’s going to be much more than that, then it’s kinda like throwing money away.
Just out of interest, how big’s the processor?[/quote]
It’s a measly 2GHZ Celeron.[/quote]
OK, well, try out internalising (does that word exist?) the scratch disk, and if that doesn’t speed things up enough, go for 2x 1GB sticks of RAM. Better to get a matched pair than one now and one in a few months that might conflict with it, even though it’s theoretically the same.
That said, if you’re thinking of upgrading soon, maybe hold off on the RAM.
Seriously, try moving the hard drive. You might be surprised.[/quote]
No, the G drive is internal. I don’t want to spend 6-7K on RAM now, and then buy a new PC in 6 months. 3K now (ie 1 1GB stick) is justifiable, but if it’s going to be much more than that, then it’s kinda like throwing money away.[/quote]
Yup, I’ve had this same problem just recently, upgrading my bro-in-law’s computer for him (he’s a gamer). Little more I can do to his computer now, short of just buying a new one.
I suppose one more option would be to give your computer a good clean out (software-wise).
If he got the newest sort of RAM now, could he put that in his current system, and also put it in his new system when he upgrades ? Just asking because I’m not sure. Would it be out of date when he upgrades ?
cfimages: do you still have the manual for the motherboard ? That should have a table of what RAM you can use. Or do you have the model number of the motherboard so I can try to find a manual on-line ?
If you’re working with 700MB files, more RAM will probably help. Is your hard drive busy when your working with them ?
[quote=“Big Fluffy Matthew”]If he got the newest sort of RAM now, could he put that in his current system, and also put it in his new system when he upgrades ? Just asking because I’m not sure. Would it be out of date when he upgrades ?
cfimages: do you still have the manual for the motherboard ? That should have a table of what RAM you can use. Or do you have the model number of the motherboard so I can try to find a manual on-line ?
If you’re working with 700MB files, more RAM will probably help. Is your hard drive busy when your working with them ?[/quote]
Matthew,
I do have the manual somewhere, but I’m not sure where. My current mobo takes DDR, but I’m pretty sure all the newer ones take DDR2, so it wouldn’t be compatible. The PC I have now is about 3 1/2 years old, and it wasn’t highly spec’d to begin with. And yes, the HD is constantly busy.