Build your own computer

Step 6: Installing the Memory

Next, the memory needs to be installed on our motherboard. Memory will look like a long rectangular circuit board with a bunch of black squares on top. It may have a heatsink (the memory in the links on the materials page does). The heatsink will make it look like a long rectangular piece of metal with a little circuitry sticking out of the bottom.

These will go in only one way on the motherboard. Refer to the picture to see what the slots might look like. Some motherboards have 2 slots, and some have 4. In rare cases, I have seen some with 3 slots. The motherboard pictured has 4 slots, but the motherboard in the recommended materials (second list) has only 2. If you can not find the memory slots on your motherboard, refer to the motherboards manual or quick start guide that came with it. The manuals will become your best friend in this process.

When installing memory, make sure the whole chip is lined up and that the notch in it is lined up with the notch on the slot. Push it straight down and make sure the clips on both sides push themselves in. When the clips go in, the memory is installed all the way.

If your motherboard has 4 slots, use the 1st and 3rd slots for 2 sticks of memory. If using only 1 stick of memory use the first slot (for all motherboards). If using 3 sticks, use 1st, 2nd and 3rd slots. If using 4 sticks, use all of the slots.

Comments

[jimmydean]

Will a motherboard have a limit to the amount of RAM it can take, like 4Gigs or something? If so, how can you tell?

[Dillon02003]

Yes a motherboard will have a limit to the amount of RAM it can take. The way you tell is you go into the specs of the MoBo and It will tell you.

[jimmydean]

Thanks!

[Roflolommo]

your OS may also have a limit a 32 bit os can only use around 3 gigs of ram (any extra ram can still be used by the OS just by nothing else) a 64 bit can use almost* unlimited

*i think its max is something like 300 gigs but i might be wrong about that

[jimmydean]

How do you check the OS bit value?

[Roflolommo]

windows XP: goto start then run then type sysdm.cpl it will have a tab general it will say something like microsoft windows xp or microsoft windows xp 64 windows vista: Click Start, type system in the “Start Search” box, and then click system in the “Programs” list. i dont use vista so thats copy and pasted off somewhere

[somerockenguy]

actually for vista go to my computer than system properties. it will tell you like every thing about the comp there.

[jimmydean]

Yep. 32 bits w/ 3.5 gigs RAM.