Dell Memory Upgrade [slows down computer]

I own a Dell GX240 desktop with a Pentium IV 1.7 GHz processor. The installed memory was 512 MB. The Dell support website said the maximum allowable amount of memory was 1024 MB. I then proceeded to order (2) 512 MB chipsets from Dell. After installing the new memory it appears my overall system performance has slowed down a little. Is this possible? I have never heard of too much memory. Thanks.

 

Yes, the RAM matches perfectly. I popped out the new and reinstalled the old. It does appear to perform better with the old installed. Is it possible some computers operate better with less RAM installed? This is a new one on me.

 

Download and install Everest. Under the Motherboard Tab, check the memory (SPD) and write down the module name and timings. Do this with the old memory installed and then repeat it with the new memory installed. Post your results back to the board. You can also benchmark your memory using this program to give you a relative speed old vs new.

At first blush, my guess is that your new memory isn't as fast as your old memory. Following the above instructions will take the "guesswork" out of the equation and give us an answer.



edit: Couple of additional comments. First, although irrelevent, former Nutmegger myself - Westport. Second, just because a module from mfg ABCXXX is labeled PC3200 (for example) doesn't mean its the same as another module from mfg ABCXXX which is also labeled PC3200. Go to a site like NewEgg and drill down on memory and take a look at the differences between say Corsair or OCZ using 512MB PC3200 as an example. One will find all kind of differences and a multitude of choices. Third comment, depending on your motherboard chipset, you need to determine if its dual channel memory capable. If yes, this opens up another area of investigation as a potential cause for the perceived slowdown you have referenced.

 

Hold everything! You are right on the money. The new memory is the wrong type. It works, but is not compatible with my GX240. New memory is on the way. Please close this post. I'll get back to you later if the problem continues after the new memory arrives.
Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

I hope this thread is not closed and will look forward to your posting a final resolution when your new memory arrives and is installed. If you can undo your order from Dell, you will find that they are considerably more expensive than several other online retailers where you can buy the exact same memory they are selling.

 

Great advise as usual. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again.

 

New memory arrived yesterday. Worked like a charm. It appears to me Dell manufactured two different types of memory for the same model computer. My only regret is not knowing how to determine exactly what type of memory is required. Manufacturers advertise memory differently. Thanks for your assistance.

 

Thanks for the update - that's great news.

As a matter of reference for other members, there are but a handful of actual memory manufacturers. Companies like Dell do not make their own memory. Thats why I mentioned in an earlier post that "identical" memory could be purchased elsewhere for less money. I guess the one phrase that warrants repeating is, "Not all memory is created equal." The more one learns about the differences, the more complex this subject becomes. Personally, I've learned just enough to be called dangerous and that leaves a lot to be desired. If you want some detailed information, check out the memory sections of The Definitive BIOS Optimization Guide in Adrian's Rojak Pot. And, here's his old site.

Regards,

 

Yes - it is an ongoing debate here.
To my simple mind the experience is with older computers you get to a point and after that as you found it is not as if performance stays the same - it drops like a rock ( or stone)
Someone had some explanation here a while back that it was not the memory - something else.
In most cases the financial cost of ram rules out such issues.

I would check several things.

1) is the speed of the ram added the same as the speed of the first stick.
If another stick of ram is added that is a lower speed ( say ddr 333 rather than 400 the system will dumb down to the lower 333 speed)

2) Is the bus speed set correctly in the bios ?
You can play around with it. However if it does not work you may have to take the cmos battery out to reset to factory defaults.
You might try resetting the bios to factory defaults and work up from there .

 

Visionof:

As jackpan will attest, its more than just matching the frequency of the memory.

 

The memory upgrade is working better than I had expected. Since I am more than satisfied, I'm going to stay away from any BIOS tweaking. Every time I try to make something better I end up shooting myself in the foot. There is one point I'd like to pass along for those considering a memory upgrade. If you are performing one task on your computer you will not see a significant difference between 512MB or 1GB of memory. You will see a huge difference during multiprocessing. For example, today I was burning a DVD disc. Since the burn process takes about 45 minutes, I decided to surf the net while waiting. Much to my surprise there was no hesitation with either the burn process or upload/download speeds. Both remained constant. With 512MB memory installed, both processes would have stalled and hesitated. The 1GB memory upgrade in this case is well worth it.