RAM issue

I recently purchased a RAM upgrade for my computer. I wanted to upgrade from the stock 512mb to at least 1.5gb.
I bought a 1gb stick from walmart. When I installed it the computer would not recognise it. I tried every configuration I could think of but all the computer would see is the original 512mb. I figured that maybe I had a bad stick so I tried to return it and after a long unpleasant discussion with the electronics dept. employee my money was refunded,but not before being told by everyone in that dept. that my machine was not upgradable.
I left angry,but at least I had my money. I then went to best buy and once again was told that the 2gb kit that I decided to purchase would not work. They told me that I needed to buy two 1 gb sticks seperate which made absolutely no sense to me. I was informed that I should try to keep the sticks in pairs if possible. They insisted it would not work that way.
I left the store pretty much furious.
So now I come to you guys. I hope you can help me out. I would like to have 2gb RAM in my machine,but will settle for 1.5gb it's no biggy to me. The computer works ok with what I have,but I just want a little more pep.
I'm not a gamer or anything like that.

The computer specs are as follows..I know she's no hot rod...hehe.
CPU : AMD Sempron™ 3100+ Processor
(256KB L2 cache, 1.8GHz, 1600MHz system bus)
Operating System : Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Home SP2
Chipset : NVIDIA® Crush 51
Memory : 512MB DDR (1 × 512MB) 400MHz (PC3200)
Expandable to 2GB
Hard Drive : 100GB (7200rpm, 2MB cache)
Optical Drive : 16x multiformat dual-layer DVD±RW drive (up to 8.5GB with dual-layer media)
Media Reader : 8-in-1 digital media manager (Secure Digital™ (SD), Smart Media, Micro Drive, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick Pro®, Compact Flash, Multimedia Card, USB 2.0)
Video : NVIDIA® GeForce®™ 6100 GPU
Up to 128MB of shared video memory
PCI-Express® (PCI-E x16) slot available
Sound : 6-channel (5.1) AC'97 audio
Network : 10/100Mbps Ethernet LAN
Modem : 56K ITU v.92-ready fax/modem
Peripherals : Standard multifunction keyboard, 2-button wheel mouse, amplified stereo speakers
Ports/Other : 5 USB 2.0 ports (1 in media manager, 4 in back), VGA external connector, serial port, parallel port, 2 PS/2 ports (keyboard and mouse), 5 audio ports (2 in front, 3 in back)
Dimensions : 14.25"H x 7.25"W x 16"D
Weight : 22.5 lbs

Is this a home built?
I see no reference to the type of mother board other then it is Expandable to 2GB .
It is a very good possibility that what Best Buy told you is correct.

<<They told me that I needed to buy two 1 gb sticks seperate which made absolutely no sense to me.>>

It makes sense...if you realize that motherboards (and all other computer components) change over time.

Several years ago, a typical motherboard would contain 2 RAM slots and support a maximum of 2GB of RAM...1GB module in each slot. As time moved forward, that changed. Depends on the board specs.

If you tell us...either the system manufacturer and model (e.g., eMachines T1234) or the motherboard manufacturer and model...we can tell you what RAM (how much and type) appears to be supported by your system.

To complicate this...your PC appears to need RAM which has issues regarding high-density/low-density modules and compatibility of same.

Rather than just guess at this and that...it helps if you give us the data I suggested.

Louis

Edited by hamluis, 22 November 2009 - 03:54 PM.

Sorry guys thought I had that in there. It's an E Machine W3107

Here's what Ive found for specifics on the mobo.....

Following are the specifications for the FIC K8MC51G motherboard.

Feature Specification
Form Factor •uATX 4-layer
•Dimensions: 9.6 × 9.6 inches

CPU Support 754-pin CPU socket supports AMD Athlon™ 64 3000+ and up processors.
System Bus Support Up to 2000 Mhz
Memory Support •Two DDR DIMM slots
•DDR 333/400 dual channel
•Max Memory 2 GB

MCH (northbridge) C51G
ICH (southbridge) MCP51G
Firmware Hub/SPI 4 MB
Integrated LAN 10/100 MCP51 + Broadcom AC131 (PHY)
Integrated Audio •Interface: AC97
•Model: Realtek ALC 655

IEEE-1394a Controller VIA 6307L
Serial Input/Output (SIO) SMSC SCH5017
Add-in Card Slots •One PCI Express ×16 (graphics interface)
•One PCI Express ×1
•Two PCI conventional

Rear panel I/O Ports •Four USB 2.0
•Two PS/2 keyboard/mouse
•One parallel
•One serial
•One VGA monitor
•Three Analog audio jacks
•One RJ-45 LAN connector

Internal Headers •Two 2-port USB 2.0 headers (2 × 5)
•Front panel audio header (mic / headphone)
•Two IEEE-1394a front panel headers
•Front panel header (2 × 5 supports power LED, power switch, hard drive LED, and reset switch)
•Floppy disk drive connector
•Primary IDE connector
•Secondary IDE connector
•Two Serial ATA connectors
•Clear CMOS jumper
•Main Power Connector 24-pin
•Auxiliary 12V CPU power connector 4-pin
•CPU Fan; 3-pin, controlled
•3-pin power fan connector
•3-pin system fan connector

http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=W3107

These experts are rarely wrong, your machine does not support dual channel but can still use 2 identical 1 gig sticks, but remember it's ddr ONE, most memory sold today is DDR TWO.

One further note, entry level computers rarely support premium memory that requires higher voltage, for example a lot of cas 2 pc400 memory, better to stay with the stock voltage cas 3.

Edited by DaChew, 22 November 2009 - 02:25 PM.

Worth reading, IMO: http://reviews.ebay.com/Myth-Low-Density-v...000000001236178

Louis

Thanks guys...so I pretty much made a fool of myself..hehe I'm pretty good at that lately.
So the crucial memory that DaChew posted the link for should work for my system,correct?

This is the RAM I bought the first time. From what I can tell it should have worked,or am I missing something?
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?...4#ProductDetail

If you had used only the new 1 Gig stick and put it in the #1 DIMM slot then it probably would have worked. Or purchased another stick of 512 then you could have used the 2 x 512.

Some mobos\BIOS are picky and required matched pairs to recognize the full available amount.

Now I looked on best buy and used their memory finder and it says I want pc2700 333mhz...???

From the specs you listed, <<DDR 333/400 dual channel>>

That means that PC2700/DDR333 and/or PC3200/DDR400...should work in that board. If you install a mix of speeds, the system defaults to running at the slower of the two.

It's not the RAM speed which is the problem.

Louis