Chapter 7 Lab

Research RAM on the internet

1 - What might you want to upgrade RAM on system?
RAM is the temporary storage space the operating system and applications use to store data in
use. Accessing RAM is much faster than trying to access data on hard drive. Upgrading RAM,
makes the pc work faster and efficient.

2. How many pin are one the different types of DIMMs?

DIMMs have 168, 184, or 240 pins on the edge connector of the board and can hold from 8MB
to 2GB of RAM.

3. Which is more expensive ddr-dimm or rim?

RIMM is more expensive.

4. What is the disadvantage of using two 512mb modules instead of a single 1 gb module in the
system with slots for memory modules?
Primarily, restriction of future expandability; with two 512MB sticks in a three-slot main board,
we will only have one slot remaining for future upgrades. This would mean having to buy a
higher capacity, more expensive stick of RAM rather than two smaller ones, or settling for only
a 50% increase with a matching stick. It might also make overclocks less stable (for advanced
users), requiring looser RAM timings where a single stick might be more stable at higher clock
speeds.

5- What are two disadvantages of using only one 2 GB module rather than two 1 GB modules?
If board supports dual channel we will get better performance from using two 1 GB modules.

7.2 Explore the Kingston web site

1. Is a dimm or rimm more expensive given that both hold the same amount of memory? Why
do you think the price varies?
RIMM memory is more expensive than DIMM memory, but is capable of greater access speeds.
2. Summarize why adding ram offers a performance advantage?
Adding RAM offers a performance advantage because it allows a larger percentage of the
working set (that part of virtual memory currently in use) to be backed by RAM, and thus
reducing the paging rate to the disk.

3. Which tool on the kingston website could you use to find kingston modules for your system if
you know the model of your system motherboard?
Search by manufacturer/ model options

4. If you were planning to buy a new system would you choose a motherboard that uses DIMMs
and RIMMs? why?
I would use dimm because it is the newest fastest, and compatible with todays computers.

7.3 Upgrade RAM

1. What is the minimum and recommended memory requirement for the OS your system is
running?
I am using windows 7 64 bit. 2 GB RAM (64-bit) memory is requirement for my OS.

2. What are the least two ways you can determine how much ram is installed?

Method 1:
- Use the Windows Task manager
- Right Click on the bottom right hand side of the screen normally where the date and time are
shown.
- A menu should appear offering choices including "Task Manager"
- Left Click on the Task Manger Line
- select the tab that says performance
- Bottom left will show physical memory in Mb.
Method 2:
-Click on Start>Run.
-Type "dxdiag" and click OK.
If a dialog box appears just say YES. The computer might load for a while now. On the first
window that appears, the third entry from the bottom is "Memory" and next to this is the
amount of RAM you have.

3. Which sandra modules can be used to display information about system memory?

4. What feature is used on memory slots and modules to prevent modules from being inserted
incorrectly?
A small plastic piece within the slot, which matches the small cut on the RAM chip.

5. In what situation might you want to disable quick post? Why ?

Quick POST is great for cutting down boot up time during normal use, but when installing new
RAM, it's best to give the system every opportunity to detect a problem.

7.4 Use Vista Ready boost

1. Why does ready boost increase the performance of a windows vista machine?
It improves performance when opening programs and so forth basically by increasing memory
decreasing lag time. Nothing critical gets stored on it (if we use flash with ready boost) but we
can easily add more ram for the same price and there is no substitute for ram. It sees ram as
hard drive and can store everything there not so in the case of a stick. Only non-critical files can
go on there so there is no sub for ram. Most computers have 2 or more slots for memory cards
built in already. When disc space is low, it causes excessive paging/indexing in the system and it
is hard to organize files for ease of access by our computer decreasing speed. Once our
remaining space is limited, it can no longer defrag to ease search since there is no place to
move files to etc. for our computer to organize. 2GB is recommended for Vista and most come
512 GB stock so we really need about 4x that. Adding a 1GB card can make a real difference and
anyone can do it. I have read reviews on boost and some do see a modest increase (mostly
those with Vista who have never added ram) but adding real memory always seems to
outperform for about the same cost.

2. Do you think readyboost would help system that was already running the maximum ram
supported by the operating system?
Yes because the ready boost device is just a cache it doesn't act as more physical memory.

3. Which of the following would give a better increase in performance adding more RAM or
adding an equal amount of reserved space on a flash device? Why?
Adding more RAM is the way to go for better performance, although there are many factors
involved in upgrading performance. PC World identifies the following four areas to look at; CPU,
RAM, Hard Drive, Graphics Board.

7.5 Troubleshoot memory problems

1 what are some common symptoms of a thermal intermittent?
Thermal Intermittent occur when certain temperatures are reached and problems occur. These
problems could be data corruption, applications hanging at unexpected times, the system
rebooting, or windows hanging and displaying the "blue screen of death" which is only an error
message displayed on a blue background.

2. How many times does post usually test memory?

Only once

3. Why must the memtest86 run from boot disk?

The memory must be available, so no operating system can be loaded. Though, technically
there is no reason why you cant run it from a hard disk.
4. Describe the symptoms caused by a dead memory module.
If we have a dead memory module (RAM Unit) then the computer should refuse to start up,
and our BIOS should signal with various long and short beeps.

5 why would a continuous test be ideal for diagnosing a thermal intermittent?

Testing over and over again is great for the system and it tells us what we need to know.