Where find best RAM memory deals?

[George]

I'm wondering if there are a few mainstream *discounted* memory providers to
buy and upgrade RAM. I have 512MB, and would like to double this to get to
1GB.

I'm using a Dell Dimension 8250 PC, about 3 years old, Pentium 4 , 2.53GHz
processor, and 533MHz FSB (the clipped color magazine ad says this last
part, but it's not on the invoice, unsure if my model would be different.)

Invoice shows current RAM on this as...
512MB, PC1066 RDRAM, DIM, 2x256 (that part is easy, it's a pair of 256MB
sticks).

-Are there discount memory providers that are known to have great deals?

-What are the key factors here when I go to search for compatible memory?
Aside from searching for 512MB, are other "must search for's" ... PC1066?
RDRAM? DIM? Does it *have* to show compatibility with this exact PC?

-Dell, if I read right, wants $389 for 512MB, but it's confusing... says
"must order two" and says must pull out all existing memory. Does this mean
512MB really cost $798? And have to throw away old memory, so 1GB wuold be
$1586? Can't be right, that's price of a whole, new PC?

Thanks for any suggestions,
George

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I'm wondering if there are a few mainstream *discounted* memory providers
to buy and upgrade RAM. I have 512MB, and would like to double this to
get to 1GB.

I'm using a Dell Dimension 8250 PC, about 3 years old, Pentium 4 , 2.53GHz
processor, and 533MHz FSB (the clipped color magazine ad says this last
part, but it's not on the invoice, unsure if my model would be different.)

Invoice shows current RAM on this as...
512MB, PC1066 RDRAM, DIM, 2x256 (that part is easy, it's a pair of 256MB
sticks).

-Are there discount memory providers that are known to have great deals?

-What are the key factors here when I go to search for compatible memory?
Aside from searching for 512MB, are other "must search for's" ... PC1066?
RDRAM? DIM? Does it *have* to show compatibility with this exact PC?

-Dell, if I read right, wants $389 for 512MB, but it's confusing... says
"must order two" and says must pull out all existing memory. Does this
mean 512MB really cost $798? And have to throw away old memory, so 1GB
wuold be $1586? Can't be right, that's price of a whole, new PC?

Thanks for any suggestions,
George

RDRAM tends to be much more expensive than other types of RAM, yes. That's
one reason why it isn't widely used.

Some memory has to be used in pairs, particularly on machines built up to a
few years ago. So yes, if you wanted to use those 512 meg sticks from
Dell, that will give you 1 gig and will be US$789. At that price, you
should consider system replacement as newer systems that don't use RDRAM may
not cost a lot more. Newer processors will also have multiple cores, and
that may well give some speed increase for you.

Simply adding memory may not give you any noticeable speed increase. You
should examine the system's use of the pagefiles.

If your system calls for RDRAM of a particular speed (PC1066), that's what
you must use. You need to know exactly what the board on your system is
capable of handling before puchasing any memory.

HTH
-pk

 

[thecreator]

Hi George,

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=10

TigerDirect.com sells RDRam.

Suggestion: If new Ram from Dell costs that much, invest in a new
Motherboard with cheaper Memory Cards to install and faster memory.

What type of CPU Socket is currently in use? You may be able to replace
the Motherboard and keep the CPU and use it on the new board, if you can
replace the motherboard yourself.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I'm wondering if there are a few mainstream *discounted* memory
providers to buy and upgrade RAM. I have 512MB, and would like to
double this to get to 1GB.

I'm using a Dell Dimension 8250 PC, about 3 years old, Pentium 4 ,
2.53GHz processor, and 533MHz FSB (the clipped color magazine ad
says this last part, but it's not on the invoice, unsure if my
model would be different.)
Invoice shows current RAM on this as...
512MB, PC1066 RDRAM, DIM, 2x256 (that part is easy, it's a pair of
256MB sticks).

-Are there discount memory providers that are known to have great
deals?
-What are the key factors here when I go to search for compatible
memory? Aside from searching for 512MB, are other "must search
for's" ... PC1066? RDRAM? DIM? Does it *have* to show
compatibility with this exact PC?
-Dell, if I read right, wants $389 for 512MB, but it's confusing...
says "must order two" and says must pull out all existing memory. Does
this mean 512MB really cost $798? And have to throw away old
memory, so 1GB wuold be $1586? Can't be right, that's price of a
whole, new PC?

Visit crucial.com to make sure you get the correct RAM for your system.
Check out their prices..

Then visit www.pricewatch.com and find a place with the best price for your
RAM with lifetime warranty.

 

[John John]

You have to make sure you order the right memory, some have online
configuration utilities to make sure the memory is properly identified.
You can try:

http://www.powerleap.com/
http://www.4allmemory.com/
http://www.archmemory.com/
http://www.upgradememory.com/

These online configuration utilities (usually) need to be run with
Internet Explorer, other browser won't allow them to run.

John