PC Memory Kits...Worth it?

[JustSayNoToStatism]

Okay, so I'm thinking about getting another "hobby" computer to play around with (learn about setting up file servers, etc).

I've noticed that getting the PC Memory kits to boost your memory are REALLY cheap. I could get a piece of garbage computer for $25, and then get a few GB of memory for $20, and in theory, I have a pretty good computer. But my suspicion is that this memory can't be utilized as efficiently or something...am I right in thinking it's too good to be true? Do memory expansions actually work?

[MAM]

You can buy the parts to assemble a computer cheaper than you can buy a prefab one.RAM is one of those parts. I don't think that there is a rule saying that RAM bought separately is of terrible quality I bet it just depends on the brand that you get.

[braindead0]

You can buy the parts to assemble a computer cheaper than you can buy a prefab one.RAM is one of those parts. I don't think that there is a rule saying that RAM bought separately is of terrible quality I bet it just depends on the brand that you get.

You most certainly can build a system cheaper than a prefab, when you need maximum performance or really custom configuration, or you just want the best components.  Newegg, Microcenter and others would go out of business if there weren't very good reasons to buy components and build your own.  My current workstation can't be purchased prefab.

Back to the original question, you need to be careful of 'kits'.  Make sure you know what you currently have, exactly what the motherboard supports and what your purpose is.  If you want the maximum performance and except to have things doing a lot of ram thrashing getting the fastest speed your motherboard supports is critical.

You also need to know what your MOBO expects, some require pairs of ram (say you have 4 slots, you must install 2 and if you upgrade another 2) much of the newer stuff if I recall will work with unpaired ram however it slows down ram access.  ECC probably isn't an issue unless you've got a server or SMP mobo.

[BobRobertson]

No, you're not crazy. IF your $25 obsolete computer has the slots, more RAM will improve performance IF a lack of RAM was a reason for performance problems.

That's a lot of "if".

What really drags down a computer is the Graphical User Interface. Without the GUI running, RAM requirements can be surprisingly small. (for that matter, my home "desktop" rarely uses half of its 4GB of RAM, and swap is always 0)

So here's my advice: If you want to start with the $25 obsolete computer, do so. See how it works for you. Using "top" and "free" you can see if more RAM would help before you commit to buy more, or if any problems you see are due to CPU speed or waiting for disk access.

If your purpose is to learn, then learn by doing. Go for it! No matter what happens, you will have learned something about the systems and your use of them.

[kunkmiester]

$20 of RAM won't improve a $25 obsolete computer much.  Even my old 10 year old computer was worth more than $25(granted it was about $50), but because it was so old and memory wasn't made anymore, a very small upgrade was $40, and enough to put it over a gig of memory would have been nearly a hundred.

Plus double the $20 to make sure you're getting quality memory.

There is a point where the CPU and other components have to be past before memory starts helping.  If you start with a decent computer though, it would be worth it.  I'd suggest a $200 Dell as a baseline starting point--anything less won't be very upgradable, especially not easily nor cheap.

[JustSayNoToStatism]

I appreciate the responses. I just want to clarify a few things. On Craigslist, I've found some dirt cheap computers that have 512MB RAM (or less). I've also found USED, memory upgrades (pair of 2GB = 4GB) for very little. It seems ridiculous to think that for around $50 total, I could get a "junker" with 4.5GB RAM (which is better than my "good" computer).

[MAM]

I appreciate the responses. I just want to clarify a few things. On Craigslist, I've found some dirt cheap computers that have 512MB RAM (or less). I've also found USED, memory upgrades (pair of 2GB = 4GB) for very little. It seems ridiculous to think that for around $50 total, I could get a "junker" with 4.5GB RAM (which is better than my "good" computer).

That depends on a lot of  things. Yes your computer will have more RAM (I assume) but RAM isn't what decides on whether or not a computer is "good". What is the read write speed for the  hardisk? How many processors does the mother board have? How many CD Drives does it have? How many USB ports? Does the mother board have enough slots to accommodate your RAM sticks?

RAM is what your computer uses to work on tasks now.

This is what I can think of but I'm sure there's more.

[Aegidius]

If you're at 512 mb, you should really get a RAM upgrade if you want to run a modern OS (*especially* if you want to run a recent windows).  There will, of course, be other things that can hold you back, but the RAM is the most easily fixed.  *Any* working computer for <$50 is a steal, and honestly you don't need a whole lot of power for most of the things people would do with a personal computer, excluding high-end games of course.  If you're just going to play around with it and learn, you should be fine.  Just don't expect it to make a particularly fast file server  .

Oh, and of course, as BobRobertson mentions, your requirements will be a lot lower if you forgo a desktop environment.  I'm not sure how adequate 512 mb would be for that, as I have very little experience running headless.