Do I need more ram?

[dibogart]

My computer is acting very sluggisdh lately. I normally ask this trype of question to a friend but haven't seen him online lately. I presently have 64 ram in my computer. Am thinking of updating it to 128 ram. Question is...do I have to update with 64 or can I just use 128 ram...? I'm somewhat new at this. Please submit answer here or email me at dhubert@castle.net

Thanks for whatever help you can give me. It's just driving me crazy as to how long it takes to get to the next step.

dibogart

 

[obenton]

You can add a 64MB module.

 

[A2KLAU]

Well if you have a free slot for ram then you can get a 64. If you want to just upgrade it to 128 then it is also upto you. Just remember to have the right ram. PC100 or PC133, depending on your mobo and which one it can handle.

SKY.

 

[novice]

You can go either way. As cheap as ram is now, I would add a full 128 mb to your existing 64 for a total of 192. These days, seems like most run at least 128, with quite a few opting for 256. My 3 systems run 192, 128 and 128 and I have been toying with adding 128 to my two primary systems.
Chuck

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

You can get 128megs of high quality PC100 Crucial ram for about $60. I'd recommend forking over the few extra bucks for 128megs.


<< Just remember to have the right ram. PC100 or PC133, depending on your mobo and which one it can handle. >>


Actually it doesn't matter. PC133 ram will work just peachy with PC100 ram. Of course it will only run at 100mhz, but the extra speed potential may come in handy for future upgrades.

 

[Mem]

I agree with novice, go with another 128mb for best results since prices are real cheap.

 

[dibogart]

My understanding from everyone's comments is to buy 128 ram...doesn't matter whether 100 or 133. Now, I can also install the 128 ram in another slot and have the total of 64 + 128 = 192 ram. Am I right? Would anyone suggest that I buy 2 128 ram sticks and take out the 64 stick? I just want my system to rum a bit smoother. I think my processer is 450 mhz...but not sure. Thanks for all the help so far...

 

[Taz4158]

With Ram pricing so low right now get the MAX you can afford. You'll never go wrong with Ram, and that's an understatement.

 

[Castellan]

Most motherboards, even ones in OEM systems support at least 3 dimms. Find out how many open slots you have, and make your decision from there. There are many different routes you can go to get to the same result (IE: 2x128 + 1x64, 1x256 + 1x64, etc, etc, etc).

 

[Mem]

One stick of 128mb should be enough that will give you 192mb instead of 64mb so big difference there,as for buying two sticks of 128mb &amp; taking out the 64mb well I don`t think you will notice 256mb over 192mb I recently upgraded from 128mb to 256mb &amp; did not really notice it, it`s down to best value for money &amp; performance so buy the one stick of 128mb for now if you need more later you can always buy more ram.

 

[Viperoni]

64->128 = big difference
128->192 = small difference
192->256 = almost no difference

you should be fine with 192

 

[Castellan]

Depends on the OS and what you do as well. I just upgraded one of my programming boxes from 128 to 256 and noticed a huge difference.

 

[MSNY]

I just upgraded from 128 megs to 256 megs and I DID see a performance difference mostly in games. Of course I'm also using ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1 in my system.ini file after the upgrade. I attribute my gains to this setting and support it's usage.

My System Rig

 

[Taz4158]

<< I just upgraded from 128 megs to 256 megs and I DID see a performance difference mostly in games. Of course I'm also using ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1 in my system.ini file after the upgrade. I attribute my gains to this setting and support it's usage. >>


You've got that right. It's a great tweak.

 

[BFG10K]

Another vote for a 128 MB stick of RAM. I've got 192 MB of RAM in my Windows 98 SE system and all of my games run sweet.

 

[Muadib]

I also would go to at least another 128. I recently upgraded from 128 to 256, and like MSNY, started using the ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1 tweak. It's an outstanding tweak, but there are many that feel that you need more than 128 to use it.

 

[Bartman]

Ok now I need to know how I include this switch into the win.ini file. do you just paste it any where? I have 192mb or ram, is that enough?

Bart

 

[MetalCat]

Depends on what you do and how effiecent the OS is, thou I don't run under 128 on any machine that has a user and my main one has 384.

Lots is good, thou some setups are better at using it than others.

 

[MrCraphead]

another thing that you could do to make your system run faster, is to reformat. ^_^ How long has it been since you've done that?

 

[dibogart]

reformat the HD? I have never done that. In fact I don't think I know how...I just don't have the confidence for that. Afraid I'd mess up the system, worst than what it is now.

 

[Muadib]

Bartman

It belongs in the system ini file, not the win ini. Put it in the 386 Enh section. Example:

[386Enh]
ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1