The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Is 320mb of ram enough for this Dell PC?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by rocketman, Jan 20, 2006.

  1. rocketman

    rocketman Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    33
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    My friend has a Dell Optiplex GX150 mini desktop system that is running extremely slow since he’s running Windows XP Pro with only 128mb of ram. He asked me to add memory to his PC so I looked on Crucials site and they sell 256mb modules for $53 each. I checked his configuration and unfortunately he has two 64mb modules, I was hoping it was one 128mb module so it could still be used. What should I suggest, scrap one of the 64mb and add 256mb for a total of 320mb for a cost of $53 or scrap both 64mb modules and add two 256mb for a total of 512mb (the most his PC can take) for $106? He uses the PC for web surfing and Microsoft Word exclusively. I don’t want to spend his money frivolously so if the 512mb is overkill I prefer to save him the extra $53. What do you think, should 320mb be sufficient?
     
    rocketman, Jan 20, 2006
    #1
  2. drumfu

    drumfu super modfu

    Reputations:
    436
    Messages:
    3,651
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    normally i would say 512 minimum for XP, especially on a slower machine. however, if all he's doing is surfing and Word, maybe it's smarter not to drop $100+ bucks for ram and just get 1 stick
     
    drumfu, Jan 20, 2006
    #2
  3. ccbr01

    ccbr01 Matlab powerhouse! NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    448
    Messages:
    1,700
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    In my old 1ghz athlon, 256mb ran fine for basic apps, but when I upgraded to 768mb, a big increase in performance was noticed.
     
    ccbr01, Jan 20, 2006
    #3
  4. USAFdude02

    USAFdude02 NBR Reviewer & Deity NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    762
    Messages:
    2,025
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    You migh want to check www.newegg.com for the RAM. They have great deals and will be cheaper than most other places.
     
    USAFdude02, Jan 20, 2006
    #4
  5. zicky

    zicky Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    62
    Messages:
    451
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I have an old Latitude with 256 MB RAM and it works ok. You can buy more RAM if you will and you'll see a better performance, it really is up to you. If money is more of a concern, stay with 320 MB, if not, go 512MB by all means. My brother always says, you can never have enough RAM.
     
    zicky, Jan 20, 2006
    #5
  6. Amber

    Amber Notebook Prophet NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    1,659
    Messages:
    5,066
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    Like the others said, your friend will notice a significant increase in the speed and productivity. While XP will run on lower amounts of ram, it is recommend to have at least 256 to run it according to MS. Even with 256, you will still have slow speeds. I would try to get 512mb or more. I would also suggest to go to newegg.com like USAF did.
     
    Amber, Jan 20, 2006
    #6
  7. rocketman

    rocketman Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    33
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    I went to newegg.com and searched for SDRAM PC133 which is what the Optiplex GX150 takes and didn't find anything better than what Crucial is offering. Any other place I can get it from that's reliable and less expensive?
     
    rocketman, Jan 20, 2006
    #7
  8. Ninefoot3

    Ninefoot3 Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    13
    Messages:
    98
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    You'll need to ebay some name brand pc133 memory. I had to get some for a p3 1.0ghz machine I built for my dad (who can't spell ' P.C.') and got 2x256 sticks for $30 shipped. Just have to be patient and wait for the right auction to be posted I guess.

    Don't buy new ram for that rig, it's throwing good money after bad. While it's worth the memory upgrade, it's not worth overpaying the higher prices charged for obsolete and rarely produced memory that's new when there's a TON of second-hand product out there to be had at lower costs.

    Once again, patience is the key here. Be ready to look up compatibility for any brand names you may run across.

    there's two auctions from the same seller for this same item (example)

    http://cgi.ebay.com/Crucial-256MB-1...581819784QQcategoryZ14917QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

    Might get outpriced tho.

    OR get new... review says it worked on a Dell Dimension:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?item=N82E16820211005
     
    Ninefoot3, Jan 20, 2006
    #8