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  1. Member Tbag's Avatar
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    Mar 2006
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    hello, I have an old pc which can be slow as hell, the specs are:
    Windows Me
    800 MHz
    64mb ram
    20GB HD

    Today I just used the restore cd and un-installed loads of programs that I didnt need to clear up more space.
    I want to use my broadband on that old pc and the required specs match apart from the ram, is reads at least 128mb is needed.
    I will have programs like avg, ZA, ad-aware, the broadband program and other basic ones.

    If I was to upgrade the ram would it be ok or will I need more?

    ps. I want to use pc for things I cant do with my main laptop because of automatically restarting problems
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  2. Member normcar's Avatar
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    Aug 2003
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    If you are using it only for surfing, then you are ok. I would max out your ram to at least 512MB (or as much as your computer is able to use), otherwise, you may spend time staring at your pc while it is swaping memory to the drive. Older drives may be slower than current drives adding to wait time.
    Some days it seems as if all I'm doing is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic
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  3. Member
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    Ditto. Firefox / Netscape runs sufficiently well on even 400 MHz CPUs. It's those online videos that'll choke on these slow CPUs.
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  4. Do not spend a dime on that PC. It is not worth it. Purchase more RAM only if it can be used in a newer box.

    If someone offered to give me such a box for free, I would turn it down. If they brought it to my door, they would get to haul it to the trash pick-up point.

    This is not to denigrate your PC. If it works, and it will for broadband, great. It is like an old car with over 200,000 miles on it, which you can replace for less than $400.00. You do not spend any money improving such a vehicle.
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  5. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Mar 2004
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    If you intend to continue using this PC, 64MB RAM is insufficient. Add 128MB to get 192MB total and it will seem like a different machine. 256MB would be a bit better. 512MB a bit better still. The big advantage comes over that 64-192MB range. I'm assuming you stay with ME or Win98se. You should be able to find 128MB EDO RAM or whatever for near free. Ask around.

    I used to run Photoshop and Premiere 5.1 on such a machine. Good luck.
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  6. Member Tbag's Avatar
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    thanks for the replys, I thought I might just add an extra 128mb cause its cheap.
    Is there any specific ram I should look for beacuse I searched ebay and found loads of different ones but dont know what I need? 168 pin, pc 100, 333 mhz, ddr ram etc.
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  7. No one can tell you what ram you need without more info. If you have a manual, it should tell you. Failing that, you can check with the motherboard manufacturer, or simply have someone knowledgable look at the chip(s) you have in there. There are many different flavors of ram and they generally are not compatable with each other. You also need to know what the capacity of your motherboard is, as you may pay for more ram than your machine can use.
    Add my voice to those telling you that the cheapest new machine is far beyond the capabilities of what you have, even with added ram. Nyah Levi
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  8. Member
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    800 MHz are probably PC100/PC133 RAM, but don't bet the farm on it.

    Your best bet is take an existing stick to a store and buy something compatible with it by asking for help.
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  9. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Mar 2004
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    Sad irony is old RAM is very expensive if purchased new. You have something very old there so are likely to find what you need at a recycler or garage sale. You just need to educate yourself on the memory needed. Check the manufacturer's support website for that exact model computer or motherboard.
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  10. Originally Posted by vijaygunners
    thanks for the replys, I thought I might just add an extra 128mb cause its cheap.
    Is there any specific ram I should look for beacuse I searched ebay and found loads of different ones but dont know what I need? 168 pin, pc 100, 333 mhz, ddr ram etc.
    A system with a 800mhz Processor/Windows ME/20GB HD is likely to need 168 pin SDRAM, PC100 or 133. (around 4-5 years old i'm guessing).

    Take a look at the RAM stick thats in there, there's usually (but not always) a sticker on it telling you size and speed or even make/model. I picked up a 256MB/PC133 168pin stick on eBay for less than a fiver. You could also pick up a replacement CPU on there quite cheaply. Not knowing your motherboard model I couldn't say what what CPU you need, but i'm betting you could get it up to at least 1.2 gig.

    Get the make/model of the motherboard, then you can find out how far you can upgrade.

    Upgrading old PCs with Ebay parts is sort of a hobby of mine. :P
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  11. DVD Ninja budz's Avatar
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    http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Kingston-Technologies-512MB-DDR-SDRAM-Desktop-Memory-KV...oductDetail.do

    Circuit City has KINGSTON PC100/133 DDR 512MB sticks on sale with instant and mail in rebate. Unfortunately PC100/133 RAM is very expensive but with sale prices like Circuit City at least you can save some money.
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