how much memory is enough ???

I am going to do a memory upgrade for a ladyfreind and am not sure how much is enough/to much...

She has a Compag "Internet PC ", about two years old, not sure about the MHZ and the like, but I know that the PC only has 56 megs of memory. Anyway, it is very slow loading internet pages and I am thinking that adding a 128 meg simm would help, but am wondering (since I have 384 meg in mine and it often maxes out ) if I should add 256 meg, or if it would be a waste of $.... Any experts out there that can advise me on this?

 

You need to know what Chipset is installed.

From my past experience, the Installed Chipset determines the maximum you can install. I have an old, old system and that chipset only allows a maximum of 64Mb. My newer system has a chipset that permits a maximum of 1.5Gb.

Hope this help.

 

The PC allows for an additional 256 meg only, max of 312 -- that I know. I just am not cognizant of whether or not the full 256 meg upgrade is practical, or wasted due to what overall is a slow cpu (ie, low mhz)...

 

keywester--Here is a very simplistic summary of the amount of RAM needed
http://howto.lycos.com/lycos/step/1,,5+26+36038+135+23821+16258,00.html
As you can see, in addition to whether or not her chipset will handle more RAM, the answer also depends on how she uses the PC.
And the article must have been written before WinXP. I believe XP requires at least 128MB.

 

keywester--------I think you just gave yourself the answer. You said the max was 312Mb, so it seems to me, the only thing left to decide now is, how much to spend. Memory now a-days is Cheap, so I'd go all the way. Hope this helps.

 

Xp does run with 64mb, albeit not very well.

 

I think adding more than 128MB would be a waste. 312MB of memory isn't going to make her web pages load any faster.

my $ .02

 

optimal amount of Ram

With the new faster machines it seems that the more Ram the better.
However with older slower machines is there an optimal point
of the amount of Ram ? At some point does the addition of more Ram actually slow things down ?
Or is it always a case that more is better ?
Of course physical restraints would apply to the maximum amount of Ram that can be installed on any machine.

 

optimal amount of Ram

If I may:
Here are some Manufacturer Specs: P5 Class systems can Address as much as 4GB (4,00MB) of Memory, and P6/P7 Class systems can address up to 64GB (64,000MB). (Some of the largest memory modules currently available are 1GB DIMMS. Although 512MB is the most I’ve seen.)

Some Motherboards have a maximum of 3 to 6 DIMM Sockets, with most having only 3. With 512MB Modules and all 3 sockets filled the maximum is 1.5GB. The limitations are from the Chipset, although some Processors can address 64GB, there isn’t a Chipset on the market that will allow that. Most of the Chipsets today are limited to the 1GB area, although some can handle up to 4GB or more.

So the limitations are on your System, and your Motherboard Manufacturer has all that information for you on their Website. To me, THIS IS THE PREFFERED BEST GUIDE TO UTILIZE.

Hope this Helps

 

optimal amount of Ram

OOOPS

 

The Os makes a difference. With Win98 256mb is the most that will be utilized. Sure, the system will see more if it's installed but the little performance gain is very small. WinXP utillizes more ram though, that's another story.

 

There have been test that have determined 256 is optimal space and any additional increase will give diminishing returns of efficiency on newer machines and there is a negative return for Win ME, 98 andf 95. Microsoft Knowledgebase gives details and this thread will provide a link by DD that provides additional info. http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=322&highlight=efficiency