Karen Hill said:
Can I put PC 100 RAM in a computer with a P3 1 Ghz processor?
I have limited ram in this PC, and have a 256 PC 100 and 128 PC 100 ram
stick from another (older) computer.
You could find one of three results:
First, the memory might not physically fit in the slot. Look to see if the
notches in the bottom of the memory stick are in the same positions as the
one(s) in the newer computer. About the time your computer was made,
manufacturers were transitioning to DDR PC266 RAM, which doesn't look much
different but works very differently and will not fit.
Second, the memory may not run. You will receive an error message at
startup that might not make a whole lot of sense to you, but essentially
means the memory did not keep up with the signals the computer sent it
during the Power On Self Test.
Third, the entire system may slow down to accomodate the slower memory.
You would then get performance increases in certain tasks, where the
computer would have to swap memory to disk if the added RAM were not there,
but a performance drop in tasks that are done entirely within memory. While
I'm fuzzy about the technical details of what would and would not slow
down -- the processor speed is not directly linked to memory speed -- you
might think of it as comparing a 1 GHz processor with the memory you have
now against a 733 MHz processor with much more memory. Since disk reading
and writing is so time-consuming, you will probably find the whole system
generally faster, if it works at all.
If the memory physically fits, it won't hurt to try. Just take precautions
about static discharge, and if you get an error, give up easily. A stick of
PC133 memory is not extremely expensive, anyway.
Just an hour ago I installed 128 MB of PC133 in a neighbor's computer, an HP
with an 800 MHz Celeron. It had previously only had 64 MB of PC100 in it.
Its performance was pitiful and watching it boot up was like pulling teeth
one at a time, but it did run, suggesting that yours may run on PC100 also.
I put the old stick in the second slot, mixing speeds, and it didn't seem to
mind. It runs much better now.
As to mixing speeds: some motherboards don't care what memory is in what
slot, but some will only run if the fastest memory is in the first slot
(generally called slot 0). If the computer doesn't run with two sticks of
different speeds, or only recognizes one, try switching them once before you
give up.
