[Vylrath]

Hi,

I just bought a gig of RAM (Kingston, 400 MHz, DDR), and my computer is randomly rebooting every now and then. It's a pretty old system (2.2 GHz processor, it was made in 2003) but it does support the RAM (it shows up in BIOS and Windows XP system tools). I did some searches for the errors that I got and it seems like my computer, or some part therein, is overheating. Does RAM require more cooling when installed, or does cooling not even play a factor? I'm not very experienced in hardware issues. :4-dontkno

Thanks,
Brian Chambers
Email removed ( PM if email is needed)

Edit: I see there are a couple of topics about similar issues, sorry for spamming up the board ... if someone could still try to help though, I'd greatly appreciate it! - Brian

 

[SafeFromSites]

Ram generally does not require a heat spreader unless you are over clocking. did you make any other changes before the random reboot issues appeared. Also often times if you add a device and you get random reboots its a indicator that your power supply is not big enough.

 

[Vylrath]

Hi,

Thanks for the quick reply! I reset my BIOS (or is it CMOS?) to their defaults, then formatted my hard drive ... I'm re-installing XP now and we'll see if it shows up again. I did buy Vista before upgrading the RAM, but I got rid of it because it had a lot of problems with my system (slow, and a few important games didn't work). Do you think I should re-install it now that I've got a gig and a half of RAM?

I didn't make any other major changes before the problems started. I'll check on the power supply, I've never had any issues with it before. Thanks very much for your help .. I'll post again once my system gets set up again.

Thanks,
Brian

Edit: I went to the manufacturer's website (HP) and it said that it only supported 512 MB in each RAM slot. Could this be causing the problem? Or is that only the recommended specs? I've upgraded just about everything in this computer and have never had a problem. I really don't want to take back my gig stick, but I may have to ...

 

[SafeFromSites]

Hmm, it sounds like you have a bad stick of ram. Your machine should never get slower after adding ram, except with the exception of when you add ram that is rated at a slower speed that the original stick, because the bios will run with the slowest setting not the fastest, unless you force it other wise. Bios and cmos similar thing BIOS's are stored on CMOS. More ram is always better but stick with the known brands Crucial(American company) , Kingston (average but reliable) ,OCZ (they make some neat products), and Corsair (right their with crucial for quality). Any one else and your probably taking a gamble for stability. lower CAS is better, lower voltage is better, higher clock is better. ECC and registered are not needed unless you intend to setup a server, in which case they may be required.

 

[speedster123]

I went to the manufacturer's website (HP) and it said that it only supported 512 MB in each RAM slot

You need to use what is supported by the mainboard and bios. Use 512 sticks, and use sticks listed on the manufacturer's qualified vender list.

 

[linderman]

speedster hit the nail on the head >>>>>>> post #5

 

[SafeFromSites]

I missed you post about 512 sticks only, for your HP, that would make all the difference as speedster123 said