-=PCTechTalk=- Re: help,bluescreen yikes

  • From: "cristy" <poppy0206@xxxxxxx>
  • To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:24:07 -0400

Gman,

Im not sure I remember now what slots what was in before he installed that 
new one today so not sure how to tell him to return it to the state it was 
in.  I know they wont refund my installation fee back I bet but I will try.

It states on the back of the receipt that installation charges are 
nonrefundable.  Do you have an account with NewEgg?  Is it a safe and secure 
site for me to put my personal info in and order from?  I cannot believe the 
diff in price.

Christine
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gman" <gman.pctt@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2008 9:15 PM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: help,bluescreen yikes


> Cristy,
>    I don't recommend you seperately buy another stick and try to match the
> one you already got.  Chances are really, really good that the computer 
> will
> not be impressed or convinced that it can run them in dual-channel mode
> since the info embedded within the sticks must match in all aspects before
> the mode will be upgraded.  You were told that you can bring it back if
> you're not happy and that's just what I would do.  But I would have them
> return it to the original condition it was in when you first walked into
> their store and return your money to you.  Then, I would order a matched 
> set
> from the link I sent you (I made sure that every pair shown was 
> specifically
> approved for use in your system by the system manufacturer).  It will save
> you a bunch of money, you'll learn how to install RAM (which is incredibly
> easy to do) and you'll know for sure that you finally got your money's
> worth.
>
>    Assuming your system was running in dual-channel mode before you had
> your brother add the extra stick, adding a single stick anywhere 
> (unmatched
> with an identical stick) would immediately take the system out of
> dual-channel mode, even if he had not moved one of the original sticks to 
> a
> diffeent location.  So, the following wouldn't run in dual-channel either,
> even though the 1st & 3rd are matched.
>
> Slot 1:  256MB
> Slot 2:  512MB
> Slot 3:  256MB
> Slot 4:  0
>
>    Having said that, adding the extra stick didn't hurt the performance
> because you still doubled the amount of memory available to your system.
> Dual-channel mode won't double the performance of a system like doubling 
> the
> amount of memory will.  I don't know how to properly compare the two 
> changes
> in numbers or percentages, but my guess would be that the overall effect 
> of
> doubling the memory while taking it out of dual-channel mode would be
> somewhere around a 30-40% improvement.  Of course, if a matched pair of
> 256MB sticks been installed in slots 2 & 4, it would have been a 100%
> improvement and dual-channel mode would have been preserved.  In other
> words, the overall effect was an improvement in performance, but not 
> nearly
> what it could have been.
>
>    When you first turn on or reboot a system (during the POST), you may be
> able to see info flash across the screen as the system wakes up (or
> refreshes).  One line of that info should tell you the mode in use by the
> installed memory.  Most OEM systems cover up this info with their logo. 
> On
> some of these logo displaying systems, you can press the ESC key to peek
> behind it.  I have no way of knowing if yours will or not, but that's how 
> we
> can easily tell with most systems.  Otherwise, you'll need to use a 
> utility
> like SIW to check the memory status.
>
>    Finally, you should see a HUGE leap in responsiveness once this stuff 
> is
> straightened out.              :O)
>
> Peace,
> Gman
>
> "The only dumb questions are the ones we fail to ask"
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "cristy" <poppy0206@xxxxxxx>
> To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2008 8:51 PM
> Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: help,bluescreen yikes
>
>
>> Gman,
>>
>> As per your email from last night:
>>
>> 'Specifically, a matched set of 1GB sticks installed into slots 1 & 3 or
>> slots 2 & 4 would
>> allow 2GB in dual-channel mode.  Any other combiniation of slots would
>> force
>> the board back into single-channel mode which is how it's running right
>> now.'
>>
>> So then you recommend I buy an additional stick of 1 gig memory to match
>> the other I bought (unless I can return that one and get a better price
>> online) and take out the older three sticks?
>>
>> So then, regardless of what slot my brother had put the extra stick of 
>> 512
>> memory in (to add to the already installed two sticks of 256 that came
>> with
>> the computer), it did not really improve any performance and may have in
>> fact caused the computer to stop using dual-channel mode and to go into
>> using single channel mode? (How do you know what mode it is performing in
>> unless you look at the memory sticks and how they are placed then?  Will 
>> I
>> notice a big improvement if I ever get this straightened out?
>>
>> thanks,
>
>
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