I need to boost my RAM

kuwisdelu

Revolutionize the World
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Messages
38,197
Reaction score
4,544
Location
The End of the World
If you can find a GB or more of RAM for a Dell Dimension 4700 that's going for less than $17.99, link me up.

In the meantime, I'm going to try to keep my mom off the computer so she doesn't blow up at me for not being MacGyver. :|

Here you go.

Of those, I'd go with Corsair.

ETA: Revised link. Forgot it was a desktop.
 

Guardian

just the worst honestly
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 9, 2010
Messages
3,320
Reaction score
443
Age
31
Location
denial
There is another way to resolve all my tech issues, of course...

Does anyone have advice for how to break off an impending wedding? I mean, her boyfriend is just... such a creep and pisses her off every day (he steals from her, lies to her, and has some anger issues). She thinks getting married will make him smarten up. :| So... no wedding, no invites, no need for printer ASAP, no creepy new step-dad who will continue to make my mom upset until she divorces him. :D
 

alleycat

Still around
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
72,873
Reaction score
12,224
Location
Tennessee
Seriously, if you plan on keeping this thing it would be worth getting more RAM, especially since you've upgraded to Seven.
 

Guardian

just the worst honestly
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 9, 2010
Messages
3,320
Reaction score
443
Age
31
Location
denial
I agree it's worth getting RAM, I'm just trying to get a quicker fix because getting the RAM will take a while and my mom... oh geez my mom... I fear her when she gets frustrated by the computer.
 
Last edited:

alleycat

Still around
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
72,873
Reaction score
12,224
Location
Tennessee
There is another way to resolve all my tech issues, of course...

Does anyone have advice for how to break off an impending wedding? I mean, her boyfriend is just... such a creep and pisses her off every day (he steals from her, lies to her, and has some anger issues). She thinks getting married will make him smarten up. :| So... no wedding, no invites, no need for printer ASAP, no creepy new step-dad who will continue to make my mom upset until she divorces him. :D

I have absolutely no advice on that.

You'll have to call Dr. Phil.
 

kuwisdelu

Revolutionize the World
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Messages
38,197
Reaction score
4,544
Location
The End of the World
Anything less than 4 GB memory in 2012 is crazy, IMO. I'd go for at least 2 GB. It's stupid worth it.
 

Reziac

Resident Alien
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 20, 2010
Messages
7,451
Reaction score
1,177
Location
Brendansport, Sagitta IV
Website
www.offworldpress.com
If you only have 512mb RAM, I would not under any circumstances install HP's printer software. I've seen it bring a 3GHz P4 with 1GB RAM to its knees, to where it took 20 seconds to respond to a mouse click, and an equal time to draw a dialog box.

The printer itself doesn't need the full software suite; it just needs the basic driver. Windows may already have a driver for it; if not, search for JUST a driver for that specific model -- this will be a small file, a few megs at most. This won't give you "features" like notifying you when a cartridge is getting low; OTOH you won't find it refusing to print because it believes a half-full cart is "empty". (This is much of the function of current "printer software" -- to waste ink, so you buy more ink.)

The actual driver will be on HP's install CD too, but you'll have to root out which file and do the install manually (use Windows' "Find New Hardware" or whatever they're calling it now, and point it at this file). If you're unlucky it's compressed into something normal humans can't get at, to force use of their installer and full software. (If you're REALLY unlucky, the printer is rigged to refuse to play nice without their fullscale software.)

"Readyboost" sounds like it's using a USB device as a RAMdisk (fake hard disk) for the swapfile ("virtual memory"). Probably wreaks havoc on performance, given how slow the USB connection is compared to the rest of the computer, let alone compared to actual RAM.

Dells don't use some special memory; the notion that you have to buy it from Dell exists only to make you pay 4x as much for the very same RAM sticks as you can get anywhere that sells RAM. It just has to be the same type, which any competent RAM dealer can check from the numbers on the existing sticks. Check your manual to find out what the max size is that the motherboard can handle, tho -- there are still a few namebrand machines out there that have very low max RAM limits. However, if you can increase RAM to 1GB or better yet 2GB, you'll substantially increase its overall performance, especially with Vista or Win7. Far cheaper than buying a new machine.