[Scgeeks] RESOLVED Re: RAM voltages

[Twayne]

If anyone's interested, here's the wrap-up of this little saga.

This AM I got a call from Crucial and early this PM email replies to 
both of my email requests for assistance.  Fortunately, all 3, 3 
different people, had the same answers.
   You CAN replace 2.5V RAM with 2.6V RAM and vice versa, as long as 
they are non-ECC and non-EPP.  Then I let them into the subject machine 
and they ran their vacuum cleaner and sucked up some info.  It had a 2.4 
GHz cpu but a 3 GHz capable RAM stick.  The 3 GHz sticks are all 2.6 V. 
So, it was already a 2.6 running in a 2.5 slot.  They had no record of 
the mobo model etc but they did say that for 2.4 GHz, PC2700-200 RAM was 
all that was required, not PC3200-400.  So, we were able to pick a 
PC2700-200Meg 512 Meg RAM stick, which ran at 2.5V, and I ordered it. 
That way I could just add it TO the 256 that was already there; that 
will be enough RAM for this machine.
   Now, THAT IS GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY!!  I told t hem 
I'd spread the word about them so here, I'm doing it<g>!

Then I looked and there is one empty drive bay/connectors so I ordered a 
WD 250 Gig IDE drive from Tiger Direct for $59.  I'll add that to the 80 
Gig that's already there and my sister will have a half way decent 
machine.  No SATA controller of course so SATA was out.

Oh, here's another neat thing I discovered:  The cpu is an Intel Celeron 
2.4GHz withOUT hyperthreading!  In order to get the machine to run like 
it was a half way decent machine I had to turn on BIOS and VIDEO caches. 
Between that, the RAM and the 7200 rpm Hard Drive I'm hoping it'll be a 
functional amost 2 GHz machine equivalent.
   I've searched and searched the CMOS RAM for a way to turn on/off 
hyper-threading but I can't find anything that sounds like it or that I 
don't know what it is.  It's a Phoenix BIOS, 2002 version.  Hmm, I 
hadn't thought about a BIOS upgrade.  But then I also noticed the BIOS 
is in a chip/socket so maybe there isn't any upgrading it.  Hmm, 
something else to look into!  BIOS is new territory to me; if I can't 
flash it, I know nothing about it.

Sooo, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Twayne



> Hi nerdettes & nerdudes,
>
> Got a little problem with RAM specs and Crucial's a black hole, as are
> the ms HW AND SW newsgroups I've asked on.  So maybe someone here has
> an answer; wouldn't be the first time<g> spamcop's come thru for me:
>
> I need to add RAM to a Walmart "special".  It's a 'Balance Digital
> Electronics' machine which means "Dig like hell for any information on
> it about anything".
>  The currently installed RAM, according to Sys Info and SIW is an SSTL
> 2.5V RAM, but the only RAM I can find anywhere says it's 2.6V.
>
>   So, the questions:
>    Does it matter?
>   Will 2.6V work fine where it says SSTL 2.5V is currently installed?
>   Would one of each work together or do they have to both be the same?
>
> It's pretty common RAM otherwise:  PC3200-400MHz, non-ecc, non EPP,
> etc. But that voltage is giving me fits trying to work out.
> What IS the 2.5 and 2.6V??  Is it a threshold?  Is it a level where,
> say, low is guaranteed to be anything below 2.6 (or 2.5) V?  I ask
> because, near as I can tell, the RAM supply itself is 3.3V, so ...
> 2.xV sounds like a threshold or hysterisis area.
>
> It's "cute", actually:  the label on the front says Intel 3.0 GHz/XP
> Home, and inside you find a 2.4GHz processor running at 2.4 GHz, using
> 3.066 GHz RAM, with a cpu cooler for up to 2.2 GHz, and 256 Meg of
> RAM. And the cpu fan blows the heat out of the heat sink and right
> into the intake of the fan for the switching power supply!  I took
> the cpu temp from 68C down to 41C just by putting in a copper
> heatsink and properly sized fan, plus a piece of foil to direct
> theheat toward the case vents instead of into the psu.  No WONDER
> Walmart specials are sooo, special! Holy shit, anyone could sell
> cheap machines too building them that way! Apparently there's dumb
> and then there's Walmart a few rungs below that. I'd hate to ever
> meet those Balance engineers!  What morons they must be.
>
> Regards,
>
> Twayne