View Full Version : Memory Question
I have just installed a DVD burner in my main computer and re-located the DVD reader from there to my kids' computer. That computer is an old TIME machine with an 8GB hard drive, a 500MHz Pentium3 (I think?) chip and 256Mb of RAM. When I play a DVD on it the picture is jumpy and the sound is unintelligible (scratchy and jerky). Is it likely that this is down to the amount of RAM?
Assuming that RAM is the snag........I am unsure what type of RAM is fitted to the machine. Is there a problem if I just buy any old 256MB of RAM off the shelf, or could there be a compatibility issue. The TIME computer was upgraded to its current spec by the manufacturer about 4 years ago.
Any advice would be welcome and gratefully received.
effortless
20th Oct 2005, 08:32
I would be reluctant to tinker with any "Time" computer. The older ones weren't put together that well and those that I have seen have cheap mobos. You can put more memory in it and that will certainly help. Most likely it will be dram and the bios will support at least 512. The graphics card isn't going to be up to much so you may well be on to a loser. You must check the ram first and match it. Dram can be mixed but some mobos will just run the first bank if they aren't matched.
Thanks Effortless...I'll give it a go.
Saab Dastard
20th Oct 2005, 18:52
Herp,
Definitely investigate before buying!
Get the module out, note down as much info as you can, also check how many RAM slots you have in total / free.
If you still have the manual see if that has anything about upgrading.
There are a couple of useful websites for matching RAM:
http://www.kingston.com/ukroot/
http://www.crucial.com/uk/
Crucial even has a facility to check the RAM fitted and give you an online report!
Also try searching the Web for your Time computer model - although with Time going t*ts-up, there may not be much help.
terrain safe
20th Oct 2005, 20:02
Herp
The reason why DVDs don't run well is because the software that 'decodes' them generally requires a processor speed of 800Mhz or greater. If you do want to run DVDs then you will need an old piece of hardware called a DVD decoder. This is a plug in card that has a dedicated chip on it that will take the load from the processor and will enable all the fancy DVD effects such as in a window etc.
Try this on e-bay (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Videologic-Hardware-DVD-decoder_W0QQitemZ8709839347QQcategoryZ3762QQssPageNameZWDVWQ QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
TS