Computer Question

[Glaynor]

I bought a computer from Gateway about one month before Planetside came out (coincidence). I want to buy another 512 of Ram. Here is my question - are there different brands that make a difference or are all of the brands the same.

Does anybody have a site with good prices? All help would be appreciated. Also how difficult is it to install the Ram into my computer.

[Belerion]

I believe it DOES matter what memory you pick. I prefer Crucial or Corsair. Some of the best memory on the market but at a price. I'd say your best bet is to check www.newegg.com. They have some of the best prices on the net.

Ram is a cake install. Just pop it out and pop new ones in. If you still don't feel comfortable, most repair shops actually install it for about $30.

Belerion

[Glaynor]

I looked at the corsair and crucial. Does anybody think that there are better brands out there?

Also, I don't know shit about computers beyond the basics. There were tons of different 512 types, ranging from 200 - 60 dollars. What the hell are the differences? Like I said, I have a Gateway and want to uprgrade, mostly for gaming speed and stuff like that. Here are my specs - what should I do to upgrade it and what other specs should I list so you guys could give me some info.

Pentium 4 - 2.40 GHz
512 MB of RAM
75 GB of memory
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600
Creative Soundblaster Audigy - I think this should be upgraded. Should I stay with Auudigy?

[Neon Apocalypse]

corsair is the best there is, but it comes with a hefty price tag, kingston is right after, and its cheaper but still very good, anything less is crap i would guess

[Belerion]

Best bet is to take your computer to a repair shop and see what RAM you have in your computer. There are all different kinds. Your computer will DEFINATELY have DIMMS... and you need to see if they are SDRAM or DDR. They are just different types. Then you have to worry about what speed they run at. Best bet is to take it in and see what the install guys say. Don't want to frag your system and not be able to play PS at all. =)

Oh, BTW, I was a computer tech at Best Buy for about 2 and 1/2 years. They do a decent job. Might want to check em out. (I just don't trust Gateway)

OH! And drop that piece of crap 4600 and get yourself a ATI Raedeon 9800 or 9600 XT. They are the best bang for the buck cards on the market right now. I'm pretty sure both out benchmark the GeForce. =)

[Neon Apocalypse]

yeah im getting a 9600 xt, dont have it yet, but everyone is telling me the catalysts suck, which drivers are best? i need the best drivers for Desert Combat and PS

[Belerion]

I don't have anything wrong with the Catalyst drivers. Mine run just fine on the 9000 Pro that I have. But it may change when I get a higher card. If you are savvy, check out www.futuremark.com and browse the forums. Futuremark is a provider of 3D Mark 200X, a well renowed benchmarking program. They know EVERYTHING about getting the best performance out of your video card.

[Squick]

I bought a computer from Gateway about one month before Planetside came out (coincidence). I want to buy another 512 of Ram. Here is my question - are there different brands that make a difference or are all of the brands the same.

Does anybody have a site with good prices? All help would be appreciated. Also how difficult is it to install the Ram into my computer.
Hi again Glaynor!

Go to this site to find out what type of RAM your computer uses:
http://www.cdw.com/shop/tools/configurators/memory/simple/default.asp

The 'keywords' you are looking for are things like PC133, PC100, or really high numbers, like PC3200, or if you are REALLY unlucky you have a Pentium 4 with RAMBUS ram, which is going to ream you on price. The PC133/100 are standard density ram, the higher numbers are double density ram.

Then after you know what type of RAM you have, you can either buy it FROM CDW, they are who my company deals with, and we have bought millions of dollars in equipment from them, they have a fantastic return policy too. Or you can go to another place like www.newegg.com (http://www.newegg.com) and get a little bit better price, but still have good reliability. Or lastly you can go to www.pricewatch.com (http://www.pricewatch.com) and risk having to call your bank to stop payment. I have had about an 80% success rate with Pricewatch. I noticed they now have a rating system, but the top 10 companies usually have a very negative score :)

Eric

[1024]

Shouldn't this go in the tech forum?

[Rbstr]

squik has it right, man i'm getting tired of typing out stuff about ram all the time, check this tread for some info: http://www.planetside-universe.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17808
thats some of the basics
there is another one about ram latencies,a nd other important things someware.

perhaps after xmas i will type up a total guide the the modern computer and its comonents and stickie it for all to read in the tech lounge

yes it should be there but i can't move stuff to it, only out of it.