questions about upgrading ram

[ex_nihilo]

well i have a gq 3151 that has 128 of ram installed, but when i look at the system properties it only shows 96.0mb of ram. ive tried to use the scanning tool from crucial.com and it suggest i get DDR-PC3200, but when i opened up the computer and took out the ram. it says DDR400. any ideas on what to get? this is mainly gunna be used to check email and internet

 

[Muffin Man]

pc3200 = ddr 400.

can you post the link to the results of the scan?

 

[ex_nihilo]

Memory upgrades from Crucial.com - Determine My Memory Needs

 

[Muffin Man]

hmm... somethings weird, because according to crucial, your system supports 500+ gigs of ram ....

and i cant find any solid info on your mobo either. your mobo model is 741GX-M2 but a search only brings this model up, 741GX-M (no 2 at the end)
ECS Web Site

that mobo supports 2gigs of ddr 333, so my best guess would be that your version has some kind of additional features or something including support for 2gigs of ddr 400 because youre running ddr 400 right now...

 

[kimsland]

well i have a gq 3151 that has 128 of ram installed, but when i look at the system properties it only shows 96.0mb of ram.

128-96=32meg

Your Video card is using 32meg of your onboard Ram

 

[ex_nihilo]

yeah that is pretty wierd, do you have any recommendations for the ram?

 

[ex_nihilo]

128-96=32meg

Your Video card is using 32meg of your onboard Ram

oh didnt know that. i should get some more ram then. whats the minimum for xp?

 

[kimsland]

well i have a gq 3151

Most older computers will allow up to 2GB minimum to be installed
Running XP plus SP3 and Antivirus and other programs really does need ~2GB of Ram, for it to run smoothly

If you install 2GB of Ram you can then adjust your system bios to use 512meg on your Video card (some have this adjustment
To confirm what specifications and how to adjust System Bios Settings, please download your Motherboard Manual, or go to your computer manufacturer's support website to get this

 

[Muffin Man]

how much are you looking to spend on this upgrade? 2gigs would be costing you $57
Newegg.com - WINTEC 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AMD1400-2GK-R - Desktop Memory

 

[Lexluethar]

oh didnt know that. i should get some more ram then. whats the minimum for xp?

Per Windows, the minimum to run XP is 128 mb RAM. The Max you can run on any 32 bit system is 3.5 gig (which includes video memory, ram and any misc system / onboard memory).