P1 128RAM

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: meng <meng-R6A+fiHC8nRWk0Htik3J/w at public.gmane.org>

| The reason I asked was I have 2 sticks of 128M PC133 RAM that I have no use for.

I'm sure that those won't work.  Thanks for the offer!

PC133 desktop memory is SDRAM, in 168-pin DIMM packaging.

I need EDO DRAM in 72-pin SIMM packaging.

Oh, and later PC133 DIMMS often didn't work in machines designed for
PC100 even though both come in the same packaging.  Vendors always
said the reason was that PC133 was "too fast" for PC100 circuits, but
that was nonsense.

It had something to do with the memory address bits that I never truly
figured out.  Words like "rank" or "bank" come into this, or whether
the module is single or double-sided (I don't think that that actually
means whether there are chips on both sides).

In theory, addressing a memory location on a DIMM involves an address,
passed in two steps, on the same wires: the row number, then the colum
number.  Then there is the chip-select line(s) (since the chips are on a
bus, sharing wires, chip select is needed to specify which chips are
to answer).

As memory gets more dense, the number of bits that are needed for the
row and column addresses needs to increase (the number of rows is
usually the same as the number of rows, or very close).  Sadly, the
memory controller makers don't provide for much future growth thus
promoting obsolesence.

| ... I recently upgraded the RAM on a 800MHz Celeron and then the power supply died.
| It's not worth replacing the power supply; what will go next?

If the power supply is generic then you might find a spare one.  I
would expect that replacing the power supply would have a great chance
of letting the machine work for another few years (until it is no use
to you).

But it's up to you how much you value your time.  Any careful
calculation shows fiddling with these things is a losing proposition.
Unless, perhaps, it saves you the trouble of buying a new machine
and setting it up (unlikely).
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