256mb Ram...

[air_head1]

I was wondering if there is anyone out there that is running on a 256MB RAM and has played the game cause im getting really worried that it won't work on my computer the rest of my computer is good 1.4Ghz and radeon 9000 pro and if i have to upgrade to 512MB RAM how much will that cost i hear its the cheapest thing to upgrade? TY in advance for any feedback that u can give i appreciate it

[Sentrosi]

Have to know the type of ram First. (ie 2100, 2700, 3200). Then go to this link http://www.pricewatch.com and find the type of ram you're looking for. Good site to bookmark for future upgrades too. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to post them.


There are no stupid questions.....

[powdahound]

With that CPU I bet it's just pc133 ram... That stuff is dirt cheap. Look at www.crucial.com

[air_head1]

ok it is pretty cheap now i have 2 questions relating to RAM first do u have to get a specific kind of RAM depending on the manufacturer second ah sh*t i just forgot the second lol

[air_head1]

oh yes i remember now i was going to ask if ram was easy to install cause i think when i installed my radeon 9000 pro i screwed im my computer cause 2 days later i sent it into the shop

[air_head1]

ok this is my last reply lol cause i keep typing then after i press send reply i think of something else lol. Im a computer noob i don't know sh*t about them all i know is my games. I was just looking at price watch and i notice that there is all these different times of ram and i was told once what they mean i forget now but what i want to know is what would u suggest is a good ram to get considering price vs value

[Vis Armata]

I'm running 256 MB RDRAM (soon, real soon to be 512). It's barely playable with everything turned down. At range, or if I'm expecting something to happen, I have a chance. And a few minutes into playing at a continent, things improve slightly. Oshur runs fine, Foresal doesn't run as good. Draw distance sucks, and
the detail is lacking.

Get 512!

[air_head1]

how long would a 512MB RAM last cause i don't want to have to upgrade in a month?

[SpaceDrake]

512 will last a while, probably a year at least. What you need to do is find out what kind of RAM you have. If you install the wrong kind of RAM into your machine (say Rambus into a machine that takes DDR-RAM) then bad, bad things will happen. Check the specs of your machine or contact the manufacturer to find out what kind you have.

[CDL Full Otto]

What you need to do is post what you have (Is your pc a dell, gateway or a custom build)

If it is a custom let us know what the motherboard is.

If it is a Dell, Gateway, HP, etc let us know what model you bought.

Next, Ram is super easy to install (make sure you are turned off and for good measure, unplugged)

Then you will see your memory that is in there and an Open slot. The memory has a small notch with which to align, you make sure that is on the end it needs to be on and pop the 2 white tabs at the end down (on the MB) then press the memmory in. Pull the white tabs up (they should pop up on their own, but I double check them) and you will be set.

One last thing, before you buy, you should open the case and make sure you have an open slot (some companies when shipping would fill both slots with 128 instead of a 256 cause it was cheaper)

Otto

[air_head1]

ok first things first when they told me that installing a vid card was easy i believed them and it did seam easy but the next day i ended up sending computer to shop cause it kept freezing and my computer is AMD or i could be wrong on that(once again i remind u i am a computer noob i just know how to play games). I just checked my users manual and it says i have SDRAM and this is what the manual said under memory support:
Two DIMM slots for 168-pin SDRAM memory modules
Support for 100/133 MHz memory bus
Maximum installed memory is 2 x 512MB = 1GB

so if any of u computer whizzes can translate that for me and tell me any other important information

[CDL Full Otto]

Installing the video card requires driver updates. There is a trick to that to (but since we are talking memory, lets work on that)

Open the case, you will see a few things:

Processor (big thing with a fan on it)

Drive Cables connected

Memory modules, about 6 inches long and thin. There will be a white tab at either end holding it in. Check to see if you have 2 of them or one empty slot and one filled slot. If you have an empty slot then you need to purchase a 256 168-pin SDRAM memory module (go with 133/MHz) If you have 2, then you will need to either buy 2 256mb SDRAMs or take it up a notch to 2 512 SDRAM.

Hope that helps. If you want I can post a link to a motherboard with arrows pointing out the memory.

Otto

[air_head1]

Oto i want to really thank u for the help that means alot to me i will pop open the case lets hope and pray i don't break anything btw the thing with the vid card they said if u have an AGP driver or something which i checked and did they said i needed to uninstall it or something i think thats where i went wrong i didn't exactly know what i was doing oh well

[Daleon]

Well knowing exactly what you have already is the #1 thing in upgrading your pc.

If you have an actual 1.4 ghz, and it is AMD, then its a 266 mhz processor. There were some mobo's for this chip that supported both SDRAM and DDR. If you got one with only 2 SDRAM slots, that kinda sux but ok. You get a nice performance upgrade with DDR over SDRAM, but all depends on mobo. So defintely look at the board and see if you only have 2 or if you have 4 and 2 are different from each other.

If you only have SDRAM, I would suggest 2x512's. The stuff is cheap as hell. And as long as your running XP the1 gig will be useful, including in PS. You can take your chance and buy the really really cheap stuff, but sometimes you can run into high density cheap crap not working in some mobo's. Safer to stick to industry standard non-density and good brands like Corsair, Mushkin, Kingston. Cost a little more but less hassle generally.

You can check and compare prices at pricewatch.com. Check online retailers reviews at resellerratings.com. Or just buy from newegg, they are reliable.

Also I would suggest you google for a program named CPUID. Find it, d/l it, and run it. It will give you a decent amount of particulars on your chip, memory, and mobo. As you may have a Via chipset and may have needed their 4in1 drivers for that video issue.

G'luck, upgrading is fun! but cost to much!

[Cyanide]

If you had trouble with the video card do not try to install ram. RAM is VERY static sensative. A stick of RAM (any type of it) can be destroyed by a spark of static that is too small for you to even feel.

I suggest that for your own sanity you take the computer into a shop. Tell them that you have 256mb of ram and you want to add 256mb more. They will find out what kind of ram it is and install it for you. It will of course cost more to do it this way, but they will probably gaurentee the work and it's less hassle for you.

[Daleon]

I thought of suggesting he do that also. But I just as many horror stories of ppl taking their machines to local mom&pops pc or best buy or crapusa and getting back a hosed system. I've spoken with techs at many of these places and i am shocked ppl bring their computers to them.

But everyone has to start somewhere. I didn't know anything about upgrading when I started, a long long time ago. I defintely didn't have anything like forums to ask for help on thats for sure. So learning about maintaining and upgrading your PC is a very useful skill and really not very difficult.

RAM, as well as most pc parts are static sensitive. You can get one of those electrostatic wrist pads if you want. But really its not THAT sensitive. Unless you got shag carpetiting or don't use laundry dryer sheets you won't have any problems as long as you touch the metal on the interior of your pc case before you handle any pc parts. Many of my friends have killed cpu's, mobo's, video cards, etc all with either bad hookups or static. I seem to have somekind of incredible luck. I can litterally man handle mobos, to the point of stepping on them heh, and they still work fine.

[Magneto]

yes i have 256MB and the game runs like crap for me
i lag so horribly in beta casue i dont have enough ram

and from the beta forums i have found out that in order to run the game lag free u need atleast 1 gig of ram

[air_head1]

ya one thing i was warned when i got my video card is to NOT try to place vid card in on a carpet if there is a static spark or something ur whole system can crash so i went upstairs to kitchen counter. I do agree though that these forums are so much help without them well i probably would of busted my computer while putting the wrong kind of ram in lol

[air_head1]

wow that program CPUID is cool i just learned my computer name is thunderbird from now on i won't call him computer i will call him thunderbird.

[air_head1]

wow and apparently no one manufactured or gave thunderbird a model

[Cyanide]

Yes all computer parts are somewhat static sensative but RAM is by far the most sensative, so if you do decide to install it yourself do it in your kitchen. Hold the RAM only by the edges. DO NOT touch the flat sides of the RAM, this will prevent you from ruining it.

BTW, to disipate the static in your body through the computers case the case must be plugged in! It will NOT disipate static if it is not plugged in when you touch it.

You can also disipate the static from your body by sticking a paper clip in the third prong hole of a 3 prong outlet. This is the ground of the outlet and will not shock you. DO NOT put the paper clip in the small slot of the outlet as this WILL shock you.

[Daleon]

LoL Cyanide, I just would never have the b@ll$ to stick a paper clip into a wall socket, even if it was the groud. Good tip on it being plugged in, didn't know that. Guess I have been really lucky so far. I actually just stuck in another 512 corsair xms cas2 stick today taking me to 1 gig. I will post if its a serious improvement.

Air - Gotta have a cool nic for your PC. Thunderbird is the codename for that chip. You can also try wcpuid, most same info but might have some extra details.