Q on old memory

Alan Bolte · Post by **Alan Bolte** » 2004-12-07 08:08pm

There's a motherboard sitting out in the hall in the 'recycle' pile with a tag taped to it saying it works great. The computer I'm currently on is an old 350 Mhz AMD processor Compaq with 64M SDRAM. The one in the hall is a Pentium II, and has two chips in it that say "4M x 64 SDRAM," or something like that. A diagnostic program I have says my board has 3 slots, one of which is filled with a 64 M chip. Should it be possible to simply lift those chips from the board, plug them into my computer, and go?

I really know nothing of hardware.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2004-12-07 08:25pm

If memory serves, 4x64 RAM is 32MB. The only possible danger is if either computer has PC66 instead of PC100 RAM. PC66 is rare, however, so I'd bet against it, and as long as it physically fits and you don't put it in backwards, the worst-case scenario is that it doesn't boot. If you stick the RAM in, just keep a close eye on it for a while in case it starts acting funny, sometimes compatibility problems with RAM can be subtle.

Alan Bolte · Post by **Alan Bolte** » 2004-12-09 04:38pm

Mmkay, I know nothing, so bear with me:
I looked at the memory in my computer, and it appears to have exactly the same connectors as the memory I found abandoned. On the other hand, it consists of large chips on both sides of a board while the memory in my computer consists of thin chips on one side of a board. I don't know if that means anything. The real problem is, I can't get it to fit right. I stick it in, and the little levers on the side don't move. Maybe I'm not shoving hard enough, but I don't want to damage it, and it doesn't make any sense that it won't go in if it appears to be identical along the bottom to the installed memory, which slips in easily.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2004-12-09 04:46pm

Just make sure the noteches line up, and push straight down. It can take a good deal of force sometimes.

Alan Bolte · Post by **Alan Bolte** » 2004-12-09 06:05pm

Turns out I just hadn't properly cleared debris from the slots. Too bad those were only 32 MB chips, but at least now I have 128 MB total instead of 64. Thanks!

EDIT: Whoa, WTF. My sound is way-ass louder now, and I get a crackling when I change the volume. Hmm, maybe I just switched the headphones to a different out-jack upon reconnecting everything...

Hmm, nevermind, that is the case. What's the difference between the out-jack with a little speaker symbol and the one with the little note?

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2004-12-09 06:09pm

De nada. I do this shit all day, it becomes almost subconscious-level.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2004-12-09 10:27pm

Alan Bolte wrote:Turns out I just hadn't properly cleared debris from the slots. Too bad those were only 32 MB chips, but at least now I have 128 MB total instead of 64. Thanks!

EDIT: Whoa, WTF. My sound is way-ass louder now, and I get a crackling when I change the volume. Hmm, maybe I just switched the headphones to a different out-jack upon reconnecting everything...

Hmm, nevermind, that is the case. What's the difference between the out-jack with a little speaker symbol and the one with the little note?

The one with the speaker symbol is the audio out port for use with speakers. The one with the note is likely a line-out port that is designed for use with home stereo systems, which has different electrical characteristics than the audio port directed to your speakers.