How much RAM?

[julianhj]

My better half's mother has asked me to sort out some more RAM for her aging MESH desktop. It currently has 256MB, is it worth sticking an extra 256MB or 512MB in? The machine runs XP, is mainly used for the net and seems very slow. It's an Athlon 1800 CPU. I've ruled out going for 1GB extra on a cost basis. I'm planning on ordering via Crucial - anyone used them before?

[julianhj]

Yeah, I couldn't believe it myself. It's painfully slow. I'll go for the 512MB option if it'll make a significant difference.

[bez_uk]

I ran XP for years off 256MB RAMBUS. XP recommends 512MB but you can get ram from £23 for 512 if you avoid big names. (not always a wise move)

crucial is a big name in ram, just get their cheap stuff though, the more expensive would be a waste if it's not for intense gaming!

Edit: check it has an extra slot for ram first, if it was a cheap comp it may have only had two slots which may be filled with two 128 sticks. You'll need to check type of ram too, as there are many around now. CPU-Z is a free program (google it) which will help you work out which ram it is if you are having difficulty.

Edited by bez_uk on Wednesday 16th August 22:40

[rico]

I've used Crucial. No problems and they've got a great website to find the right model ram to use.

[bga]

I chucked another gig of memory in my Mesh (up from 512mb) & it made a huge difference. The Crucial website (where I got the memory from eventually) couldn't identify the type of memory but I e-mailled Mesh & they told me which one was needed.

[marctwo]

Crucial are excellent but pricey. If you are willing to risk it, ebay is cheap!

Also try defragging the disk and making sure they have plenty of free space and are free of spyware and other junk.

[bez_uk]

ebay probably isnt the best bet for ram... unless you're sure its unused and still sealed in original packing.

It's too easy to sell old ram that you've burnt out through overclocking.

www.ebuyer.com
www.misco.co.uk << they have a pre-sale helpline to help you get the correct ram for your system. I used them, highly recommended.

Edited by bez_uk on Thursday 17th August 11:07

[road2ruin]

To be quite honest 512MB would be plenty if you are only using the computer for web, email, word processing etc. The main reason the computer is slow is bound to be a mixture of spyware and redundant files on the computer. Get it tidied up before you spend a fortune, download Spyware Search and Destroy (a free program) use CCleaner to get rid of all unsed files and temporary files and run msconfig to see what is loading in the background when computer starts and get rid of what is not needed.

Pete