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will a 128mb pc133mhz work in pent 3 800mhz

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2003 10:11 am
by liteonrules
one of my computers is pent 3 800mhz and i am sure that the original memory on the computer is 128mb pc100 but will a pc 133mhz type of memory work or cause a problem

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2003 10:13 am
by ben-xo
PC133 ram is backwards compatible with PC100 or PC66 motherboards

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2003 11:00 am
by Ian
Yes and no. What chipset does your motherboard use? There are some high density PC133 DIMM's out there that will not work with Intel chipsets.

chipset?

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2003 12:00 pm
by liteonrules
chipset, not sure and how could i find that out ? but i am either goinG to buy PNY OR KINGSTON TYPE OF MEMORY

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2003 12:16 pm
by vbl117
Yes the problem would not be with PC100/133 memory speed ( PC133 is backwards compatible ) but with the fact the RAM is Double Sided or Single Sided . VIA chipsets can use Double Sided RAM but many Intel chipsets can't use it .

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2003 1:58 pm
by blakerwry
It's not a problem with the chipset, it would be a problem with a cheap motherboard maker cutting corners.

If it's a pIII it's probably a 440BX or i810/i815. Each of these chipsets will not have problems with 128MB sticks as long as they are of the configuration "16Meg x 64".

The chipset is usually clearly labelled, but may have a heatsink attached to it. The Northbridge and southbridge (the parts that make up the chipset) will look just like this:http://www.karbosguide.com/hardware/module2d13a.htm#chips


If you have the 440BX chipset you will probably be stuck with 128MB or smaller sticks. The i810 and i815 are newer and should be able to take 256MB or bigger sticks in just about any configuration.

I beleive all of these chipsets top out around 768MB-1GB of RAM although your particular motherboard may top out sooner (512MB is common for a 440BX)

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2003 5:27 pm
by Lew
The newer pc133 memory is high density AND IS NOT BACKWARD compatable with older pc100 MB. It says so on the memory packaging.

Some older MB that support PC133 may also have trouble with high density memory. I had trouble with a MB based on the VIA chipset. Older 133 memory worked but the new high density memory would not.

Kingston will work with you and exchange memory BUT THERE MAY BE A CHARGE.

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2003 5:53 pm
by Inertia
If you go to Crucial Memory Upgrades, select your motherboard or manufacturer and follow the choices you will be able to detemine which memory types are compatible with your system.

Also, see the Crucial Memory Selector for more information on the accuracy of the Crucial memory recommendations.

PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2003 11:50 am
by vbl117
In this case he could buy older PC100/133 memory modules on e-bay ( i don't understand why manufacturers would produce non compatible memory modules since the main demand comes from older motherboards owners but i trust you ) .
You could see by yourself your chipset at boot sequence beginning ....
Also many software can identify a chipset .
Bioswizard for example is one of the most famous .

You can find it there ( download "bwz-rel.exe" ) :

http://www.hellasystems.de/ftp/Utilities/BIOSWizard/

or you could try the newest Bios agent ( Bioswizard successor ) .

http://www.unicore.com/biosagent/index.cfm

I can only recommend Bioswizard since i have not tried yet Bios agent ( but you can try it of course ) .

Post your results here to clear us .

See You Soon

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2003 9:10 am
by Lew

In this case he could buy older PC100/133 memory modules on e-bay ( i don't understand why manufacturers would produce non compatible memory modules since the main demand comes from older motherboards owners but i trust you )


The memory mfg make the high density memroy because it works with most motherboards and is cheaper to make. The memory that is (almost) free AR is likely to be the PC133 only memory. If you check the OP tagline I'm sure that is what he was looking at. CC clearly labels the memory as PC133 only.

If you have a MB that takes PC133 memory but won't handle the high density memory Kingston will exchange the memory for you. If you have a MB that only takes PC100 memory they will charge you for the exchange. If you order through crucial and use their memory search you'll either get the correct memory or they'll exchange it for the correct memory.

I think this is only a problem with MB that are at least 3 years old. Again there is (currently) no real problem getting memory but IT MIGHT NOT BE THE MEMORY THAT IS ON SALE.

SDRAM

PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2003 3:42 am
by gmaster
Is it ok to use different brand of PC 133 SDRAM???
I want to add one bank of 128MB SDRAM, which will increase my PC's memory, currently 128MB. Please help me on this!!! :roll:

PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2003 7:26 am
by TheWizard
You can use different brands of PC133 RAM in tandem with one another. I'm doing it now with a PII-350 on an Intel SE440BX-2 motherboard.

SDRAM

PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2003 8:41 am
by gmaster
What if I use a 256MB PC133 SDRAM in tandem with my existing SDRAM PC 133 128MB, will it work???

PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2003 2:33 pm
by TheWizard
Depends on your motherboard specifications; what is the maximum allowed in each RAM bay? Does your motherboard support 384MB of total RAM?

PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2003 6:30 pm
by dodecahedron
some motherboards are "problematic" and don't like RAM sticks of different sizes or even different makes...you won't know till you try (or visit some motherboard/hardware forum).

this is notwithstanding TheWizards remarks - check the technical specs of your motherboard (and also the chipset on which it is based).

Thanks

PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2003 8:44 pm
by gmaster
:) Ok then, I will use the same capacity for my PC to be sure. Thanks a lot guys!!! I'll take your word for it.