Chaldoplaya288

I apologize ahead of time to you tldr posters >.<''

I'm looking to upgrade the RAM on my aging computer. It's not being done so much for necessity, but I figure with RAM so cheap these days might as well over buying an entirely new comp. I'm currently using an HP Pavillion a1130n.

Here is a link to the specs from their Website:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...roduct=483902#

or for the people who are just too lazy to go there, I'll type the important stuff here.

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2 GHz Processor
MSI MS-7093 Albacore-GL6E Mobo

*More importantly*

Memory Installed 1 GB (2 x 512)
Maximum allowed 4 GB* (4 x 1GB) requires the replacement of the installed 512 MB DIMMs
Speed supported PC3200 MB/sec
Type 184 pin, DDR SDRAM
DIMM slots Four
Open DIMM slots Two

I should probably mention that I did upgrade one of the components, the video card. I purchased a SAPPHIRE Radeon X800GTO2 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card. The link can be found here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102645

So.... here I am now, and you guys are probably saying to yourself "***? how does this guy know how to install his own video card but not know which RAM to buy??!" and your right, I'm ashamed lol.

I know this much, I'm sitting on two sticks of 512MB ram. I have two slots that are available to fill, and I believe I HAVE to pair ram for my mobo since its DDR (if this is wrong please let me know). That leaves me (I think) with two choices:

1. Buy another two sticks of 512MB RAM for a total of 2GB on my computer.

or

2. Buy two sticks of 1GB for a total of 3GB on my computer.

I'm not sure which one to choose. I should say that I've played WoW on max settings no problem. Ideally I'm looking to get into WAR, Starcraft II and Diablo III with the possibility of Age of Conan. Will 2GB of RAM be able to handle all of these or should I suck it up and shell out the extra dough if I want to have any hope of running these games at Max?

I would also like to ask if I go for option #1, does the second pair of RAM have to be the same brand as the first pair? I've heard of problems when you mix brand names but wasn't sure if that applied for only sticks within an individual bank or the entire thing.

And if I go for option #2 Will the fact that I have two different sized pairs (one pair of 1GB (512 x 2) and one pair 2GB (1GB x 2)) affect performance at all? Will I need to pop the larger pair into the first slots and push the current ones back or can I just add the new pair on the tail end?

Btw, does RAM take up a lot of volts or can I trust my power supply to handle it? And should I worry about one bank causing the other to trip?

I also looked up some prices and found these two as pretty good buys I think. If anyone can recommend something better that would be much appreciated.

1GB (512MB x 2) $34.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145440

2GB (1GB x 2) $78.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227210

I think that about covers it (I hope) lol. Thank You for your time!

Skayruggs

Hi there. BTW good for you for sticking to XP. Vista will be great someday, but until then...

2Gb of Ram should be plenty for your system, but there will be marked improvement with 3Gb. And with having XP, you'll have more free RAM than if you upgraded to Vista (the Vista OS requires more base RAM than XP). Going all the way to 4Gb will not actually give you 4Gb because 32-bit systems cannot recognize all 4Gb (this is true for Vista, and I'm pretty certain for XP but not 100%). And yes, it is imperative that you pair your RAM (ex. 2Gb = 2 x 1Gb; 3Gb = 2 x 1Gb and 2 x 512Mb)

Personally, I've never needed more than 2Gb for my old XP laptop, but I am very happy with the 3Gb on my new Vista Desktop. You should not have to worry about mixing brand names or sizes and you should have no problem with power, as long as you make sure the specs are the same (PC3200, DDR, 184 pins, 2.5 volts). This means you can keep your existing 1Gb and add new 2Gb for 3Gb total.

Another thing you might consider is upgrading to Dual Channel. I've looked elsewhere and confirmed that your system can support Dual Channel. Dual Channel allows your RAM to (theoretically) run twice as fast, though it may never reach the full double speed. Unfortunately, you would have to change your old memory for all-new memory in order for it to work effectively, and that can be costly. You will, however, see some improvement with Dual Channel.

To summarize, 3Gb will significantly boost performance, and as long as the specs are exactly the same there is no need to worry about brand or size. Pairing your RAM is mandatory. Dual Channel is only worth it if you can find a good deal, otherwise, the cost is not worth the small performance gain. Your prices are fairly good - you might find some better sales, but then again you might not. Be wary of rebates - some of them might actually void the warranty. Not all, but some.

I apologize if I seem patronizing by my over-simplification - it is not my intention and I really hate vague tech support.

I hope this helps =)

wrench97

The best way to find the memory you need is to use the memory manufacturers configuration utilty here is the corsair one with your HP A1130N entered.
http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...1130n%20Series
The best selection is the twin 1gig sticks Part Number CT475773
Then do a web search using the PN for the best price. You'll see it didn't come back with much.
http://www.google.com/search?q=+CT47...ient=firefox-a

You can do this with a lot of memory manufactures web sites look under >Support > configurer.

If your model is not listed then they either don't have memory to match your pc or they haven't tested any to know if it works properly. Move on to the next manufacturer, It doesn't matter what you hear about how good different memory is in other peoples if it doesn't match your system it won't perform as well.

Chaldoplaya288

Thanks for your response I really appreciate it!

I do have one more question if you don't mind.

I found out the exact specs of the RAM in my computer already if that helps:
DDR PC3200, CL=3, UNBUFFERRED, NON-ECC, DDR400, 2.6V, 128Meg x 64, 184-pin DIMM.

I've decided to get a 2 GB kit based on what you said and the good advice you gave. I've narrowed it down to these two choices so if you would please tell me which one is better that would be much appreciated ^_^


CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) CS = 2 $79

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145575

or

Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) CS = 3 $75

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820141308

My guess is the Corsair would be the better choice since it has a heat spreader and is only 4$'s more, but my only concern is will the different CS #'s affect performance at all or will it automatically bump up to the higher (slower) CS?

Oh, and do Kingston and Corsair both provide lifetime warranties and are they good at replacing bad sticks?

Thanks! : ) (P.S. Skayruggs don't worry about being patronizing, I liked the fact that you were very specific, even if you may have said some things I already knew)

wrench97

The lower cs on the corsair is better but will match the ram you have installed, I would however consider only running the 2 1 gig sticks of corsair you may be surprised and satisfied with the performance. Both I believe have the life time warranty.

tosh9i

This one is currently sold out, however they might restock it, so keep you eyes open:

http://www.frys.com/product/5297207