Searching for RAM.

[the_rookie]

I'm not very computer savvy, so forgive me if my question is common sense. Where would you find what type of ram a computer has without the user manual?

Thnaks in advance.

[tylerdurden]

Do you have a name brand PC or a white box? Crucial.com (and some others) can give you the right type of RAM if you give them your make and model number. Crucial has pretty good prices and excellent quality.

[the_rookie]

Just a white box, so I'm not quite sure what type of motherboard was used... I'll open it up and see if I can see any details. Thanks for the headsup on the website.

[Freakin]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you have a name brand PC or a white box? Crucial.com (and some others) can give you the right type of RAM if you give them your make and model number. Crucial has pretty good prices and excellent quality.

[/ QUOTE ]

Others are pny.com and kingston.com. You are looking for a 'memory configurator'. If your computer is not a name brand, then pop the stick out and bring it to a store (i'd recommend a place other than superstores like CompUSA). Go for local stores that build their own systems.

Freakin

Also, some helpful information is the make/model of your motherboard (usually located in white or black lettering between the PCI (white) slots) and the CPU Speed and model.

Freakin

[Orpheus]

If you have an older computer, I might be able to guess from the CPU/speed (which you can find by right-clicking "My Computer" and selecting "Properties"

You can also often find key information that may help you deduce the RAm type by by entering the BIOS and looking at the settings.

However, the best thing you can do is open the case (with the power off and the computer unplugged) and looking at the motherboard (the PC board everything else is either wired to or plugged into) to find the Make/Model #. Once you have that, it would be easy for any of us to find out what types of RAM your motherboard will take, any compatibility issues, and even point you at a downloadable copy of your manual.

A flashlight often really helps when looking around inside a computer, even if you think you have okay lighting. Also, touch the metal frame of the computer before poking around: there are static sensitive parts in there!

To find out EXACTLY what kind of RAM you already, you must read the label on the RAM sticks themselves, which can be awkward unless you remove the RAM from the PC -- an easy task, but you'd probably be better off having a tech-savvy friend do it. They'll also be able to grab the relevant numbers off the label or look up the part # on the web.

[the_rookie]

It's a fairly new computer, but I like the idea of taking the chip out and let an expert figure it out. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[NoTalent]

Look and see if you can tell which one you have:

[smb394]

Also, when you find out what you have, check out pricegrabber.com for a comparison of prices... on there now for the new dell 6000 laptop [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]