andyp331 :
I have 2 GB of RAM and I want to add 4GB and when I install the new memory my computer freezes do I need a driver?
andyp331,
Well, prit87 is correct that 32-bit Windows has a limitation of RAM use (3.5GB I think), beyond which it's wasted. You can have any amount of RAM installed, but only that first amount is used by 32-bit Windows. On my 64-bit systems, I find I run out of RAM in 32-bit programs, and I can't make renderings in Sketchup of large 3D models even though the system has 24GB of RAM.
That said, there are a couple of likely reasons the system froze when adding RAM:
1. Incorrect RAM : I upgraded a couple of systems, a Dell Precision 390 and Dimension E520 running XP Pro 32-bit from 2GB to 4GB (1GB modules). These both use DDR2-667, but the 390 is ECC error-correcting and the E520 is non-ECC. I had to buy RAM for the 390 a total of three times as I first received Buffered ECC RAM that is standard in servers instead of the Unbuffered, and the second round, I never learned what the problem was- only the last two characters of the model were different. The third time I ordered, I copied the exact designation: PC2-5300E-555-12-G0 of the original RAM and bought used RAM with that exact number and brand and it worked. With the E520, I bought memory with the exact numbers and there were no problems. My impression is that the older the system- these are from 2005- and if it's a name brand, the fussier the memory.
2. Old BIOS: With both the 390 and E520, the BIOS was the original and would only recognize 4GB. I downloaded the little *.EXE BIOS from Dell.com support and magically, these systems can use 8GB. As I've changed these to Win7 Professional 64-bit, the Precision 390 will probably have the full 8GB. Checking the BIOS and other settings is also a good idea in general when updating. Both of these systems were set to only recognize one core. As I changed the 390 from Core2 Duo 2.66 to a quad core Xeon x3230 (2.67GHz), resetting the cores enabled in msconfig, the CPU benchmark jumped from 813 to 3643 after the multi-core setting. Also, I did not AHCI disk enabled, so I had a boost in the disk performance as well.
I like getting these older systems running well- they can be entirely useful, but the memory seems to be very fussy in Dell at least.
Unnecessary History: Memory may be fussy, but compare the cost of it from 20 years ago. I had an IBM 486 DX2 50MHz in 1993 and I wanted to upgrade it from 2MB to the maximum 4MB- yes that's Mega and not Giga, and a 2MB module cost $180-and only IBM memory would work. At $90 per MB, a 1GB module would cost $92,000. The 85MB HD was changed to the largest then made- 540MB which cost $570- so a 1TB at that rate would be about $1,100,000. I'd not calculated it before, but that system with a 50MHz CPU cost $2,800 so $56/ MHz means my 3600MHz HP would cost $202,000.
No matter what the problem, it's a lot better now!
Cheers,
BambiBoom
HP z420 (2014) > Xeon E5-1620 quad core @ 3.6 / 3.8GHz > 24GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro 4000 (2GB)> Samsung 840 SSD 250GB /Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > AE3000 USB WiFi > HP 2711X, 27" 1920 X 1080 > Windows 7 Ultimate 64 >[Passmark system rating = 3923, 2D= 839 / 3D=2048]
Dell Precision T5400 (2008) > 2X Xeon X5460 quad core @3.16GHz > 16GB DDR2 ECC 667> Quadro FX 4800 (1.5GB) > WD RE4 500GB / Seagate Barracuda 500GB > M-Audio 2496 Sound Card / Linksys 600N WiFi > Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit > [Passmark system rating = 1859, CPU = 8528 / 2D= 512 / 3D=1097]
Dell Precision 390 (2005) Xeon x3230 quad core @ 2.67GHz > 4 GB DDR2 ECC 667 > Firepro V4900 (1GB)> 2X WD 320GB > Windows 7 Profession 64-bit [Passmark system rating = 1431, CPU = 3642 / 2D= 433 / 3D=1346]
2D, 3D CAD, Image Processing, Rendering, Text > Architecture, industrial design, graphic design, written projects
I