SIMM

[alc5]

I have an archiac Pentium 166Mhx MMX. (I would like it to do more than be a very large paperweight.) It has 2 sockets for memory. 1 socket has 32Mb, the other is empty. Can I convert this to accept a larger type of memory?

 

[orbz]

Maybe, depends on the motherboard (chipset).
Crash can probably tell you if you tell him what motherboard you have.


<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=40895#40895" target="_new">FAQ</A>

<i>Q: So how do I know if RAM will work in my system?

A:Compatability with newer memory is not a matter of speed, as most dealers would have you believe, but instead a matter of density. PC133 of a low enough density will usually work with even the oldest SDRAM chipsets. Examples from older to newer:

Intel VX chipset: Limitted to 2MB/chip, that would be 16MB for an 8-chip DIMM, 32MB for a 16-chip double sided DIMM. Some special "Double Height" modules of 64MB/32 chips were once available, but are quite rare do to size and cost of production.

Intel TX, LX, BX chipset: Usually limitted to 16MB/chip, 128MB for an 8 chip DIMM, 256MB for a 16-chip double-sided DIMM.

Other chipsets and peculiar motherboards have other limits, I have used a 256MB 16-chip PC133 module in an old TX chipset Pentium motherboard, but had only 128MB 16-chip modules work in an IBM LX chipset Pentium II motherboard. But for MOST boards, the above rules apply.</i>

<i><font color=blue>There is no failure when you believe in success.</font color=blue></i>

 

[slvr_phoenix]

If you're actually running SIMMs than you can't toss DIMMs into it. They're completely different types of RAM. For that matter, do you know the pin count of your SIMM slots? If I remember correctly (and I could be remembering wrong) they come in 30-pin, 31-pin, and 72-pin variants.

<font color=blue><pre>If you don't give me accurate and complete system specs
then I can't give you an accurate and complete answer.</pre><p></font color=blue>

 

[bum_jcrules]

FP, EDO, BEDO,...FP, EDO, BEDO,... Ahhh... The good old days.






<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=28752#28752" target="_new">THGC meeting? Would you go if there was one?</A>

 

[slvr_phoenix]

Yep. It's been so long since I've actually worked on my Pentium 133. I <i>think</i> I have all of the parts I need to get it up and running again. The problem is I just have no place to put it. Hell, even my Macintosh is just sitting under my desk and doing nothing computerish. It's just become my official foot rest while I use my PC.

<font color=blue><pre>If you don't give me accurate and complete system specs
then I can't give you an accurate and complete answer.</pre><p></font color=blue>

 

[knowan]

He said that he had 2 sockets, one filled. Since 72 pin simms (EDO and all that) had to be installed in pairs with Pentium systems, he has to be using SDRAM.

as the faq said, try to get the RAM with the most chips on it (lower density chips).

Probably he can use 128 meg single or double sided pc133 RAM. Possibly he can use 256 double sided pc 133. PC 100 can be used as well, but is generally more expensive than pc133. The processor is running on a 66 mhz bus, so pc66 can be used as well, but that stuff is pratically non-existant.

No, before you ask you cannot use DDR on that mobo.

I'm still using my old pentium 200 MMX, complete with 48 megs of paired EDO simms (2x16 megs, 2x8 megs). It's trickled down to my 5 year old who uses it to play Freddy Fish and a few other childrens games.

--------------
Knowan likes you. Knowan is your friend. Knowan thinks you're great.

 

[slvr_phoenix]

Since 72 pin simms (EDO and all that) had to be installed in pairs with Pentium systems, he has to be using SDRAM.

Actually, the 31 and 30 pin SIMMs didn't have to be installed in pairs. On top of that I'm pretty sure that I have seen EDO installed in singles on some very rare motherboards. This is why more information would be very useful. Just about any Socket7 mobo would support an MMX chip. (And I could be wrong, but I believe there were some special cases of 166MMXs put into Socket5s as well.) So just about any ancient memory type could be involved here.

On top of that, SIMM was specified. Why would anyone specify SIMM if they had DIMM slots?

Truly this is a case of not enough information to provide a good answer.

<font color=blue><pre>If you don't give me accurate and complete system specs
then I can't give you an accurate and complete answer.</pre><p></font color=blue>

 

[bum_jcrules]

I guess that he had a hard time reading you sig.

<font color=blue><pre>Can you blame him?</pre><p></font color=blue>

<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=28752#28752" target="_new">THGC meeting? Would you go if there was one?</A>

 

[slvr_phoenix]

<pre><font color=blue>I can read it just fine on my screen and I'm at a resolution
of 1152x864 with IE's font text set to 'smaller'. **shrug**</font color=blue></pre><p>
Too bad I can't use HTML. Then I could make the font absolutely <b>HUGE</b>.

<font color=blue><pre>If you don't give me accurate and complete system specs
then I can't give you an accurate and complete answer.</pre><p></font color=blue>