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#1
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
I read an article below about External Hard-drive purchase. I got aa lot out
of it, and will read more later, but it is along the lines of what I need to ask. If you need any info from me, please ask and tell me where to find it. I plan on installing as much RAM and hard drive as I can in the shorter-term so I can archive my music collection and dvd's. I actually would like to install what I can internally instead of externally. I have 32-bit XP, 1GB ddr2 memory (RAM?), and AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800+ 2.01 GHz, 768 MB of RAM on an Acer ASE380-ED380M. I opened my computer up last weekend. I saw the SATA hard-drive and 3 other potential spots for more hard-drive. I want to fill 2 or 3 with SATA, but saw PATA drives. I don't know what PATA is, but it's bigger. Can my system handle it? I'm going to start getting 2 or 3 terabytes (or more). I have lots of music, dj for fun, but I also make music and need space. I noticed that there was a certain kind of small black plug connected to the hard-drive from the back of the computer with lots of wires comming out of that. It was split (connecting to the hard-drive there) and one is free for one spot (not the three like I want). I noticed on web-sites there are certain kinds of power cords for sale and in my computer tower it appeared that my dvd-drive was connected to a white plug (not the small black ones, but that bigger white connection went into the back of my computer too), on that white plug it connected to the dvd-drive and could be dissattached. But the dvd-drive connector did not block any more connections, it continued it (something else can be plugged in still). Can the small black plugs do this too (connect to each other and keep the chain going)? Or am I limited to the two connections for hard-drive? For the RAM There are 4 ports, in two there were 2 - 512 chips, the other two were empty. Do I have to have a specific kind of RAM? I know sometimes some computers can only handle some amount or kinds of it. What is in the back of my computer tower? It's where the plug-in for the electrical outlet goes, and everything in te tower connects to. Is this my ADM Dual Core Processor? Or is the processor the motherboard with all those diodes, and ports (it's on the side and covers it. It's the big thin piece). Can this thing in the back of the tower be replaced? Are they usually left alone? What can I put in the back of my computer where these PCI local Bus ports are? I have 4 slots. 2 large ones, one small and one square (I think, or two smaller ones). One has a modem in there I don't use (a line in can be seen), the other three are free. Can this make my system 64-bit, or is it needed to install stuff to accelerate my computer? Can I put more memory or a graphics care there or something? Lastly I figured I can fit a small drive and another dvd/hd burner/reader of some kind in front. But that can wait a bit. How can I find out the lmitation on what kind of computer I have (what the motherboard can handle, or the processor, etc. Eg: Some items cannot be installed into older computers (mainly due to not having the right connectors, ports, etc). I don't want to buy something that is too advanced for my computer to read or run with. I just want to learn and to install what I can myself. |
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#2
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
Brian V wrote:
I read an article below about External Hard-drive purchase. I got aa lot out of it, and will read more later, but it is along the lines of what I need to ask. If you need any info from me, please ask and tell me where to find it. I plan on installing as much RAM and hard drive as I can in the shorter-term so I can archive my music collection and dvd's. I actually would like to install what I can internally instead of externally. I have 32-bit XP, 1GB ddr2 memory (RAM?), and AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800+ 2.01 GHz, 768 MB of RAM on an Acer ASE380-ED380M. I opened my computer up last weekend. I saw the SATA hard-drive and 3 other potential spots for more hard-drive. I want to fill 2 or 3 with SATA, but saw PATA drives. I don't know what PATA is, but it's bigger. Can my system handle it? I'm going to start getting 2 or 3 terabytes (or more). I have lots of music, dj for fun, but I also make music and need space. I noticed that there was a certain kind of small black plug connected to the hard-drive from the back of the computer with lots of wires comming out of that. It was split (connecting to the hard-drive there) and one is free for one spot (not the three like I want). I noticed on web-sites there are certain kinds of power cords for sale and in my computer tower it appeared that my dvd-drive was connected to a white plug (not the small black ones, but that bigger white connection went into the back of my computer too), on that white plug it connected to the dvd-drive and could be dissattached. But the dvd-drive connector did not block any more connections, it continued it (something else can be plugged in still). Can the small black plugs do this too (connect to each other and keep the chain going)? Or am I limited to the two connections for hard-drive? For the RAM There are 4 ports, in two there were 2 - 512 chips, the other two were empty. Do I have to have a specific kind of RAM? I know sometimes some computers can only handle some amount or kinds of it. What is in the back of my computer tower? It's where the plug-in for the electrical outlet goes, and everything in te tower connects to. Is this my ADM Dual Core Processor? Or is the processor the motherboard with all those diodes, and ports (it's on the side and covers it. It's the big thin piece). Can this thing in the back of the tower be replaced? Are they usually left alone? What can I put in the back of my computer where these PCI local Bus ports are? I have 4 slots. 2 large ones, one small and one square (I think, or two smaller ones). One has a modem in there I don't use (a line in can be seen), the other three are free. Can this make my system 64-bit, or is it needed to install stuff to accelerate my computer? Can I put more memory or a graphics care there or something? Lastly I figured I can fit a small drive and another dvd/hd burner/reader of some kind in front. But that can wait a bit. How can I find out the lmitation on what kind of computer I have (what the motherboard can handle, or the processor, etc. Eg: Some items cannot be installed into older computers (mainly due to not having the right connectors, ports, etc). I don't want to buy something that is too advanced for my computer to read or run with. I just want to learn and to install what I can myself. It is unlikely you need more RAM/system memory unless you plan to upgrade to another OS (given this is the third post I have seen from you lately - I bet that is on your mind merely because of your erratic way of gathering information.) Acer ASE380-ED380M - that's mainly what people needed. Looking around - I am betting that is an Acer Aspire E380. What you can do with it is *very* limited. That is a very proprietary system. Go to ACER's web page... Support. Look at the paperwork/CDs that came with the system. You can take it up to 4GB memory: http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...=Aspire%20E380 But for most people - it is a waste. Even if you were to get Windows 7 x64 (which acer does have a red x next to Windows 7 support for this desktop - meaning they don't support that) and install a bunch of heavy programs (music/video editing, phot editing, etc) - it is unlikely you would go beyond 3GB used given the questions you have asked in the past/now. Memory/System Memory/RAM - that is not like hard disk drive space. I think you are better off just getting an external USB hard disk drive - using that for storage... Keeping whatever memory/RAM/system memory you have currently at its current level and cleaning up/properly maintaining it until you can spend $300-$750 on a new system that will make that system seem sad and slow. ;-) And if you were gettting ready to buy more memory and hard drive space for it - you may already be there. -- Shenan Stanley MS-MVP -- How To Ask Questions The Smart Way http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html |
#3
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
Brian V wrote:
I read an article below about External Hard-drive purchase. I got aa lot out of it, and will read more later, but it is along the lines of what I need to ask. If you need any info from me, please ask and tell me where to find it. I plan on installing as much RAM and hard drive as I can in the shorter-term so I can archive my music collection and dvd's. I actually would like to install what I can internally instead of externally. I have 32-bit XP, 1GB ddr2 memory (RAM?), and AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800+ 2.01 GHz, 768 MB of RAM on an Acer ASE380-ED380M. I opened my computer up last weekend. I saw the SATA hard-drive and 3 other potential spots for more hard-drive. I want to fill 2 or 3 with SATA, but saw PATA drives. I don't know what PATA is, but it's bigger. Can my system handle it? I'm going to start getting 2 or 3 terabytes (or more). I have lots of music, dj for fun, but I also make music and need space. I noticed that there was a certain kind of small black plug connected to the hard-drive from the back of the computer with lots of wires comming out of that. It was split (connecting to the hard-drive there) and one is free for one spot (not the three like I want). I noticed on web-sites there are certain kinds of power cords for sale and in my computer tower it appeared that my dvd-drive was connected to a white plug (not the small black ones, but that bigger white connection went into the back of my computer too), on that white plug it connected to the dvd-drive and could be dissattached. But the dvd-drive connector did not block any more connections, it continued it (something else can be plugged in still). Can the small black plugs do this too (connect to each other and keep the chain going)? Or am I limited to the two connections for hard-drive? For the RAM There are 4 ports, in two there were 2 - 512 chips, the other two were empty. Do I have to have a specific kind of RAM? I know sometimes some computers can only handle some amount or kinds of it. What is in the back of my computer tower? It's where the plug-in for the electrical outlet goes, and everything in te tower connects to. Is this my ADM Dual Core Processor? Or is the processor the motherboard with all those diodes, and ports (it's on the side and covers it. It's the big thin piece). Can this thing in the back of the tower be replaced? Are they usually left alone? What can I put in the back of my computer where these PCI local Bus ports are? I have 4 slots. 2 large ones, one small and one square (I think, or two smaller ones). One has a modem in there I don't use (a line in can be seen), the other three are free. Can this make my system 64-bit, or is it needed to install stuff to accelerate my computer? Can I put more memory or a graphics care there or something? Lastly I figured I can fit a small drive and another dvd/hd burner/reader of some kind in front. But that can wait a bit. How can I find out the lmitation on what kind of computer I have (what the motherboard can handle, or the processor, etc. Eg: Some items cannot be installed into older computers (mainly due to not having the right connectors, ports, etc). I don't want to buy something that is too advanced for my computer to read or run with. I just want to learn and to install what I can myself. It is unlikely you need more RAM/system memory unless you plan to upgrade to another OS (given this is the third post I have seen from you lately - I bet that is on your mind merely because of your erratic way of gathering information.) Acer ASE380-ED380M - that's mainly what people needed. Looking around - I am betting that is an Acer Aspire E380. What you can do with it is *very* limited. That is a very proprietary system. Go to ACER's web page... Support. Look at the paperwork/CDs that came with the system. You can take it up to 4GB memory: http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...=Aspire%20E380 But for most people - it is a waste. Even if you were to get Windows 7 x64 (which acer does have a red x next to Windows 7 support for this desktop - meaning they don't support that) and install a bunch of heavy programs (music/video editing, phot editing, etc) - it is unlikely you would go beyond 3GB used given the questions you have asked in the past/now. Memory/System Memory/RAM - that is not like hard disk drive space. I think you are better off just getting an external USB hard disk drive - using that for storage... Keeping whatever memory/RAM/system memory you have currently at its current level and cleaning up/properly maintaining it until you can spend $300-$750 on a new system that will make that system seem sad and slow. ;-) And if you were gettting ready to buy more memory and hard drive space for it - you may already be there. -- Shenan Stanley MS-MVP -- How To Ask Questions The Smart Way http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html |
#4
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
Brian V wrote:
I read an article below about External Hard-drive purchase. I got aa lot out of it, and will read more later, but it is along the lines of what I need to ask. If you need any info from me, please ask and tell me where to find it. I plan on installing as much RAM and hard drive as I can in the shorter-term so I can archive my music collection and dvd's. I actually would like to install what I can internally instead of externally. I have 32-bit XP, 1GB ddr2 memory (RAM?), and AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800+ 2.01 GHz, 768 MB of RAM on an Acer ASE380-ED380M. I opened my computer up last weekend. I saw the SATA hard-drive and 3 other potential spots for more hard-drive. I want to fill 2 or 3 with SATA, but saw PATA drives. I don't know what PATA is, but it's bigger. Can my system handle it? I'm going to start getting 2 or 3 terabytes (or more). I have lots of music, dj for fun, but I also make music and need space. I noticed that there was a certain kind of small black plug connected to the hard-drive from the back of the computer with lots of wires comming out of that. It was split (connecting to the hard-drive there) and one is free for one spot (not the three like I want). I noticed on web-sites there are certain kinds of power cords for sale and in my computer tower it appeared that my dvd-drive was connected to a white plug (not the small black ones, but that bigger white connection went into the back of my computer too), on that white plug it connected to the dvd-drive and could be dissattached. But the dvd-drive connector did not block any more connections, it continued it (something else can be plugged in still). Can the small black plugs do this too (connect to each other and keep the chain going)? Or am I limited to the two connections for hard-drive? For the RAM There are 4 ports, in two there were 2 - 512 chips, the other two were empty. Do I have to have a specific kind of RAM? I know sometimes some computers can only handle some amount or kinds of it. What is in the back of my computer tower? It's where the plug-in for the electrical outlet goes, and everything in te tower connects to. Is this my ADM Dual Core Processor? Or is the processor the motherboard with all those diodes, and ports (it's on the side and covers it. It's the big thin piece). Can this thing in the back of the tower be replaced? Are they usually left alone? What can I put in the back of my computer where these PCI local Bus ports are? I have 4 slots. 2 large ones, one small and one square (I think, or two smaller ones). One has a modem in there I don't use (a line in can be seen), the other three are free. Can this make my system 64-bit, or is it needed to install stuff to accelerate my computer? Can I put more memory or a graphics care there or something? Lastly I figured I can fit a small drive and another dvd/hd burner/reader of some kind in front. But that can wait a bit. How can I find out the lmitation on what kind of computer I have (what the motherboard can handle, or the processor, etc. Eg: Some items cannot be installed into older computers (mainly due to not having the right connectors, ports, etc). I don't want to buy something that is too advanced for my computer to read or run with. I just want to learn and to install what I can myself. I "Googled my ass off" for that machine (E380 with EM61SM/EM61PM motherboard). There are a few things I've learned. First, that few E380 owners have anything other than a cell phone for taking pictures :-) http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/5561/dsc00315ys7.jpg That picture shows one spare SATA connector. You could buy a 3.5" SATA internal drive and install it. I wasn't able to determine if the machine has a spare 15 pin SATA power connector. You might also need to buy a SATA data cable (7 pin data). So there is a small possibility of adding one more drive. Motherboards using chipsets of that era, came with two or four SATA connectors. And that picture suggests you have a total of two, of which one is used by the current hard drive. The picture here, is too fuzzy to determine if more SATA connectors are present. You seem to have a lot of storage bays in that machine, but I don't know why they are there. Yes, you could use IDE ribbon cables to connect hard drives, but you may only have one of those. Again, the pictures aren't good enough to count the connectors available. The 3.5" bays are just wide enough to slide a standard 3.5" drive into it. I presume the green plastic things, are the retention mechanism (computers use a variety of mechanisms, and I don't know how that one works for sure). http://www.geeks.com/imageshare/A/30...22A-R-soft.jpg You can see the 7 contact data connector, and 15 contact power connector for the SATA drive, in this picture. The power connector comes from your power supply. The data cable runs from the motherboard, to the back of the drive. http://www.hardwarezone.com/img/data...connectors.jpg ******* Crucial shows 4x1GB max configuration for memory upgrades. The idea would be, you'd remove the 2x512MB and install 4x1GB in the available slots. But the problem is, one owner of an E380 tried that. Their machine came with 2x1GB and they tried to add 2x1GB more. They found that any memory above 2GB quantity, didn't work! 2GB was the max that would work. The Acer support page shows one BIOS file. A couple people tried the BIOS flasher (a pretty crafty looking flasher), and it bricked the motherboard. They get stuck at "Verifying DMI" which is a message coming from the BIOS, on the next machine startup. So whatever you do, don't flash the BIOS! Flashing the BIOS would potentially be a way to fix the memory issue, but not if it is going to brick the computer and make it unbootable. Desktop : Aspire : Aspire E380 - to see available info http://support.acer.com/us/en/drivers_download.aspx So if you're going to buy memory and are excited to try an upgrade, buy 2x1GB. Try the 2x1GB by itself. See if the computer boots. Next, install 2x1GB and 2x512MB, which should give a total of 3GB. See if that works. Put the 2x512MB in the same slots it used originally. If it doesn't work, just unplug the 2x51MB and you're finished with memory upgrades. Make sure all power is off inside the chassis, before installing or removing RAM. You can buy a wrist strap, to help prevent static discharge killing the RAM - this keeps your body at the same ESD potential as the chassis. http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2479151 If you do find the 3GB memory configuration works, now you can go back to Crucial and buy another 2x1GB kit. Install 4x1GB and test. That is, in theory. I really don't see a reason to try to install 4GB in that system, due to the addressing limitations of the 32 bit OS that may give you around 3.2GB free. So if you go the extra mile, and try to install 4GB, the incremental improvement is 0.2GB. Just a waste of money. I'd use 2x1GB and 2x512MB. And with my action plan above, your exposure is just the cost of 2x1GB of sticks first, to see whether your motherboard is "bugged" like the thread I found. If the system supports a 64 bit OS, then possibly your full 4GB would be available to you. Depending on whether there is something in the video card slot, you could add a SATA controller card, to support additional drives. That is, on the assumption there aren't enough spare SATA slots for your disk expansion. Memory expansion makes room for the programs you're executing. 3GB of RAM might be desirable for a Photoshop user working on large images. Maybe 2GB would be good for a video editor program. Many other uses of the machine may be happy some where between 1GB and 2GB. An OS like Vista, may benefit a bit more from the extra memory, than WinXP would. In my tests of WinXP, I didn't find the improvement from having more memory (going from 1GB to 2GB), to be that big. It helped a bit with one game. But if you have an application that runs real slow, or actually states it really needs more RAM, then by all means, get some more. (Task Manager can help you track RAM usage over the period of your work day.) Hard drives are slow storage devices, for holding your files when the computer power is off. Large drives can hold a lot of content. I'd start with a single extra large drive to start with. I might also purchase a similar drive in an external USB enclosure, for backups. Occasionally, you'll want to make a backup copy of that exceptionally large disk, because otherwise, if it fails, you're going to be *very* annoyed. That is the problem with monster disks. They're a pain in the ass to backup. But backup you must, because if the drive fails, you'll have lost hundreds of hours of work putting all the files there in the first place. When drives are $99 a piece, if just makes sense to be buying them in pairs, and using one for backups. If the second drive is USB2, you can unplug it when not in use and keep it safe. 1TB high performance internal SATA from WD, "Dead in a month", $99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ize=100&Page=1 1.5TB USB2 drive for backups, has own power brick, $139, no on-off switch Use "Safely Remove" icon, before unplugging drive while OS is running. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136505 There are a variety of backup programs, such as ones from Acronis, that can help you with the backup task. If you have at least one backup drive, even if the files on it are three months old, that will save you at least some of the content on the internal drive. Drives fail every day, so failures are something which you have to plan for. Paul |
#5
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
Brian V wrote:
I read an article below about External Hard-drive purchase. I got aa lot out of it, and will read more later, but it is along the lines of what I need to ask. If you need any info from me, please ask and tell me where to find it. I plan on installing as much RAM and hard drive as I can in the shorter-term so I can archive my music collection and dvd's. I actually would like to install what I can internally instead of externally. I have 32-bit XP, 1GB ddr2 memory (RAM?), and AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800+ 2.01 GHz, 768 MB of RAM on an Acer ASE380-ED380M. I opened my computer up last weekend. I saw the SATA hard-drive and 3 other potential spots for more hard-drive. I want to fill 2 or 3 with SATA, but saw PATA drives. I don't know what PATA is, but it's bigger. Can my system handle it? I'm going to start getting 2 or 3 terabytes (or more). I have lots of music, dj for fun, but I also make music and need space. I noticed that there was a certain kind of small black plug connected to the hard-drive from the back of the computer with lots of wires comming out of that. It was split (connecting to the hard-drive there) and one is free for one spot (not the three like I want). I noticed on web-sites there are certain kinds of power cords for sale and in my computer tower it appeared that my dvd-drive was connected to a white plug (not the small black ones, but that bigger white connection went into the back of my computer too), on that white plug it connected to the dvd-drive and could be dissattached. But the dvd-drive connector did not block any more connections, it continued it (something else can be plugged in still). Can the small black plugs do this too (connect to each other and keep the chain going)? Or am I limited to the two connections for hard-drive? For the RAM There are 4 ports, in two there were 2 - 512 chips, the other two were empty. Do I have to have a specific kind of RAM? I know sometimes some computers can only handle some amount or kinds of it. What is in the back of my computer tower? It's where the plug-in for the electrical outlet goes, and everything in te tower connects to. Is this my ADM Dual Core Processor? Or is the processor the motherboard with all those diodes, and ports (it's on the side and covers it. It's the big thin piece). Can this thing in the back of the tower be replaced? Are they usually left alone? What can I put in the back of my computer where these PCI local Bus ports are? I have 4 slots. 2 large ones, one small and one square (I think, or two smaller ones). One has a modem in there I don't use (a line in can be seen), the other three are free. Can this make my system 64-bit, or is it needed to install stuff to accelerate my computer? Can I put more memory or a graphics care there or something? Lastly I figured I can fit a small drive and another dvd/hd burner/reader of some kind in front. But that can wait a bit. How can I find out the lmitation on what kind of computer I have (what the motherboard can handle, or the processor, etc. Eg: Some items cannot be installed into older computers (mainly due to not having the right connectors, ports, etc). I don't want to buy something that is too advanced for my computer to read or run with. I just want to learn and to install what I can myself. I "Googled my ass off" for that machine (E380 with EM61SM/EM61PM motherboard). There are a few things I've learned. First, that few E380 owners have anything other than a cell phone for taking pictures :-) http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/5561/dsc00315ys7.jpg That picture shows one spare SATA connector. You could buy a 3.5" SATA internal drive and install it. I wasn't able to determine if the machine has a spare 15 pin SATA power connector. You might also need to buy a SATA data cable (7 pin data). So there is a small possibility of adding one more drive. Motherboards using chipsets of that era, came with two or four SATA connectors. And that picture suggests you have a total of two, of which one is used by the current hard drive. The picture here, is too fuzzy to determine if more SATA connectors are present. You seem to have a lot of storage bays in that machine, but I don't know why they are there. Yes, you could use IDE ribbon cables to connect hard drives, but you may only have one of those. Again, the pictures aren't good enough to count the connectors available. The 3.5" bays are just wide enough to slide a standard 3.5" drive into it. I presume the green plastic things, are the retention mechanism (computers use a variety of mechanisms, and I don't know how that one works for sure). http://www.geeks.com/imageshare/A/30...22A-R-soft.jpg You can see the 7 contact data connector, and 15 contact power connector for the SATA drive, in this picture. The power connector comes from your power supply. The data cable runs from the motherboard, to the back of the drive. http://www.hardwarezone.com/img/data...connectors.jpg ******* Crucial shows 4x1GB max configuration for memory upgrades. The idea would be, you'd remove the 2x512MB and install 4x1GB in the available slots. But the problem is, one owner of an E380 tried that. Their machine came with 2x1GB and they tried to add 2x1GB more. They found that any memory above 2GB quantity, didn't work! 2GB was the max that would work. The Acer support page shows one BIOS file. A couple people tried the BIOS flasher (a pretty crafty looking flasher), and it bricked the motherboard. They get stuck at "Verifying DMI" which is a message coming from the BIOS, on the next machine startup. So whatever you do, don't flash the BIOS! Flashing the BIOS would potentially be a way to fix the memory issue, but not if it is going to brick the computer and make it unbootable. Desktop : Aspire : Aspire E380 - to see available info http://support.acer.com/us/en/drivers_download.aspx So if you're going to buy memory and are excited to try an upgrade, buy 2x1GB. Try the 2x1GB by itself. See if the computer boots. Next, install 2x1GB and 2x512MB, which should give a total of 3GB. See if that works. Put the 2x512MB in the same slots it used originally. If it doesn't work, just unplug the 2x51MB and you're finished with memory upgrades. Make sure all power is off inside the chassis, before installing or removing RAM. You can buy a wrist strap, to help prevent static discharge killing the RAM - this keeps your body at the same ESD potential as the chassis. http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2479151 If you do find the 3GB memory configuration works, now you can go back to Crucial and buy another 2x1GB kit. Install 4x1GB and test. That is, in theory. I really don't see a reason to try to install 4GB in that system, due to the addressing limitations of the 32 bit OS that may give you around 3.2GB free. So if you go the extra mile, and try to install 4GB, the incremental improvement is 0.2GB. Just a waste of money. I'd use 2x1GB and 2x512MB. And with my action plan above, your exposure is just the cost of 2x1GB of sticks first, to see whether your motherboard is "bugged" like the thread I found. If the system supports a 64 bit OS, then possibly your full 4GB would be available to you. Depending on whether there is something in the video card slot, you could add a SATA controller card, to support additional drives. That is, on the assumption there aren't enough spare SATA slots for your disk expansion. Memory expansion makes room for the programs you're executing. 3GB of RAM might be desirable for a Photoshop user working on large images. Maybe 2GB would be good for a video editor program. Many other uses of the machine may be happy some where between 1GB and 2GB. An OS like Vista, may benefit a bit more from the extra memory, than WinXP would. In my tests of WinXP, I didn't find the improvement from having more memory (going from 1GB to 2GB), to be that big. It helped a bit with one game. But if you have an application that runs real slow, or actually states it really needs more RAM, then by all means, get some more. (Task Manager can help you track RAM usage over the period of your work day.) Hard drives are slow storage devices, for holding your files when the computer power is off. Large drives can hold a lot of content. I'd start with a single extra large drive to start with. I might also purchase a similar drive in an external USB enclosure, for backups. Occasionally, you'll want to make a backup copy of that exceptionally large disk, because otherwise, if it fails, you're going to be *very* annoyed. That is the problem with monster disks. They're a pain in the ass to backup. But backup you must, because if the drive fails, you'll have lost hundreds of hours of work putting all the files there in the first place. When drives are $99 a piece, if just makes sense to be buying them in pairs, and using one for backups. If the second drive is USB2, you can unplug it when not in use and keep it safe. 1TB high performance internal SATA from WD, "Dead in a month", $99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ize=100&Page=1 1.5TB USB2 drive for backups, has own power brick, $139, no on-off switch Use "Safely Remove" icon, before unplugging drive while OS is running. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136505 There are a variety of backup programs, such as ones from Acronis, that can help you with the backup task. If you have at least one backup drive, even if the files on it are three months old, that will save you at least some of the content on the internal drive. Drives fail every day, so failures are something which you have to plan for. Paul |
#6
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
PATA drives are old technology
and you are likely to pay more $$ for a PATA than a SATA drive of the same storage capacity. Currently the new 2TB drives have a poor reputation for reliability so I would suggest adding an internal 1TB SATA and an external (with a brick/power module) 1TB USB drive. As for adding more memory usually 768MB of ram is more than enough, however if you do decide to add more to improve the performance of a "specific" application that can take advantage of the addition ram, then I would think 2GB would be more than enough for almost any application. That said be aware of the fact that you may need to remove your existing ram to free up slots for the new memory sticks. Also memory should be purchased in "Matched Pairs" for dual channel mode support. -- JS http://www.pagestart.com "Brian V" wrote in message ... I read an article below about External Hard-drive purchase. I got aa lot out of it, and will read more later, but it is along the lines of what I need to ask. If you need any info from me, please ask and tell me where to find it. I plan on installing as much RAM and hard drive as I can in the shorter-term so I can archive my music collection and dvd's. I actually would like to install what I can internally instead of externally. I have 32-bit XP, 1GB ddr2 memory (RAM?), and AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800+ 2.01 GHz, 768 MB of RAM on an Acer ASE380-ED380M. I opened my computer up last weekend. I saw the SATA hard-drive and 3 other potential spots for more hard-drive. I want to fill 2 or 3 with SATA, but saw PATA drives. I don't know what PATA is, but it's bigger. Can my system handle it? I'm going to start getting 2 or 3 terabytes (or more). I have lots of music, dj for fun, but I also make music and need space. I noticed that there was a certain kind of small black plug connected to the hard-drive from the back of the computer with lots of wires comming out of that. It was split (connecting to the hard-drive there) and one is free for one spot (not the three like I want). I noticed on web-sites there are certain kinds of power cords for sale and in my computer tower it appeared that my dvd-drive was connected to a white plug (not the small black ones, but that bigger white connection went into the back of my computer too), on that white plug it connected to the dvd-drive and could be dissattached. But the dvd-drive connector did not block any more connections, it continued it (something else can be plugged in still). Can the small black plugs do this too (connect to each other and keep the chain going)? Or am I limited to the two connections for hard-drive? For the RAM There are 4 ports, in two there were 2 - 512 chips, the other two were empty. Do I have to have a specific kind of RAM? I know sometimes some computers can only handle some amount or kinds of it. What is in the back of my computer tower? It's where the plug-in for the electrical outlet goes, and everything in te tower connects to. Is this my ADM Dual Core Processor? Or is the processor the motherboard with all those diodes, and ports (it's on the side and covers it. It's the big thin piece). Can this thing in the back of the tower be replaced? Are they usually left alone? What can I put in the back of my computer where these PCI local Bus ports are? I have 4 slots. 2 large ones, one small and one square (I think, or two smaller ones). One has a modem in there I don't use (a line in can be seen), the other three are free. Can this make my system 64-bit, or is it needed to install stuff to accelerate my computer? Can I put more memory or a graphics care there or something? Lastly I figured I can fit a small drive and another dvd/hd burner/reader of some kind in front. But that can wait a bit. How can I find out the lmitation on what kind of computer I have (what the motherboard can handle, or the processor, etc. Eg: Some items cannot be installed into older computers (mainly due to not having the right connectors, ports, etc). I don't want to buy something that is too advanced for my computer to read or run with. I just want to learn and to install what I can myself. |
#7
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
PATA drives are old technology
and you are likely to pay more $$ for a PATA than a SATA drive of the same storage capacity. Currently the new 2TB drives have a poor reputation for reliability so I would suggest adding an internal 1TB SATA and an external (with a brick/power module) 1TB USB drive. As for adding more memory usually 768MB of ram is more than enough, however if you do decide to add more to improve the performance of a "specific" application that can take advantage of the addition ram, then I would think 2GB would be more than enough for almost any application. That said be aware of the fact that you may need to remove your existing ram to free up slots for the new memory sticks. Also memory should be purchased in "Matched Pairs" for dual channel mode support. -- JS http://www.pagestart.com "Brian V" wrote in message ... I read an article below about External Hard-drive purchase. I got aa lot out of it, and will read more later, but it is along the lines of what I need to ask. If you need any info from me, please ask and tell me where to find it. I plan on installing as much RAM and hard drive as I can in the shorter-term so I can archive my music collection and dvd's. I actually would like to install what I can internally instead of externally. I have 32-bit XP, 1GB ddr2 memory (RAM?), and AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800+ 2.01 GHz, 768 MB of RAM on an Acer ASE380-ED380M. I opened my computer up last weekend. I saw the SATA hard-drive and 3 other potential spots for more hard-drive. I want to fill 2 or 3 with SATA, but saw PATA drives. I don't know what PATA is, but it's bigger. Can my system handle it? I'm going to start getting 2 or 3 terabytes (or more). I have lots of music, dj for fun, but I also make music and need space. I noticed that there was a certain kind of small black plug connected to the hard-drive from the back of the computer with lots of wires comming out of that. It was split (connecting to the hard-drive there) and one is free for one spot (not the three like I want). I noticed on web-sites there are certain kinds of power cords for sale and in my computer tower it appeared that my dvd-drive was connected to a white plug (not the small black ones, but that bigger white connection went into the back of my computer too), on that white plug it connected to the dvd-drive and could be dissattached. But the dvd-drive connector did not block any more connections, it continued it (something else can be plugged in still). Can the small black plugs do this too (connect to each other and keep the chain going)? Or am I limited to the two connections for hard-drive? For the RAM There are 4 ports, in two there were 2 - 512 chips, the other two were empty. Do I have to have a specific kind of RAM? I know sometimes some computers can only handle some amount or kinds of it. What is in the back of my computer tower? It's where the plug-in for the electrical outlet goes, and everything in te tower connects to. Is this my ADM Dual Core Processor? Or is the processor the motherboard with all those diodes, and ports (it's on the side and covers it. It's the big thin piece). Can this thing in the back of the tower be replaced? Are they usually left alone? What can I put in the back of my computer where these PCI local Bus ports are? I have 4 slots. 2 large ones, one small and one square (I think, or two smaller ones). One has a modem in there I don't use (a line in can be seen), the other three are free. Can this make my system 64-bit, or is it needed to install stuff to accelerate my computer? Can I put more memory or a graphics care there or something? Lastly I figured I can fit a small drive and another dvd/hd burner/reader of some kind in front. But that can wait a bit. How can I find out the lmitation on what kind of computer I have (what the motherboard can handle, or the processor, etc. Eg: Some items cannot be installed into older computers (mainly due to not having the right connectors, ports, etc). I don't want to buy something that is too advanced for my computer to read or run with. I just want to learn and to install what I can myself. |
#8
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
JS wrote:
PATA drives are old technology and you are likely to pay more $$ for a PATA than a SATA drive of the same storage capacity. Currently the new 2TB drives have a poor reputation for reliability so I would suggest adding an internal 1TB SATA and an external (with a brick/power module) 1TB USB drive. I'd suggest the above, but using the external drive as a mirror to media data on the PC - i.e. purely as a backup. Whenever ya machine is on the way to shutdown ye can run a script to copy music files to the external drive. Good backup for music which may take many, many hours of ripping to replace on disk failure. Also, this external hard drive can then be taken with ya to parties, and used with a laptop, where ye can become DJ God... -- Adrian C |
#9
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
JS wrote:
PATA drives are old technology and you are likely to pay more $$ for a PATA than a SATA drive of the same storage capacity. Currently the new 2TB drives have a poor reputation for reliability so I would suggest adding an internal 1TB SATA and an external (with a brick/power module) 1TB USB drive. I'd suggest the above, but using the external drive as a mirror to media data on the PC - i.e. purely as a backup. Whenever ya machine is on the way to shutdown ye can run a script to copy music files to the external drive. Good backup for music which may take many, many hours of ripping to replace on disk failure. Also, this external hard drive can then be taken with ya to parties, and used with a laptop, where ye can become DJ God... -- Adrian C |
#10
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
All the information is helpful. Thank you very much. This is what I needed.
I was going to contact Acer. Just havn't yet. Thank you everyone. "Adrian C" wrote: JS wrote: PATA drives are old technology and you are likely to pay more $$ for a PATA than a SATA drive of the same storage capacity. Currently the new 2TB drives have a poor reputation for reliability so I would suggest adding an internal 1TB SATA and an external (with a brick/power module) 1TB USB drive. I'd suggest the above, but using the external drive as a mirror to media data on the PC - i.e. purely as a backup. Whenever ya machine is on the way to shutdown ye can run a script to copy music files to the external drive. Good backup for music which may take many, many hours of ripping to replace on disk failure. Also, this external hard drive can then be taken with ya to parties, and used with a laptop, where ye can become DJ God... -- Adrian C . |
#11
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
All the information is helpful. Thank you very much. This is what I needed.
I was going to contact Acer. Just havn't yet. Thank you everyone. "Adrian C" wrote: JS wrote: PATA drives are old technology and you are likely to pay more $$ for a PATA than a SATA drive of the same storage capacity. Currently the new 2TB drives have a poor reputation for reliability so I would suggest adding an internal 1TB SATA and an external (with a brick/power module) 1TB USB drive. I'd suggest the above, but using the external drive as a mirror to media data on the PC - i.e. purely as a backup. Whenever ya machine is on the way to shutdown ye can run a script to copy music files to the external drive. Good backup for music which may take many, many hours of ripping to replace on disk failure. Also, this external hard drive can then be taken with ya to parties, and used with a laptop, where ye can become DJ God... -- Adrian C . |
#12
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
You're welcome.
-- JS http://www.pagestart.com "Brian V" wrote in message ... All the information is helpful. Thank you very much. This is what I needed. I was going to contact Acer. Just havn't yet. Thank you everyone. "Adrian C" wrote: JS wrote: PATA drives are old technology and you are likely to pay more $$ for a PATA than a SATA drive of the same storage capacity. Currently the new 2TB drives have a poor reputation for reliability so I would suggest adding an internal 1TB SATA and an external (with a brick/power module) 1TB USB drive. I'd suggest the above, but using the external drive as a mirror to media data on the PC - i.e. purely as a backup. Whenever ya machine is on the way to shutdown ye can run a script to copy music files to the external drive. Good backup for music which may take many, many hours of ripping to replace on disk failure. Also, this external hard drive can then be taken with ya to parties, and used with a laptop, where ye can become DJ God... -- Adrian C . |
#13
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Installing RAM and hard drive. Motherboard capabilities?
You're welcome.
-- JS http://www.pagestart.com "Brian V" wrote in message ... All the information is helpful. Thank you very much. This is what I needed. I was going to contact Acer. Just havn't yet. Thank you everyone. "Adrian C" wrote: JS wrote: PATA drives are old technology and you are likely to pay more $$ for a PATA than a SATA drive of the same storage capacity. Currently the new 2TB drives have a poor reputation for reliability so I would suggest adding an internal 1TB SATA and an external (with a brick/power module) 1TB USB drive. I'd suggest the above, but using the external drive as a mirror to media data on the PC - i.e. purely as a backup. Whenever ya machine is on the way to shutdown ye can run a script to copy music files to the external drive. Good backup for music which may take many, many hours of ripping to replace on disk failure. Also, this external hard drive can then be taken with ya to parties, and used with a laptop, where ye can become DJ God... -- Adrian C . |
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