Adding RAM to older Compaq

  • Thread starter Thread starter The Seabat
  • Start date Start date
T

The Seabat

Howdy, A friend of mine has an old HP Pavilion 8240 that I am trying
to clean and speed up for his daughter. Right now is has a 32MB stick
(SDRAM) @ 66MHz/10 ns, 168-pin DIMM in it. I don't know if it is
single or double sided, but the specs say that the machine will
support both types.

I am looking at placing a stick of Mushkin 128MB into this puppy to
boost the RAM. It will only take up to 256MB and I think this will be
plenty for what it will be used for (a word processor). This is the
RAM that I'm looking at here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146077

and the specs from the home site:
PC100 - SPECIFICATIONS

Frequency: 100MHz
Latency: CAS2
Parity: Unbuffered
Voltage: 3.3V
Pins: 168
Density > > > Module: 16Mx64
Chip: 16Mx8

built with 16x8 chips = single sided module. Consult with your
motherboard manual about compatibility when it comes to single sided
density.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Will this RAM work with this computer? I hear that there can be
problems with the density of RAM but I don't know if that applies here
or not. This RAM is a faster speed and I know it will only run 66MHz
but that is OK seein' how no one seems to make 66MHz speed RAM
anymore, at least at a reasonable price.

Any opinions about using this RAM? I will probably pull the 32MB stick
out completely, by the way.
 
The said:
Howdy, A friend of mine has an old HP Pavilion 8240 that I am trying
to clean and speed up for his daughter. Right now is has a 32MB stick
(SDRAM) @ 66MHz/10 ns, 168-pin DIMM in it. I don't know if it is
single or double sided, but the specs say that the machine will
support both types.

I am looking at placing a stick of Mushkin 128MB into this puppy to
boost the RAM. It will only take up to 256MB and I think this will be
plenty for what it will be used for (a word processor). This is the
RAM that I'm looking at here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146077

and the specs from the home site:
PC100 - SPECIFICATIONS

Frequency: 100MHz
Latency: CAS2
Parity: Unbuffered
Voltage: 3.3V
Pins: 168
Density > > > Module: 16Mx64
Chip: 16Mx8

built with 16x8 chips = single sided module. Consult with your
motherboard manual about compatibility when it comes to single sided
density.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Will this RAM work with this computer? I hear that there can be
problems with the density of RAM but I don't know if that applies here
or not. This RAM is a faster speed and I know it will only run 66MHz
but that is OK seein' how no one seems to make 66MHz speed RAM
anymore, at least at a reasonable price.

Any opinions about using this RAM? I will probably pull the 32MB stick
out completely, by the way.
Click to expand...
I found this page on the HP site:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=&product=61075&docname=bph03922

2 sticks of 64 MB max, and only 66 mhz 10ns...

Marc
 
The Seabat said:
Any opinions about using this RAM? I will probably pull the 32MB stick
out completely, by the way.
Click to expand...
Go to www.crucial.com and use the memory selector. If you buy RAM it
suggests and its not compatible when you try it, you are covered by a
no quibble guarantee.
 
Seabat, SDRAM@100Mhz should work also at the slower speed..


On the page Marc had the link, as, he says, it's 2 sockets at á max 64MB,
but I wonder how to get to the 256MB limit in that case...
Unless the expenditure is "overwhelming" I'd get that 128MB stick and try...


--
Tumppi
=================================
Most learned on these newsgroups
Helsinki, FINLAND
(translations from/to FI not always accurate
=================================
 
Why not play it safe? www.crucial.com lists 128 MB modules that are
certified to work with the system. (The bad news is that they're $50 US
each.)


Address scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.
 
The said:
Howdy, A friend of mine has an old HP Pavilion 8240 that I am trying
to clean and speed up for his daughter. Right now is has a 32MB stick
(SDRAM) @ 66MHz/10 ns, 168-pin DIMM in it. I don't know if it is
single or double sided, but the specs say that the machine will
support both types.

I am looking at placing a stick of Mushkin 128MB into this puppy to
boost the RAM. It will only take up to 256MB and I think this will be
plenty for what it will be used for (a word processor). This is the
RAM that I'm looking at here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146077

and the specs from the home site:
PC100 - SPECIFICATIONS

Frequency: 100MHz
Latency: CAS2
Parity: Unbuffered
Voltage: 3.3V
Pins: 168
Density > > > Module: 16Mx64
Chip: 16Mx8

built with 16x8 chips = single sided module. Consult with your
motherboard manual about compatibility when it comes to single sided
density.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Will this RAM work with this computer? I hear that there can be
problems with the density of RAM but I don't know if that applies here
or not. This RAM is a faster speed and I know it will only run 66MHz
but that is OK seein' how no one seems to make 66MHz speed RAM
anymore, at least at a reasonable price.

Any opinions about using this RAM? I will probably pull the 32MB stick
out completely, by the way.
Click to expand...

Won't work. 128 meg double sided will but not single sided.

Each slot is two ranks (is what double sided means) with a max of 64MB per
rank. So double sided, 64meg x 2, is fine but not with all 128 meg on the
one 'side' as that exceeds the 64 meg limit (and is why people often see
only 'half' the memory when they put in 'high density' modules).

The chipset also wants x8 memory, which that one is but twice too big.
128x8 is 128Mb but the chipset only supports 64Mb (mega BIT) chips, 8x8.
Math it out. The data bus is 64 bits wide so it takes 8 x8 chips or, in
this case, 8 8x8 chips per side. That's 64 Megabytes. Two sides and, voila,
128 megabytes. The 'side' nomenclature comes from being able to physically
fit 8 chips on a side.

What you want is 128 meg (double sided if they mention it) with 8x8 chips
(which will mean it's double sided).

Btw, the machine *will* support single sided but not more than 64 meg per
side so 64 Megabytes, if it's single sided.
 
Howdy, A friend of mine has an old HP Pavilion 8240 that I am trying
to clean and speed up for his daughter. Right now is has a 32MB stick
(SDRAM) @ 66MHz/10 ns, 168-pin DIMM in it. I don't know if it is
single or double sided, but the specs say that the machine will
support both types.

I am looking at placing a stick of Mushkin 128MB into this puppy to
boost the RAM. It will only take up to 256MB and I think this will be
plenty for what it will be used for (a word processor). This is the
RAM that I'm looking at here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146077

and the specs from the home site:
PC100 - SPECIFICATIONS

Frequency: 100MHz
Latency: CAS2
Parity: Unbuffered
Voltage: 3.3V
Pins: 168
Density > > > Module: 16Mx64
Chip: 16Mx8

built with 16x8 chips = single sided module. Consult with your
motherboard manual about compatibility when it comes to single sided
density.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Will this RAM work with this computer? I hear that there can be
problems with the density of RAM but I don't know if that applies here
or not. This RAM is a faster speed and I know it will only run 66MHz
but that is OK seein' how no one seems to make 66MHz speed RAM
anymore, at least at a reasonable price.

Any opinions about using this RAM? I will probably pull the 32MB stick
out completely, by the way.
Click to expand...

If Win98 is used and only going to be for Wordprocessing then a fresh
install of the Operating System will tidy things up and it should be
well able to do Wordprocessing with comfort.

KM
 
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