J Upgrades. L

Upgrading can become a frustrating disaster even if you have "expert" knowledge. Some upgrade advice follows with some information site links, especially memory & intel TX chipsets. It's based on my own experience but I know others will have similar problems. Hope it helps.

After more memory, I thought I would upgrade my 32Mb EDO (16x2) currently present to a new 64Mb SDRAM module. A quick check of the manual showed my (relatively new) Compucon motherboard with 2/1997 Award Bios and i430VX chipset state it can take up to 256Mb of memory - as either 72 pin EDO memory or 168 pin SDRAM, in module sizes up to 128Mb. The idea was for a 5min. upgrade to 64Mb RAM, with the original 32Mb to supplement my AMD586-160 (overclocked) work computer. The choice of SDRAM because it is more likely to be transferrable to my next upgrade (in 1999?), and I decided on a single 64Mb module as it is currently costs only 20% more than two 32Mb modules and still keeps one 168pin slot free.

A little research on memory modules shows a rather confusing situation: most people now know of older 5Volt non-EDO and "current standard" 72pin EDO types, but the newer 168pin SDRAM has different configurations:- 3.3Volt can be Unbuffered (Bold = for most Socket 7 m/boards)/Buffered, Parity/Non-Parity, and with or without EPROM. It appears these all run synchronised to clock speed at 66Mhz and probably up to 83Mhz, but may not run at the newest 100+Mhz bus the intel 440BX chipset for 400+Mhz Pentium II's requires. For this the just certified standard called "PC-100" is needed. Of course this attracts an additional cost currently over 50% more than non-certified SDRAM.

Also be aware that cheap memory modules are often "composite" which are less reliable and won't run in some motherboards. This is especially true of larger memory sizes 64 and 128Mb. If a 64Mb module is used as example, a composite may have 32 chips of 2Mb each on the SDRAM, whereas a non-composite may have only 8 chips of 8Mb each.

After visiting several different dealers eventually I found an appropriate 64Mb SDRAM quality name brand non-composite module. But I was surprised to find that my computer only registered it as being of 16Mb size, and a few speed tests confirmed it behaved like only 16Mb. So back to the dealer who assured me it was 64Mb and demonstrated the module in their machine in front of me. Their technician checked my motherboard manual and could not explain my problem but gave me another new 64Mb module of the same type to try. Result ditto. Several hours of internet searching I finally found the hidden reason - the intel 430VX chipset. As this has only 4 RAS lines for memory (rather than 6 for TX or 8 for the older HX) this popular chipset will not support any modules of size >32Mb!

For good Memory Links try:

• Net Express - Excellent up to date information on memory (including cache).
• Tom's Hardware Guide – The best site on the Net I’ve ever seen for hardware information.

So the 64SDRAM now sits happily in an Abit 5TX motherboard with the i430TX chipset where it behaves as 64Mb. Unfortunately this upgrade also had problems, due to the TX chipset, a SCSI driver problem, and a CPU fan which failed at the wrong time - leading to severe system instability I initially presumed was from a conflict (or fault) with the Abit m/board. So eventually I reinstalled Win 95, but this would not load except in safe mode, because (I now know) it somehow overwrote the driver for my scanner's adaptec SCSI card with the 1995 version. Once I installed the 1997 update all OK excepting my CD-ROM drive was absent and hard disc controller not working properly! This is due to a problem with the intel bus master drivers and the TX chipset, and finally found a fix that works at Griz's "Holy Grail" - thanks for the help Shane.

For an up to date list of System patches and updates try

• WINDOWS 95 SYSTEM UPDATES by Ben Jos Walbeehm - this is a great resource, even if the interface is a little confusing at first.
• Microsoft - Who else?
• HW Companies : The Web List - A Full list of computer company web sites, mainly hardware.

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