MERGED: ram upgrade/help installing

[moderate_rock48]

I am wanting to put a 512mb pc133 sdram stick in my comp. When i look them up to buy online, they have high density and low density. I need to know which i need, i will give you some specifications of my computer. Its and asus model, series CUW-AM. The chipset is Intel Whitney i810. If you need anymore info tell me ;)

[Catweazle]

I would be very hesitant to purchase a 512Mb RAM module for that system. The model number you quoted is the motherboard id, by the way, and the motherboard was manufactured for use in some HP and Dell systems, rather than for retail. I can't be sure of the situation for your board, as Asus do not provide support information for it, but quite a few similar boards of that era had limits on the RAM module size they would accept.

I'd not purchase a module larger than 256Mb for it unless the purchase was a 'try before you buy' arrangement.

[moderate_rock48]

Alright, would 384mb of ram be enough to run windows XP? 128mb + 256mb.
I know now that 191mb is not enough to run it efficiently.

[borumas]

Yeah 256MB would be minimum to run decently in my opinion but 384 should definitely be good enough (you could run it at 191MB as well but it may be a bit slow).

[moderate_rock48]

Ok cool, thanks alot, also one other thing, is there a certain brand of ram stick i should get or a certain one to stay away from? maybe they are all the same, but i just want to know what brand you would recomend if any.

[alc6379]

There are plenty of good brands to pick out, really. But, I would just look at price and speed.

If possible, shy away from high density memory, or at least that's been my experience. That tends to be OEM, lower quality stuff, and had limited compatibility with several systems I've run, including Dells and HPs. It's WAY cheap, but you're taking a risk with it not working in your system.

[moderate_rock48]

ok cool, thanks alot, I will stay away from the OEM and high density. OEM is a manufacturer that buys a bunch of computers and then customizes them, to there specifications, and then sell them, like HP correct?

[borumas]

Make sure wherever you buy from will let you return the RAM if it doesn't work, several local places near me would not let you return defective or nonworking RAM- so if you get a stick that is defective or not compatable with your pc you would be out of luck. Circuit City has a 14 day return policy on RAM and Newegg.com are nice enough to let you return or get a credit if it doesn't work out so I would go with them if you don't know of a better place (Circuit City can be pricey though).

[Catweazle]

OEM in this sense basically means unpackaged, unbranded cheap RAM modules. It carries more risk of failure, and more risk that modules from different factories will have conmflict with each other. Hynix, Kingston and Kingmax are manufacturers which still have SD-RAM available for purchase.

[moderate_rock48]

I was just wondering if there is a way to limit how many megs of ram your comp uses? say if you 256mb ram can you limit it to use only like 230mb? I am asking because my friends computer says it has 511mb ram, im just wondering how and why they use 511mb instead of 512mb. I have also seen other weird numbers.

[Rueful Rogue]

Crucial Technology says that your motherboard will support a maximum of 512 MB of unbuffered SDR SDRAM. Here's the spec's they post for that memory. (I checked both the CUW and the CUW-B motherboards. They are the same. Your specific model, because it was manufactured specifically for OEM use (Original Equipment Manufacturer's such as Dell, Compaq, Gateway, etc...) is not listed on this site which only lists retail versions.
Information on the
ASUS CUW168-pin DIMM Banking: 3 (3 banks of 1)
Chipset: Intel 810
Error Detection Support: ECC and non-ECC
Max Unbuffered SDR SDRAM: 512MB
Module Types Supported: Unbuffered only
SDR SDRAM Frequencies: PC66 and PC100
Supported DRAM Types: SDR SDRAM only
USB Support: 1.x Compliant
Pricing is available here too: http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.asp?Mfr%2BProductline=ASUS%2B+Motherboards&mfr=ASUS&cat=RAM&model=CUW&submit=Go

And finally, a little (perhaps a lot)(got to put on my "engineering" hat) about "density" of RAM.

DEFINITION: RAM Density is the capacity or size of a DIMM module or the capacity or size of each DRAM unit on a DIMM or RIMM. Density is normally referred to in megabits (Mb) when referring to DRAM units and in megabytes (MB) when referring to an entire DIMM module.
DENSITY vs. SPEED: When trying to determine what kind of RAM you need, the density of each DRAM unit on a DIMM is probably more important than the speed of the DIMM. For example, PC133 DIMMs are backward compatible to PC100 and PC66. On the other hand, 256 and 512 megabit technology DIMMs will not work in many motherboards.
[img]http://supcontent.gateway.com/support.gateway.com/images/ub/ub_clear.gif[/img]How To Determine RAM Density: It's hard to figure out the density of a DIMM because there are multiple industry "standards" on how describe a DIMM, many of which are contradictory. Some retailers list the capacity of each DRAM unit in MB and the number of DRAM units on the DIMM. For example, a 256 MB 16X16 PC133 Non-ECC Unbuffered DIMM has 16 DRAM chips, and each chip is 16 MB in size. The density of each DRAM unit is found by multiplying 16 MB by 8 to get the value in bits rather than bytes (one byte is 8 bits). In this case, the density is 128 Mb.
What Your Motherboard Will Take: You may know that the maximum size RAM module your computer will accept is 256 MB and that it needs to meet a specific specification, such as PC133. Assuming the naming scheme of the last step, if you were to purchase a 256 MB 32X8 Non-ECC PC133 Unbuffered DIMM, the density is 256 Mb. This was determined by multiplying the number 32 by 8 bits. But because compatibility is based on the density of EACH DRAM unit on a memory module instead of the capacity of the DIMM as a whole, this DIMM probably won't work in your machine.
Explanation: A motherboard that only accepts 256 MB and smaller sized DIMMS will work only with memory that is based on 128 Mb technology or lower. (This is the case with your motherboard). The DIMM in this example has 8 DRAM units, each with a capacity of 32 MB. If 16 DRAM units were used, the capacity of this DIMM would be 512 MB, and it would only work in motherboards that accept 512 MB DIMMs or higher, even though it is just 256 MB in size. This is due to the density of each DRAM unit on the DIMM.
What Will Happen? Remember that maximum capacity is based on the density of each DRAM unit on the DIMM and assumes the maximum number of DRAM units are on the DIMM. If you try to install a higher density DIMM than your computer can handle, one of two things will happen: 1) Your computer will not boot, and you will receive memory POST beeps, letting you know there is a problem. 2) The motherboard will only recognize half of the memory.

So...my recommendation would be one of two things: Go to one of the memory sites and use their scanner and go with their recommendations, or...since you have three banks with one slot each, I'd use the lower density memory configurations. That is to say, if you want 512 MB of SDRAM, don't buy one DIMM of 512 even though it may be available. Instead use two 256 MB DIMM's, or if you're shooting for 384 MB, use three 128 MB DIMM's or one 128 MB and one 256 MB. And make sure that you do the math - take the first number of --x-- and multiply it by 8 to get the density. You don't want the answer to exceed 128.

Crutial Technology http://www.crucial.com/ has a scanner and so does Kingston at http://www.kingston.com/ . Good luck on your upgrade!

[moderate_rock48]

ok here it is im trying to put a 256mb sdram pc133 in my computer, now if you are facing the motherboard i put the 256mb in the left slot, then i put the 128mb in the right slot, I turn on my computer and nothing happens. the "hp invent" logo comes up but nothing else it just stays there. So then i I tried swithing the slots, I put the 256mb in the right slot and the 128mb in the left slot, it goes a little further than the other combination. But at one point it stops and says, "not enough extended memory to run windows" I mena what is going on here? The 128mb runs fine by itself. I dont understand what is going on. BTW im running wiindows ME socket 370 ASUS mobo and an intel 810 chipset i believe. please help!

[alc6379]

Went ahead and merged these two threads together. Since you're asking a lot of memory-related questions, please keep them all in one thread.

Thanks!

[moderate_rock48]

no suggestions alc?

[Catweazle]

The 128mb runs fine by itself. I dont understand what is going on.

In which slot?

Try the 256Mb stick by itself in that slot. If the system doesn't recognise it correctly and work OK with just that module installed, then the 256Mb module is incompatible with the motherboard!

[moderate_rock48]

So it is in no way that my computer just cant handle that much ram, if so im just going to go with kingston, as you first suggested and return the rosewill chip.

[Catweazle]

You're making jumps in reasoning there that I'm not saying. Did the 256Mb module work? It may be that your motherboard is requiring double-sided modules for larger sizes perhaps. Some older boards will not recognize RAM modules larger than 128Mb unless they are 'double-sided'.

Note: That does not necessarily mean RAM modules with RAM chips on both sides. It means modules with a particular configuration regarding how the chips are linked to each other. Some 'double-sided' modules may have RAM chips on only one side of the module!

[moderate_rock48]

Well yes the 256mb ram module works to a certain extent. almost always when i put it in the left slot it will not work. But when i do put it in the right slot it is hit or miss. Alot of the time i can get up to the desktop, click on something then the computer will restart. At one point i ran the computer in safe mode and it worked and i went to my computer properties and it said that it was there. Now the cases where it actually doesnt restart when get to the desktop it will most likely freeze within 5 minutes. So no it doesnt work properly at all. lol I know i dont explain myself well enough alot of the times and it is frustrating for yall to try and help. But i do appreciate the help you and all the moderators and everyone else offer, its greatly appreciated :)

[Catweazle]

It was recognised as 256Mb? If so it's simply incompatible with your motherboard. If it was recognized as only 128Mb, then that indicates a need for dual-sided RAM.

[moderate_rock48]

awww ok, yes it was recognized. So my best bet would be to go with kingston, although i just want to make sure, I was told to stay away from the kingston(OEM), so would i want to purchase kingston(retail)?