Computer Upgrade - Ram?

Question

OK i recently upgraded my 512 MB ram to 2.5 GB ram (adding a 2gb to it)
but after playing a few games on the computer the computer slows down to the way it was before without the additional ram is there a way to optimize it or anyway to improve efficiency

oh yeh the computer only recognizes half the added ram thus making it 1.5GB

Answer 1

What you need to look at is how much your motherboard can handle in terms of ram wise. Do you still have the owners manual is this a clone or branded name? if it's a clone search for you model it should tell you how much ram you can upgrade. If it's a branded name look for the motherboard model and do the same search on the manufacture site and it should specify on there. The windows OS 32bit max it will ever see if up to 3.5GB depending on the motherboard you got. So unless you have 64bit operating system it will see up to 128GB of ram.

Most new motherboards nowadays supports up to 8GB.



What you also have to remember even if you add more ram. That still doesn't improve your gaming performance. Gaming performance increase has a few things to be upgraded. Need a better video card, faster ram, and of course your overall speed your CPU. All the ram do for you is help you multi task better so if you're opening 5-6 programs at the same that should help improve it.





hope that helps.

Answer 2

Yes, upgrade to at least 2Gb, the new standard. Go to the dell website and to find out what kind you need. Should be anywhere from $20-40. This will significantly increase your computers performance. Computers are getting cheaper, and you can get a decent dual core processor for $500 and at least 2Gb's of ram and a very roomy 200Gb hard drive. If you wish to make that leap. You probably can't upgrade the graphics card in that computer since PCI express didn't really come on that many computers back then, so if you upgrade your whole computer and then upgrade the graphics card for a far superior computer than the one you have right now.

Answer 3

Ok, so it seems that your Video card or AGP is taking share of your memory that's why your memory is shared with video and is being used by graphics card when you run games.

If you still want to speed up your pc while playing games, etc.

you should install an new External Graphics Card instead of on board. Beucase On board graphic card shares the memory of your RAM and it's not Good.

Answer 4

Remove the 512MB RAM stick and your computer should recognize the full 2GB RAM (which is the max recognized by a 32 bit OS anyway). Mixing RAM sizes usually has adverse effects to your computer.

Answer 5

Hello your computer proberly doesnt reconise mixed RAM.I would firstly remove the smaller RAM stick and see how that goes.



Although the RAM you bought is new I would run this to check it is ok:



http://www.pchelpforum.com/memory/58877-memtest86-how-download-run.html



Also check the RAM is compatable:





http://www.crucial.com/



I hope this helps?



JB.