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| RAM comes in many different kinds of configurations and types, and it runs at many different speeds, as well. Before you upgrade, you need to know how to spot the different types. Pictured in these steps are the different types of RAM, including the older-style DIPs and newer SIMMs, DIMMs, and RIMMs. You should also view the "What Is RAM Density?" tutorial for more in-depth information about DIMMs and RIMMs |
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| If you have a very old computer, it might use a dual inline package (DIP) kind of memory. DIPs came in pairs or sets of eight and could be soldered into holes on the computer's motherboard or plugged into a socket that was soldered on the motherboard. This method was fine when computers typically operated on a couple of megabytes or less of RAM, but as the need for memory grew, the number of chips needing space on the motherboard increased. Systems using this memory will not be able to run Windows® 98 and above. |
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| The two basic types of RAM today are Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM) and Rambus Dynamic RAM (RDRAM). The form you use depends on the RAM sockets installed on your motherboard (the largest printed circuit board in your computer). To know what to buy, you will need to know the limitations of your system, which can be found by checking the motherboard or your PC manual. See the "Memory Module Descriptions" tutorial for more information. |
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| The two basic types of memory modules are Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMMs) and Single Inline Memory Modules (SIMMs). These modules are a little more than an inch high and four to six inches wide, and connect to your motherboard with pins. The number of pins refers to how many contact strips are on the connector side of the SIMM or DIMM. |
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| SIMMs (Single Inline Memory Modules) plug into long matching sockets on your motherboard. Typically, a motherboard has two or three banks of SIMM sockets into which you plug the memory. SIMMs primarily come in 72-pin formats. The typical capacities of these are 1MB, 2MB, 4MB, 8MB, 16MB, and 32MB. This type of memory is old and not common in today's machines. |
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| DIMMs (Dual Inline Memory Modules) look a lot like SIMMs, but they come in a 168-pin format. They are usually a faster and higher-performance memory than SIMMs, and are used in Pentium® PCs. Their typical size is 128 MB of RAM with additional sizes of 256 and 512. |
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| RIMMs (Rambus Inline Memory Modules) look alot like DIMMs and fit in the same area as a DIMM connector. RIMMS have 184 pins in contrast to a DIMM's 168, but use the same socket specification as a standard 100MHz DIMM. RIMMs are typically compatible with Pentium PCs that have 1GHz or more processors. Check your PC's or motherboard's manual to verify whether or not you have a motherboard with the proper Rambus Circuitry to support RIMMs. See the "RIMMs" tutorial for more information. |
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| A SIMM or DIMM usually has nine chips of memory on it, eight of which are used for the memory itself. The ninth chip is the parity chip, and is used for error checking. Some computer systems require parity chips, while others do not. In general, Pentium-based computers don't require parity memory. Parity memory usually costs more than non-parity memory. Check your PC's or motherboard's manual to see which kind of memory your PC requires. |
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| The faster the memory, the faster a computer operates. Memory comes rated at different speeds, and the faster the memory, the more it costs. Memory speed is measured in nanoseconds, and the lower the nanosecond rating, the faster the memory. For example, a 60-nanosecond chip is faster than an 80-nanosecond chip. |
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| Be sure that the memory you buy is as fast as the memory you're replacing. Most older machines use memory that operates at 100 MHz - the speed of the system bus. The PC133 has recently been replacing that type, and the new DDR (double data rate) memory has been showing the greatest growth of all. This fast speed will increase performance for the whole system. |
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