Can you have too much RAM ?
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Joined: May 2001
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From: UK
Can you have too much RAM ?
Hello,I'll try not to ramble/bore you too much 
Brief history; when i first got my computer i had all sorts of problems, The compaq support site/forum for my particular model was VERY busy. I have resolved most of the issues, my main problem stemmed from the fact that my system just swallowed up lots of the resources, I had a lot of things happening at start up etc, however most of these thing i wanted to keep though ! My solution was to fit more Ram and i found that i haven't had a Crash/Freeze-up for months. My system came with 64 MB Ram, i fitted another 64 mb (improvement) i then removed the original 64 and replaced it with 264 mb (even bigger improvement), all good quality from www.crucial.com . My system now has 312 mb of crucial ram and works pretty fine. After reading an earlier post I noticed that RAM is quite cheap at the mo. The 256mb Stick i bought in Feb 01 for £70 is now down to £24. according to Compaq and Crucial my system can have a max of 512mb of ram. Due to the fact that it is pay day, i've got a bit of spare cash and the inclination, do any of you experts think that it is worth fitting another 256mb stick (My mother board only has two ram slots) I'm looking at it as investment for any Resource hungry Apps. i may use in the future, however to get back to the original title of this thread can you fit too much RAM and create more problems than its worth, or should i just go for it fit and forget. Thanx in advance.
Brief history; when i first got my computer i had all sorts of problems, The compaq support site/forum for my particular model was VERY busy. I have resolved most of the issues, my main problem stemmed from the fact that my system just swallowed up lots of the resources, I had a lot of things happening at start up etc, however most of these thing i wanted to keep though ! My solution was to fit more Ram and i found that i haven't had a Crash/Freeze-up for months. My system came with 64 MB Ram, i fitted another 64 mb (improvement) i then removed the original 64 and replaced it with 264 mb (even bigger improvement), all good quality from www.crucial.com . My system now has 312 mb of crucial ram and works pretty fine. After reading an earlier post I noticed that RAM is quite cheap at the mo. The 256mb Stick i bought in Feb 01 for £70 is now down to £24. according to Compaq and Crucial my system can have a max of 512mb of ram. Due to the fact that it is pay day, i've got a bit of spare cash and the inclination, do any of you experts think that it is worth fitting another 256mb stick (My mother board only has two ram slots) I'm looking at it as investment for any Resource hungry Apps. i may use in the future, however to get back to the original title of this thread can you fit too much RAM and create more problems than its worth, or should i just go for it fit and forget. Thanx in advance.
Joined: Jun 2000
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From: Geriatrica, UK
Ans: Yes!
But it all depends. With W95 you were advised not to have more than 64MB RAM because performance went downhill with more than that. But with later OSs it could be different.
Tell us your OS and we'll look up the recommendation. But with W2K I suspect that increasing RAM is always likely to be beneficial.
fob
But it all depends. With W95 you were advised not to have more than 64MB RAM because performance went downhill with more than that. But with later OSs it could be different.
Tell us your OS and we'll look up the recommendation. But with W2K I suspect that increasing RAM is always likely to be beneficial.
fob
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 92
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From: UK
System spec is Model: Compaq 5BW120, Intel Celeron 600MHz, Op Sys: Win 98se. Other info /peripherals: DVD, CD-RW, Win TV-FM card, ISDN Card, Scanner, printer & all the usual software you would expect to find on a family home computer + other rubbish I've been given,got & downloaded.
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: UK
Hope you don't mind me asking a similar question, but I was interested to read fobotcso's advice regarding the maximum RAM for WIN95, which I am still using. My PC originally came with 16Mb RAM, to which I have added 64Mb. CPU is 200MMX. Is 80Mb RAM significantly too much for WIN95, and would you therefore advise removing the original 16Mb?
Joined: Feb 2000
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From: [edited by PPRuNe Admin]
The end answer is that it's never a bad thing having too much RAM. Win 95 did have problems using more than 64Mb but all future releases of Windows can use all of it. I'm using 1024Mb of RAM on a PII 450Mhz, Windows 2000 and it runs like a train!
Joined: May 2001
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From: Coventry, UK
speke softly - I have a similar system to yours, but with Windows 98...I have upgraded to 160Mb RAM, and a 32Mb 3D accelerator. I doubt you will cause any significant problems with Win 95. Although if you want to remove the 16, I doubt you will see much performance difference
Joined: Jun 2000
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From: Geriatrica, UK
If you're up to W98SE then you're out of the problem areas with RAM. So, in general, the more the better.
However, don't forget to create, or let windows create, a swapfile or pagefile that is at least as big as your RAM. The W2K default is 1.5 times the RAM you have fitted and to alter this you have to go deep down into the management bilges of the OS.
Have a look in your root directory for the size of the file. If you want to increase it look at the Help File and it will tell you how to do it.
However, don't forget to create, or let windows create, a swapfile or pagefile that is at least as big as your RAM. The W2K default is 1.5 times the RAM you have fitted and to alter this you have to go deep down into the management bilges of the OS.
Have a look in your root directory for the size of the file. If you want to increase it look at the Help File and it will tell you how to do it.
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2001
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From: UK
Hmm... Root files, swap files,registries, etc, sorry your talking alien now. If i go down that route i just know i will mess something up 
Last time i increased the size of my ram i just turned the machine off, fitted the ram, turned it back on and hey presto it worked.
Last time i increased the size of my ram i just turned the machine off, fitted the ram, turned it back on and hey presto it worked.
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: Florida, USA
I have a P3, 750Mhz heart, Windows ME and 512Mb of RAM...but I also have an extra slot for installing more RAM chips (which are at a giveaway price right now).
Is it worth adding another 256Mb to make 768Mb?
Is it worth adding another 256Mb to make 768Mb?
Joined: Jun 2000
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From: Geriatrica, UK
GW, not really unless you're heavily into multitasking with large files such as digital video. Windows will snaffle more of your hard drive to increase that swapfile I referred to above.
KP said "...it worked". You mean your extra RAM was recognised and showed up in the system as being available. Bet you didn't do benchmark tests before and afterwards to prove that you system had improved.
As to the language we speak in this Forum, we have to try to give the appearance that we know what we are talking about.
And those words were pretty basic for an engineer...
KP said "...it worked". You mean your extra RAM was recognised and showed up in the system as being available. Bet you didn't do benchmark tests before and afterwards to prove that you system had improved.
As to the language we speak in this Forum, we have to try to give the appearance that we know what we are talking about.
And those words were pretty basic for an engineer...
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2001
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From: UK
Fobotsco, you're right i didn't benchmark b4 or after in fact i wouldn't know how to. what i can say is after the RAM 'upgrade' i had a higher figure in the resource meter after boot up and it stayed higher for longer during use and also i haven't had a freeze-up/crash for months so all i can say is, i don't know exactly whether my new RAM did it but my system is much more stable now, and i've got loads more cr@p(applications/programs/downloads/music etc,etc...) on it now than when it was new.
In fact what i could really do with is getting some computer whizz kid round the house for a few hours, tell them what i wanted to do/achieve etc and let them also bin the things i dont nedd, ie. a good spring clean, but until then i will just have to bumble along on my own, read lots of Geeky books, and post the odd question for you fella's
In fact what i could really do with is getting some computer whizz kid round the house for a few hours, tell them what i wanted to do/achieve etc and let them also bin the things i dont nedd, ie. a good spring clean, but until then i will just have to bumble along on my own, read lots of Geeky books, and post the odd question for you fella's
Joined: Aug 2000
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From: Sydney
I run Win 98SE AMD 1.4Ghz. I originally had 256Mb ram. It was fine, I went with a friend to the local computer market and purchased 3 512Mb ram card things. I couldn't believe how cheap it was $150 AUS $75 US, so I thought what the heck. I noticed buggar all difference in windows itself office etc, But FS2000 WOW the difference is SUPERB !!. Its probably a slight over kill but I don't care.
Cheers
Cheers
