Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
•
It's generally less expensive to buy a given amount of memory in fewer
modules. For example, if you are installing 4 GB of memory, two 2 GB
DIMMs will probably cost less than four 1 GB DIMMs. Using fewer but
larger DIMMs also preserves memory slots for future expansion. However,
the largest-capacity modules often sell at a substantial premium. For ex-
ample, a 4 GB DIMM may cost five times as much as a 2 GB DIMM, rather
than only twice as much.
• Verify the memory configurations supported by your motherboard. For
example, a particular motherboard may support 2 GB DIMMs, but not 4
GB DIMMs. Similarly, one motherboard may support 2 GB DIMMs in all
four of its memory slots, but another may support 2 GB DIMMs in only two
of its four slots. Check the motherboard documentation to determine the
memory configurations your chosen motherboard supports.
Ron Morse Comments
This needs to be emphasized. With
the trend toward 64-bit operating
systems and more than 4 GB of in-
stalled RAM, problems related to this
are becoming more common.
• Non-parity memory modules provide no error detection or correction.
ECC modules detect and correct most memory errors but are slower and
more expensive than non-parity modules. Use ECC memory if you install
more than 8 GB of memory and the motherboard supports ECC memory.
For 8 GB or less, use non-parity modules.
Recommendedmemorybrands
There are many good memory vendors. Some, such as Corsair, Mushkin, OCZ,
and Patriot, are well-known names among extreme gamers and other enthu-
siasts. But
Crucial
(
http://www.crucial.com
)
and
Kingston
(
http://www.kings-
ton.com
) are the two top-tier desktop memory vendors whose products we've
used almost exclusively for the last decade or more. Both offer a broad line
of memory and memory-related products at competitive prices, from budget
modules to high-performance premium modules. Other than from lightning
strikes, catastrophically blown power supplies, and similar misfortunes, we
don't recall ever having a memory module from either company fail in use.
Kingston is a packager: it buys memory chips from other companies and
builds modules with those chips. Crucial (actually, Micron Technology) is fully
vertically integrated. Sand goes in one side of its plants, and finished memory
modules come out the other side. Because we have found Crucial memory to
be utterly reliable and competitively priced, and because we like the idea of a
company building (and controlling) its products from start to finish, we order
Crucial memory whenever possible.
FloppyDiskDrive(FDD)
You probably don't need an FDD in your new system. Few current mother-
boards provide the traditional FDD interface, so old-style FDDs are no longer
usable. If you need FDD support to transfer data from old floppies, buy an
inexpensive external USB floppy drive. If for some reason you want an internal
FDD, buy an internal USB model, which connects to a set of USB header pins
on the motherboard. If you need to boot from the FDD—for example, to run a
classic computer game—configure the boot sequence section of BIOS Setup
to put the FDD first, where it will be listed as a USB Mass Storage Device.
