For all the PC Tech's out there....

Joel · **Mon Jan 05, 2004 6:56 am For all the PC Tech's out there....**

Hi everyone,
i'm looking at upgrading my computer but before I do, I want to ensure i'm going about this the right way.

So far i'm running a:

Pentium 4- 1.7 GIG
64 MEG GFORCE 2 video card
512 megs of DDR Ram

And I want to upgrade to:
Pentium 4- 2.8 gig.
256 MEG Radeon 9800 XT video card
Ram- ?????/

I know I need to change my motherboard around to a Gigabyte 8KNXP but i'm not sure what sort of RAM that would best run with it. I know this much; using DDR ram on a motherboard like that will slow it down considerably. WHat sort of RAM should I upgrade to in order to get the most of out the PC's hardware performance?????

THANKS!

Akira Class · **Mon Jan 05, 2004 6:23 pm**

I'm a PC repair technician so I know a lot about this stuff.

Using DDR, as long as it is a good speed, will actually be the best RAM for the Pentium 4 system. You probably will have to buy a new motherboard if you're upgrading from a 1.7, because that used the 100MHZ QDR FSB (very slow). The 2.8 you're buying will likely be a 200MHZ QDR FSB. Be sure to get a board that supports 800MHz FSB and DDR. For your RAM, I'd say to get AT LEAST 512MB of DDR400 (also called PC3200).

Also, if the new motherboard you're getting supports 800MHZ FSB, it's a given that it will also have dual channel DDR (four RAM slots in two clusters of two, with alternating colors each) To get the most performance out of this, split your RAM total into halves and put one half into each cluster - if you want 512MB, get two modules of 256MB and put one in the first slot in the first cluster and the other in the first slot in the second cluster.

I hope I was of assistance.

PrankishSmart · **Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:41 pm**

Akira Class · **Tue Jan 06, 2004 12:12 am**

Anything above PC3200 is worthless if you're not overclocking. You get the best performance not from the downright quickest DDR, you get it from running Synchronous speed (that's running DDR that's the same speed as your processor's FSB[a processor-in-processor - it is how fast the CPU itself communicates with the RAM, video card, sound card, etc...])

The Pentium 4 that Joel is getting uses the 200MHZ Front Side Bus (FSB). So, that's why I recommended PC3200 in my last post - it too runs at 200MHZ.

PC 1600: 100MHZ
PC 2100: 133MHZ
PC 2400: 150MHZ
PC 2700: 166MHZ
PC 3000: 180MHZ
PC 3200: 200MHZ PC 3200 is what Joel should get because it runs at 200MHZ just like his Pentium 4's front side bus.
PC 3500: 233MHZ
PC 3700: 266MHZ
PC 4000: 300MHZ
PC 4200: 333MHZ

Joel · **Tue Jan 06, 2004 3:24 am Thank-you**

Thanks for the help, Akira. That's great, I know where i'm headed now. I've taken a few noted from your post so i'll at least appear to know what i'm talking about when I go to the local computer store

miss7 · Commodore Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Posts: 1340

Piper Halliwell · **Tue Jan 06, 2004 9:13 am**

My brother knows alot about computers. Maybe you should go and ask him.

Captain Skyline · Vice Admiral Joined: 09 Aug 2001 Posts: 6646 Location: UK

If you play alot of games on your PC, you should have 1024 ram. however if not just stick with 512 or even 256.

Akira Class · **Tue Jan 06, 2004 5:56 pm**

PrankishSmart · **Tue Jan 06, 2004 9:53 pm**

Akira Class · **Tue Jan 06, 2004 11:52 pm**

That's quite an overclock. I have a 1.67GHz Athlon XP overclocked to 1.98.

Starbuck · **Sun Jan 11, 2004 5:29 pm**

I can help you with any image softwear questions, and windows questions, but when it comes to the hardware, I can't really help anyone.

Ziyal · Captain Joined: 04 Dec 2002 Posts: 848 Location: Alaska :D

are you really qualified to help anyone?

and joel....you need to read your mobo manual to see what its capable of supporting...if you don't have that then you can open up your case and look at it and get the model number and then find it online....then you should be able to find out at the manufacturers website...thats by far the easiest way to see how you can upgrade your pc

Defiant · **Tue Jan 13, 2004 11:00 am**

Ziyal · Captain Joined: 04 Dec 2002 Posts: 848 Location: Alaska :D

yeah well DDR ram is so much better than regular ram

Defiant · **Wed Jan 14, 2004 10:13 pm**

regular? lol...

do you mean SIMMS or SDRAM or what? Or maybe just all types of RAM?

Ziyal · Captain Joined: 04 Dec 2002 Posts: 848 Location: Alaska :D

DDR (dual data rate) is far better than any of the other types of RAM

and that is what i meant by that

and now i will compose a song about RAM for your listening pleasure

*clears voice*

RIMMS DIMMS and SIMMS

RIMMS DIMMS and SIMMS

dynamic, static, volatile schmoooooooooooooolatile

Akira Class · **Wed Jan 14, 2004 10:30 pm**

Actually, I beg to differ... if SiS ever releases their QUAD-channel RDRAM chipset, and DDR RDRAM is developed... eight times the bandwidth of standard SD RDRAM and twice the bandwith of DDR SDRAM...

Ziyal · Captain Joined: 04 Dec 2002 Posts: 848 Location: Alaska :D

yes i heard of that

I really love that chipset btw

the SiS one

janeway9 · **Thu Jan 15, 2004 1:32 am**

If i'm not at work I'm on my computer...right now I am trying to fix a problem that Kazaa caused...whatever anyone does DON"T install that program. it will delete files and junk. I just uninstalled it (or attempted to) and it did uninstall...oh no insted Kazaa deleted my photos, music, chatlogs...and took my MSN 6.01....I am so mad right now. I hate Kazaa. It did the same thing to a friend of mine. once I fix all the other problems it caused in my system I am going to try and see what I can do for her computer as well.

Defiant · **Thu Jan 15, 2004 11:33 am**

Try using Norton System Utilities. You may be able to recover a problem in your computer.

Although, I think if KaZaa deleted anything, it was likely caused by a virus. You should get a recent copy of Norton or McAfee, and run it, you may be all virusy!

I am running KaZaa right now, and I havent had any problems really. Once in awhile, like just now, I get a virus warning on something that got downloaded, but it just gets quarantined before it can do anything...

Man, my cousin bought a computer from Gateway, and they gave him RDRAM. It is so lame! CompUSA charged him $130 just for 128 MB of the *beep*!!! Oh yeah, they also soldered his frikkin motherboard to his case. I cant upgrade the damn thing for him!

janeway9 · **Thu Jan 15, 2004 12:24 pm**

See can't be that. I used an antivirus to check my drives...nothing was there. I have not used Kazaa to DL anything in months...thats why I was uninstalling it. But instead its program did not uninstall it just took other programs. I'm not the only one it did that too. I have been told by many people that Kazaa deleted some stuff of theirs. But it was the new verison not the older ones. The new Kazaa has some kind of hole in it...a bug you could call it. I've been looking up help topics about it.

Ziyal · Captain Joined: 04 Dec 2002 Posts: 848 Location: Alaska :D

that is sooo crappy that they soldered his mobo to his case LOL!!!!

schade for him

Morphy · Forum Ogre Joined: 15 Jun 2001 Posts: 3858

If you want to go with "value," I would buy an AMD CPU/motherboard setup. Although cost may not be your biggest concern, since I see that you want to get a 350 dollar video card (9800xt), amds are the only cpus I've bought in the last few years and I highly recommend them.

Ziyal · Captain Joined: 04 Dec 2002 Posts: 848 Location: Alaska :D

AMD Athlon 64 fx!!!!! i totally agree