17th May 2001
Upgrading the RAM in your PC doesn't take a nuclear physicist, nor does it require the services of your neighborhood geek. For a relatively paltry amount of money and a little homework on your part up front, accomplishing this upgrade is within easy grasp. So, how cheap is cheap, you ask? Consider that 256MB of PC133 SDRAM can be found for as low as $70... I can hear your PC begging you from here. Now is the time before prices rebound, but ponder these tips before taking the plunge. Taking a cue from Microsoft: contact your hardware manufacturer before you install new hardware to ensure that the warranty is not revoked if you remove the cover from your computer (yes, there are some companies that will hold you to this); check your PC owner's manual or motherboard manual to determine if your RAM is parity or non- parity; determine the speed of RAM (measured in nanoseconds); check to see whether the computer uses single in-line memory modules (SIMMs) or dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs); verify the type of RAM used in your computer: Fast Page-mode DRAM (FPM DRAM), Extended Data Out DRAM (EDO DRAM), Burst EDO DRAM (BEDO DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), or RAMBus DRAM (RDRAM); determine the number of pins that make up each memory slots: 30, 72 or 168; identify the number of open RAM slots that are available on your motherboard. That's all there is to it, folks!