| The first component we will install is the RAM. We purchased 2 sticks of Wintec DDR2 512MB 11-4-4-4 RAM, pictured at right. The reason we chose this RAM was for 3 reasons. Intel has a utility on their web site which tells you what specific models of RAM they or an independent lab have tested to be compatible with their motherboards. The RAM we chose was certified, so there is no need to worry about compatibility. The second reason was performance. This is very fast RAM and we found that its performance specifications would work great for what we are going to use this computer for. The last reason is cost. At the time of this writign, DDR2 RAM is brand new to the market, thus it is very expensive. We eventually will buy more, when the price goes down, but for now we will get along fine with 1GB of RAM. We got this RAM for cheaper than most. |
 |
 |
Installing the RAM is very simple. The RAM stick iteself is notched, so you can only install in one way, the correct way. With the case still on its side, simply orient the RAM in the correct fashion then gently put it in position in the first slot. They applying equal pressure along the whole stick, push straight down. It should just pop in to place. See the image at left. This motherboard supports an enhanced dual memory mode, which allows the system to run at its maximum speed as long the RAM is installed in identical pairs. The motherboard has color coded memory slots to help the user match them up. We are installing our RAM in to banks DIMM0 and DIMM2. Once the first memory stick is in, we then install the second in the exact same manner. |
| Some high performance RAM comes with heatsinks built on-board to help dissapate heat. Ours did not, however you can buy these heatsinks fairly inexpensively from a third party. They just slide right over the RAMs chips and help keep it cooler. The heatsinks are a good choice, however we decided not to since our system provides good cooling already. Pictured at right is both sticks of RAM installed. You can also see the CPU with heatsink and cooling fan installed and plugged in. We will eventually be installing more RAM on this computer, which will purchase in pairs and then put in the 2 empty slots. Each of the slots on this motherboard support up to 1GB each, giving us a maximum of 4GB of RAM. Once the RAM is installed, it is time to install the drives on the front of the computer. |
 |
|
|
|
|
