Upgrading Memory

[RasterBlaster]

samsontha1,

Sorry for the late reply - I missed the email notification - Windows 7 has me really busy right now. Thank you for the nice words.

1) Sounds like your install went well. Having the computer power on without beeping is the first hurdle. If your memory was not compatible, it probably would have reported less than what was installed or not booted at all.

2) Dual Channel mode allow two memory sticks from the same manufacturerand of the same type to work in tandem - to get better performance.

3) Heat kills PCs. I understand the benefits of having your PC behind closed doors (I have one inside an entertainment center myself), but you will probably need to keep the dust bunnies out. Clean it regularly. I personally don't mind removing the side panel from the PC case (if it is behind closed doors), to better ventilate the inside. If things are getting too hot... you might want to install a slot fan. If there are parts in the PC you don't want to use - such as a 56K modem... take it out. This makes more room and is one less little heater.

[BlondieZodiac]

Memory Help please, I am not too bad with computers, but some things I need help with.  My M9070 developed a problem and I established it is the memory as I ran PC Doctor that comes with my HP Computer and it failed in the memory section in a few parts. 

I have put one memory stick back a 1gb and it is now working fine, but is there a way, other than trying each stick separately that I can tell which one was the faulty one please? Or maybe it could possibly have been more than one stick faulty?

Can you also tell me what significance are the slots being black and blue please?

When I took them out they were as so:  

512 Hynix Black Bank Socket 1gb Samsung Blue Bank Socket  512 Hynix black Bank Socket 1gb Samsung Blue Bank Socket with computer lay on its side 512 nearest to front on/off switch on computer. 

I have now installed a 1gb where the first 512 was and it works perfectly, and I have run the PC Doctor and I now dont get any failures. But I dont know what to do next, as I was under the impression we shouldnt mix makes but obviously Hewlett Packard did using Samsung and Hynix. 

[RAD45]

Hi there!  Memory problems are generally something simple or overlooked. Make sure all the memory sticks are completely seated.. if they were and
the PC Doc indicated a bad stick... and since you know one Samsung stick works, just plug in the other 1GB Samsung next to it (blue and black) and try
booting up.  Check to see if the OS is recognizing both sticks.  Since the two 512-MB Hynix sticks are OEM, your problem is most likely there.  (I tossed mine in favor of four matched 1-GB sticks and have had no problems and smoother operation.)
   As for the color scheme, it really doesn't mean anything.  The H-P support site and online manual don't indicate you must color match the memory sticks. Your motherboard is a "corporate" piece made by Asus -- but without Asus's neat BIOS features.  About the only thing you can do is to make sure all your memoiry sticks are matched... brand name, speed and memory size.  IMHO, spend the $$ and get two more matching 1-GB sticks of Samsung and plug all the slots.  If you're running Vista 32 or 64-bit, you should see a pickup in speed and smoother multi-tasking.
    One note, if you are or intend to run VISTA-54 bit or uopgrade to Windows7-54-bit operating system, your motherboard will run four 2-GB memoiry sticks for a total of 8-GB.  Unless you do a lot of video or photo work, or a lot of audio processing, 8-GB of RAM would be overkill.  Good luck!

[BlondieZodiac]

Hi There!

Thank you so much for replying to me, I am trying to seat the other 1gb now, and it wont click think I am weak, no muscles will try again after dinner.

I tend to agree with you really, and I will purchase 2 x 1gb Samsung ones tomorrow if this works.  I did suspect the 512 I tell you why, as it was in the first dock, and I couldnt load windows.  Will let you know later.  In the meantime my grateful thanks for your prompt reply.

The computer has never been moved, so doubt that it was a case of not being seated properly, in fact, my own silly fault this computer has been a bit troublesome from the moment I purchased it. 

I do have M9277 too being a big Hewlett Packard fan from the days of my first one Pavilion 7965 and an HP 8000 series laptop with bright view widescreen.  I wish in a way I had never bought a laptop now, as the screen has gone, full of coloured lines, and I have to work through a separate monitor, it only lasted a couple of years and was not cheap being a 3.4 gb Processor.

[RAD45]

Hey, B-Z..
      Sounds like you've been having fun!  About the "no clink".. it is possible to have the memory stick reversed! Doubt check to see the little indent in the bottom
lines up exactly with the key in the middle of the memory slot.  If those line up, then very firm pressure with a little rocking motion should resujlt in the memory
sliding in an locking in those tabs on the end of the slot.  It does take some pressure -- that's where the "gentle" rocking motion comes in -- not side to side, but
end-to-end!  I'm not a fan of "generic" memory... with brand names you get a warranty!  I'll be interested to know how your problem turns out.
     BTW, I've had my probs with laptops... Compaq Presario has gone though two screens -- the wires break at the hinge!  It might be your problem too.
Anyway, got an Asus EeePC 1000H for hauling around -- its great! And it can drive up to 1440x900 wide screen!

[slingshot]

Is there really any big reason to upgrade memory from 8GB to 12 GB or even up to 8GB?  What's with the very large memory builds from the factory these days anyway? Just because it is cheap?  I have no clue if I really need to get 8 or 9 GB with a Windows 7 system or would 4-6 GB be plenty enough.  Is there really a noticeable performance increase in Windows 7 going from several GB to 8GB or more?   What size do you set virtual memory paging file with these huge memory setups?  Do you even need a paging file anymore or just use a small one?  The old formula as memory x 1.5.  Hard to believe that would still be the number to use today.

[RasterBlaster]

Great topic!

I'm running 6 PCs with Windows 7 ranging from 1 GB to 8 GB. Some similar in architecture - two are touchsmarts. I don't see a dramatic increase in system performance unless I am working with big video or graphic files... or lots of graphical applications running (TouchSmart).

I'm pretty sure you can toss the old formula out the window. I seem to get the best performance out of caching by suimply setting it to let the system manage the size. It seems every time I try to set a static number for Virtual Memory, something comes up to cause a low virtual memory error and tic me off while I'm in the middle of video editing.

I'm pretty sure Windows 7 requires a paging file and you can access the settings from Advanced System Properties - and then the Advanced tab from Performance Settings. My opinion is that system managed size is best.

[latnlov3r]

im not dumb when it comes to computers but im not to smart either...i just got windows 7 x32 installed on my a1710n. i looked up the specifications online to see if it could handle W7 x64 and according to this website it said that the a1710n processor can handle it but when i went to install it it gave me a error saying windows does not support something or another so i just installed the W7x32.....so if u can let me know!!.....also i just got 2 1g stick of ddr2 667 mhz 5300 ram and they work great... Do all ur 4 sticks have to match? so i know when i buy 2 more gbs ill get same ones....also what would be a good compatble video card for this system im a gamer so i need something nice and cheap...found a nvidia 1g mem 8series for 35dollars need to know if it will work with my system its also a pcie x16 something or another.... pls answer my questions if u can....

[RAD45]

Hello latnlov3r..  While a Pavilion a1710n will support W7-64 bit... the installation for 64-bit has to be "clean"... meaning wipe the hard drive clean and start over. This means reinstalling all drivers, programs and things like Favorites lists and passwords!   The stock a1710n isn't really ready for W7, unless you have a good video card -- no running MB video -- and you should have 4GBs of matched memory sticks...so get 2-more of the DDR2-5300 sticks.  The problem with a good video card is the range of options and the MB supports only "PCI-e 16"...that means Invidia 8000-9000 series or ATI 3000- lower 4000 series.  You mentioned a 1-GB, Invidia 8000-series card -- that should work fine, just make sure you have a power plug from the PSU available and the video card is a "PCIe-16" and not a "PCIe-16 - 2.0"  AND, if you're going to do all this, you'd better check your Power Supply Unit.  The OEM unit is (at least mine is) a BesTec 300 Watt -- at least 100-watts too little.  If you check some of the PSU calculators (Corsair, CoolMax, HEC, etc.), you'll find running a good (not super) video card (with cooling) fan, 4GB of RAM, 1-or-2 hard-drives and a DVD-CD/Burner needs approximately 420-watts -- so you're looking for something 475-550 watts minimum.   The Athlon 64x2 dual-core processor will run W7 okay... you might eventually want to upgrade the processor into the 5400-6000+ range.. for which you'll definitely need a bigger PSU.  I intend on maxing my a1710n out, but with an eye toward changing to a newer Asus MB, so I can tinker with BIOS settings!  Good Luck!

[latnlov3r]

Hello RAD45,

   thanks for ur input im currently going to school for IT and i have alot of support there.....but i get different answers all the time from teacher and students alike. one thing is the ram i was told that they can be diff kinda brand sticks as long as u have same ddr2 and freq. i think that is what u mean by matched right?? ok i just upgraded my my psu to 600watts from pricewatch... good price 19.99....ok how do i do a clean whipe...bc that is what i wanted to do..when i took A+ in high school in 2003 i remember we used floppy disk then to do all that i just figuered that by inserting the w7 cd it would whipe it for me.... i cleaned my comp of all the stuff i need so i want a clean computer like factory bc i had a few trojans i needed to get ride of that kaspersky did not.... and i want w7 x64 but as of now only got 3gbs of ram....i dont use my cd/dvd to much and my HD i will upgrade later for faster read and write speed its at 7200 now.... do you know what intel proc the MB can handle for gaming not sure which way to go..... this stuff is still new to me but im learning.....should i overcloak my processor i have now??? im learning that too lol its 2.2 ghz now was thinkning 2.8 or 3.0 max bc cant really read above 3.2 anyway and i dont want to over heat...waiting for your input thanks...and anyone elses input