I have a motherboard with three memory slots.
At the moment I have:
bank 0 - 64MB PC133
bank 1 - 128MB PC133
Bank 2 - open
I have the opportunity to put either a 128MB PC100 or a 64MB PC133 into bank 2, what would be the better choice since the 64MB is faster than the 128MB?
In other words is the extra 64MB boost worth the slowdown in speed?
Sorry, 'squire, yer q’s need b’sea or Q-tip for answers.
If you already have PC133 installed I would go with the 64mb PC133. Your memory will only run as fast as the slowest module, so installing the PC100 would effectively downgrade everything to that speed.
I think you would notice that decrease in overall performance in comparison to having an extra 64mb of ram which is a fairly nominal amount. I usually upgrade in 512mb or 1gb chunks and only then do I really see a difference, but I’m also running multiple programs, games, music, video and photo editing software…
So, go with PC133 across the board. It also doesn’t hurt to try installing each one, then running your system as you normally would to see which feels better. You may hardly notice a difference. Also on a side note, your system sounds like it may have a few years on it and installing a new processor or ram may not be worth it, but you’ll almost always see a boost in performance if you invest in a faster hard drive and keep it clean and defragged. Sorry if this is a little scattered… tired…
If you’ve already to the point of having the case cracked, why not try each? Can’t hurt, and if it does, the computer will tell you when it’s booting up, or it won’t recognize it in that slot.
Front side bus speed and size don’t always mean better performance if they’re not compatible. Extra sticks don’t always enhance performance if the processor has to wade through a bunch of extraneous silicon to access it. A stick you got from a friend who was throwing away an old comp might not help.
Would recommend moving the highest RAM and fastest speed stick to the 0 position.
Would also recommend a couple hundred bucks for a barebones 2+ Ghz, 512mb RAM system that will smoke whatever you’re trying to keep alive here. If not, bluebledthesea’s recommendations regarding cleaning and defragging might help a little.