OK, RAM is cheap now. My desktop is aging and needs something to help it out a bit... It's a Sony VGC RB30 and has this:

RAM
Installed Size
512MB
Technology
DDR SDRAM
Memory Speed
400MHz
System Type
Desktop

Not sure if it has 2 slots or 4... It has 2 sticks in there now, each in a slot, there are 4 total slots, but it's 2 sets of 2 that are pretty close to each other? I'm guessing too close to be independent slots and that they're for larger types of RAM, but I'm pretty clueless on this crap.

So, recommend me some RAM for this old box please! I'm running XP on it and would love at least 2gb, if not more.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820211014

hows that look?

Never heard of A Data, but you should make sure your mobo uses PC3200

Paging Luca, Luca to the showroom floor please.

Crucial.com has a pretty slick wizard to tell you exactly what you need by computer model, go get the specs from them then shop around.

Your computer takes the older DDR standard. The speed is DDR 400 as yours lists and according to crucial. If you go to Crucial.com and enter in your computer brand & model, etc you can get to this:
http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...AIO%20VGC-RB30

That should be the page for your computer. Any of that RAM will work for you. Since your computer supports dual channel (I think) you might want to get a pair of identical RAM chips to put in the two remaining RAM slots. You may be able to get it cheaper elsewhere, you can look here at newegg.com. They also have a computer search tool to pull up RAM compatible with your system:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...C-RB30C&DEPA=0

As far as what to get, as much as you can afford but realize that DDR RAM is fairly expensive since it's not made in the quantities it used to be and the newer, faster DDR2 RAM is actually cheaper. You can't use that though. So if it's worth spending $50-100 upgrading this computer then you can add another GB to 2 GB of RAM.

Be careful when installing RAM. It's not hard, but it requires some firm pressure. You'll notice each slot has two sections of connections separated by a small little plastic piece roughly in the center. One side is larger than the other, and you'll want to match that up to the RAM before inserting it.

Originally Posted by tardypizza

Crucial.com has a pretty slick wizard to tell you exactly what you need by computer model.

OK, it says :

Number of Slots:
Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Each memory slot can hold DDR PC3200 with a maximum of 1GB per slot.*

and

* Maximum Memory: 2048MB
* Slots: 4 (4 banks of 1)
* Standard Memory: 512MB removable
* USB Support: 2.x Compliant
* Although the memory can be installed one module at a time, the best performance comes from using matched pairs of modules.

Q: Will my system recognize the maximum upgrade?

A: Possibly

How much memory your Windows OS will recognize depends on which version of Windows you are running. 32-bit versions of Windows will see (and utilize) only 3GB or 3.5GB

why is the max 2gb if there are 4 slots though? Are they assuming I'm leaving the 512 in there, or what? Because if the OS can support 3~3.5gb, I'd gladly toss 3 1gb sticks in there.... If not 2gb, but if it's maxed at 2gb with 4 slots I can probably save money with 2 512mb sticks right?

I missed that. I don't remember the details on those older boards & chipsets, but it could be a chipset limitation and it can't handle more than 2GB RAM (so 4x512 or 2x1gb and nothing else). I honestly don't know, I'll look and see if I can find anything.

You've got 2x256 (which I hate, cheap bastards) so if you want to go to 2GB your best bet would be to remove that and put in 2x1gb and remove the existing 512mb or 4x512.

Originally Posted by emorphien

Be careful when installing RAM. It's not hard, but it requires some firm pressure. You'll notice each slot has two sections of connections separated by a small little plastic piece roughly in the center. One side is larger than the other, and you'll want to match that up to the RAM before inserting it.

yeah, I've installed it before, I just haven't bought it in 5+ years...

Originally Posted by emorphien

You've got 2x256 (which I hate, cheap bastards) so if you want to go to 2GB your best bet would be to remove that and put in 2x1gb and remove the existing 512mb or 4x512.

yep, and 2 x 1gb is cheaper than 4 x 512...
looks like my original link is a decent option if that brand is OK. It's the second cheapest option but has heat sinks which can't hurt right? Better reviews as well.

looks like you are limited to 2GB total

also sucks that you are on DDR as DDR2 (new ram) is crazy cheap

yeah, everyone saying how "crazy cheap" RAM is is what got me thinking... But $60 to give this some more life isn't bad... My issue is multitasking DOESN'T work with only 512mb. I only use FF, bridge and PS:CS3 on it, but it chugs when I try to do 2 at once. And it's also really unhappy with RAWs. I'm figuring 4x the RAM should help a bit, right?

seems like a lot of good reviews on that A-data. I have G-Skill in my current PC that runs great. Also Patriot is good. All are under $70

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...nd&Order=PRICE

Its the DDR2 800 stuff that is crazy cheap - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...+800+(PC2+6400)

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

yep, and 2 x 1gb is cheaper than 4 x 512...
looks like my original link is a decent option if that brand is OK. It's the second cheapest option but has heat sinks which can't hurt right? Better reviews as well.

Yeah 2x1GB should probably work fine.

Heatsinks IMO won't make a big difference, especially for your needs with that speed RAM. I've never purchased A-DATA RAM but I don't think it will be a problem, it's a fairly common brand.

yeah, but the heatsinks LOOK cooler...

seriously, it's like ~$2 more than the cheapest option and seems to have better reviews. I think that's what I'll go with. Thanks for the help guys. When I get it in I'll have to take some time and work on the ergos of my desk/office as well. Not only is the computer slow as hell, but the desk/chair sucks as well.

ordered.

You should just build a new compy Ben

Crucial is a good brand, solid RAM. If it is around the same price, I would scoop it up.

Dell outlet has some cheap yet powerful PC's

View Details
EE7YH2VV

$409.00
Inspiron 530
Intel Core 2 Quad - 2400
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
500 GB SATA II Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
3gb RAM
DVD/RW
MiniTower

http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineS...=22&l=en&s=dfh

Hey, that's only $340 more than you want to spend on RAM

Fack that's a good deal!

Originally Posted by emorphien

Fack that's a good deal!

Yeah, I mean if you want something powerful and don't want to take the time to build something, I am not sure you can go wrong.

Just looking at the various components... a quad core running at 2.4 Ghz (I assume that's what they mean since 2400 is not an Intel naming scheme) runs around $220 I think. A 500GB hard drive is at least around $100 and 3GB RAM can scrape up near $100 as well. Plus it includes everything else that you need... not a bad deal at all.

Originally Posted by emorphien

You should just build a new compy Ben

I'm very tempted to do that or buy a cheap box...

Originally Posted by thomps6s

Crucial is a good brand, solid RAM. If it is around the same price, I would scoop it up.

more expensive, I checked (25% more).

Originally Posted by thomps6s

Dell outlet has some cheap yet powerful PC's

Originally Posted by emorphien

Fack that's a good deal!

yeah, also tempting, but we're waiting and getting a decent laptop eventually. I'm done with being stuck in a room to edit my crap. Not sure what I'm going to get next, but I'm probably about 80% sure it'll be a dual booted mac laptop. My only issue is the price to get a pro blows, but I'll use my sister's educational discount to help a bit.. But I want to try the apple suit and see how it is AND have the flexibility to run windows as well.

My goal is to have a powerful laptop with a good monitor and real keyboard and mouse all setup on a desk when I need it, but a portable platform when I don't want to be in that room anymore.

But yeah, $400 is a great deal on that dell box. Tempting even with wanted a lappy as my next box. I always get suckered into cheap boxes like that over building my own. I'd love to build my own, but I'm not very demanding on my computers and a cheap decent box always works out to be less (especially considering the windows license) expensive.

I prefer to not rely on a laptop as a primary post processing system personally.

^ why?

shawn, your links don't work (expired), but the cheapest I could find is a $429 box and it's refurbed?

Although laptops have come a long ways, you'll get more horsepower for your desktop dollar, fewer slowdowns over the years with cheaper upgrades when the time comes.

Performance wise, even between comparable desktops and laptops, I often find the desktop is more responsive.

I'd prefer a good desktop, and a small/lightweight laptop that can handle some light PPing duty. In fact, if I sell the two laptops I have I'll probably look to getting a modern smaller/lighter laptop as a replacement. At this point that will likely be a project for this winter.

Check this shizat
Dell Optiplex 745c Minitower


Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E6300 (1.86GHz, 2M, 1066MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition,SP2, x32, with Media, English
3 Year Limited Warranty plus 3 Year NBD On-Site Service
512MB DDR2 Non-ECC SDRAM,667MHz, (1DIMM)
250GB SATA 3.0Gb/s and 8MB DataBurst Cache™16X DVD+/-RW SATA, Roxio Creator Dell Edition DRM16 [
Integrated Video, Intel® GMA3000 INTVID [320-4269]
Dell 20 inch E2007FP Widescreen Flat Panel, Analog E207FPW
Dell USB Keyboard, No Hot Keys EUSB [310-8010]
Dell USB 2-Button Entry Mouse with Scroll, Black USBE [310-8008] 12

$547

Notice the 512mb RAM - Waaaaay Cheaper to buy off other sites and load it yourself. Not a bad price with a 20'' WS monitor

I also want a Desktop for my editing, The lappy is nice but having a designated station is the way to go IMHO.

yeah, I certainly agree on the cheaper/more powerful desktop, and have gone that route for years... But with our small house and the Eee, I've loved being able to get out and around the house with the computer. It's been awesome for surfing but only does PP when we're on the road. I'm torn myself between getting a new desktop and a cheaper bigger lappy (like that $400 dell and a macbook, non pro) but with such a small house, it'd be really really nice to eliminate the desktop. Plus we're at both our parents houses enough and on the boat enough it'd be nice to have a good computer with me.

For all those reasons I'm pretty sure it'll be a macbook pro when we get our next new machine. It's not certain yet (I've balked every other time for a cheaper, faster desktop) but I do like the idea of a powerful laptop... And look how long I've used a desktop with 512mb of RAM? It's not like I can't tolerate my machine not being the best of the best. I'd keep a keyboard and real mouse and probably a screen for serious editing though. At least at first.

Granted, if all you do is shoot JPGs then your PP requirements are less (as long as you're not doing other things with them like HDR, panos, etc).

..

it's true

Yeah, I shoot a lot of JPEGs, but I ALSO do HDRs, Panos, AND RAWs for indoor work. Plus a 5D's JPEGs aren't exactly small...

5D JPEGs are what, 11-16MB I bet a lot of the time?

Aint nothing on what I used to get out of scanned film. 60-130MB regularly, even more for larger formats.

But now that I can actually do something with greater than 8 bit files (PS was limited to 8 bit for most things for the longest time) it makes the smaller/lower res files more demanding.

Yeah, I have a crap load of scanned slides at home as well, so I know what you mean. And trust me, once you get 3~4 5D files open at once it starts to chug.

anything would chug with 512mb RAM!

yeah, my work computer has 2gb and still doesn't fly with multiple files open at once...

thats why it needs 4gb! and dual quad cores!

yeah, neither of my current boxes can take 4gb though...

It's certainly something I'm looking into though. Either a new lappy I buy, or one I build (tower). But yeah, I need something more up to the task. I'll be waiting for the new PS to be out though so I can be sure to buy/build something to take advantage of it's GPU usage.

I wouldn't wait forever on CS4. IF you build a desktop just get a cheap video card and upgrade it later if need be.

Isn't CS4 due this fall? so if I wasn't waiting for it, I'd be building something now over a RAM injection....

oh, and it's "out for delivery". Hopefully I'll have some time to try it out tonight.

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

Isn't CS4 due this fall? so if I wasn't waiting for it, I'd be building something now over a RAM injection....

oh, and it's "out for delivery". Hopefully I'll have some time to try it out tonight.

Even if you bought a new computer, 3gb is the max on a 32 bit system. To utilize 4gb or more you need a 64 bit OS.

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

Isn't CS4 due this fall? so if I wasn't waiting for it, I'd be building something now over a RAM injection....

oh, and it's "out for delivery". Hopefully I'll have some time to try it out tonight.

Yeah but a cheap video card might run you $50 while we wait to see what CS4 really recommends (or if you'd benefit from it). If you could benefit from a faster computer now, an inexpensive video card isn't going to hold you back on anything else as long as you aren't gaming with the system.

right, but what I have has worked for 4 years... I'm just starting to get pissed at the 512, so 2gb should be more than enough to get me to Xmas. By then I should be buying/building something new, and it'll be able to use more than 2gb RAM for sure.

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

right, but what I have has worked for 4 years... I'm just starting to get pissed at the 512, so 2gb should be more than enough to get me to Xmas. By then I should be buying/building something new, and it'll be able to use more than 2gb RAM for sure.

the 2gb is going to help a lot and to you it will feel like a new compuuuuter.

yeah anything more than 512 is going to feel like a whole new system. I don't even personally find 1GB adequate to run most things smoothly on any of the major OS's now but 2GB is sort of a sweet spot to start at.

yeah, and I recently went to tiny XP (which helps too)... So it should be fine for now.

Originally Posted by emorphien

yeah anything more than 512 is going to feel like a whole new system. I don't even personally find 1GB adequate to run most things smoothly on any of the major OS's now but 2GB is sort of a sweet spot to start at.

Yeah, my 1GB system is starting to feel very inadequate.

wow, it's actually noticeably faster.

You upgraded to 2gb?

yep.

part of the noticibly faster is my twitchy ass mouse though.
It gets cat hairs in by the "laser" and gets cute.

and running bridge, PS:CS3 (opening a RAW with bridge into CS3 actually) with FF open it'll take over 500mb now, so yeah, that's why it was struggling with 512mb before. It's not fast with all 3 open, but at least it can do it now. Sticking with my usual routine should be much faster now.

I don't let out pet static bomb anywhere near my computer

I don't let ours either, but that doesn't mean there's not hair in the mouse.

****ing cats.