PC question on RAM.
 

So i have a dell dimension 4550. the standard ram is 256mb. I just ordered a 1g ram and i was wondering if i would be able to put the 1g in the second slot to have 1.26g of ram or will i have to take out the 256mb and just put the 1g in?

ok here is the thing. You can put the 1 gig in and run the 1.25 gigs
but your computer will not run faster this way..
reason:
the 256 can only go so fast,
the 1 gig goes way faster.

what happens when you tie a world class runner to a really fat guy.. you go the speed the fat guy goes. same will be with your ram. it will run the same speed it is, but run smoother...

(found this out when i went from 512 to 1.52 gigs, computer didn't speed up but runs smoother)

hope this helps

btw. what o/s are you running, and what processor (just for kicks and giggles)

speed will depend on the latency of the RAM modules. If one is faster than the other than you'll go at the speed of the slowest. If you put them both in then you'll want to review the manual for the motherboard to determine if you have to install them in pairs, install them in a particular bank/order, etc... Optimally you should have no trouble using both modules. If you're using Vista, then I'd recommend not a damn bit less than 2GB of RAM.

FWIW, I've been a senior sysadmin for 15 years. I have a little experience in these matters.

Alright i'll just stick to the 1G. XP. wth is a processor? yes computer illiterate

the cpu. (or brains of the computer)

but never mind if you are computer illiterate, because i was also going to suggest a minor over clocking of the processor for more speed and faster running but that takes the proper motherboards/processor/power supply/ and of course knowledge

its an old p.o.s. and im gettin a new laptop for college so im not worried about it

okay, cool..

because right now thats waht i am about to do, (once i get my new custom computer built) over clock the crap out of it.. i will get my AMD atholan 64X2 4400 from the 2.2GHz to over 2.7GHz and its a dual core, so its going to be fast!!

when your RAM shows up, pull it out of the package and take good close up pics of the stickers on it, then pull the module out of the computer and take its pic. Post the pics and I'll take a peek. It might be as simple as sticking it in and turning it on.

BTW, do you have an antistatic/grounding strap for your wrist? If not then make sure you ground yourself before you touch the RAM. ANY static charge is more than enough to wipe out a DIMM.

How bout installin it barefoot?

Lol. I never had to worry about a static charge. But ya, you can buy two gigs of RAM for very cheap. You said its old. So theres a good chance its got two notches, instead of the one notch. If thats the case well uh, yer screwed and just spent money on something thats worthless to ya ;x

How so? i bought a 1G stick. Why cant i just take out the 256MB and replace it wit the 1G?

what he means by that.. if you just went out and bought new ram right off the shelf and your computer is 2+ years old the way the ram stick is made is completely different. with a different number of pins and a different slot to put them in...

gotcha. shouldnt have to worry about it. i ordered it from dell

okay, thats good...:)