Computer memory
May 1, 2011 6:05 PM Subscribe
Please melp me identify these computer memory chips. I have about 500 sticks, my question is are they worth anything. What kind of computer are they made for.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19083462@N03/5677672839
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19083462@N03/5677672437
Thanks
Both of those are DDR, the first 256MB of PC3200 (200 MHz) the second 128MB of PC2100 (133 MHz). I wouldn't say that they are worth much as they are two generations behind what's current (DDR3) and are not usable in any system built after ca. 2005-6 or so. You might be able to sell the faster ones on ebay for a few bucks each but very few people are looking for 256MB DDR sticks these days.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:24 PM on May 1, 2011
posted by Rhomboid at 6:24 PM on May 1, 2011
BTW, if you've got a mixture of parts and some are missing labels, you can use the placement of the notch to identify what kind it is. That difference is to ensure that you can't plug DDR into a DDR2 or 3 motherboard and vice versa, as they are not electrically compatible.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:29 PM on May 1, 2011
posted by Rhomboid at 6:29 PM on May 1, 2011
DDR isn't worth much these days, unfortunately. Looking at ebay, there's a pair of PC3200 256mb sticks selling as a set for $6.
posted by JDHarper at 6:31 PM on May 1, 2011
posted by JDHarper at 6:31 PM on May 1, 2011
They are for PCs. Laptop memory uses a smaller form-factor called SO-DIMM that looks like this.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:36 PM on May 1, 2011
posted by Rhomboid at 6:36 PM on May 1, 2011
I'd also like to caution that if you decide to sell used memory on ebay you're going to have to adopt a very lenient return policy, i.e. no questions asked replacements. RAM is typically used in pairs of 2 or 3 and in order for this to work all the modules must be compatible, and the motherboard must choose compatible RAM timings. For a variety of complicated reasons there is a lot more to RAM timing than a simple rating like PC3200. Some PC3200 might be capable of CAS latency (CL) 2.5, others CL3. Some might be capable of CL2 at PC2700 speed but only CL3 at PC3200. Each stick is supposed to have a small bit of ROM that identifies its timing capabilities, and ideally they would always be accurate and BIOSes would always be configured to use those instead of forcing specific timings/latencies. But that's not the world we live in, so for example you might have someone trying to upgrade an old machine that's currently got two sticks of PC3200 CL2.5 who buys a third stick of PC3200 from you that's only rated CL3 but they try to force it to run at CL2.5, resulting in random crashes or a failure to boot, and they email you telling you the RAM is bad. Sometimes even when all the specs match on paper, a stick from manufacturer FOO made in year X just won't work in a dual channel setup with a stick from manufacturer BAR from year X+2 due to minor spec differences. Sometimes the memory controller doesn't support mixed densities, i.e. a stick made with 16 chips (double-sided) and a stick made with 4 or 8. Sometimes the old system they're trying to repair/upgrade is just on its last legs anyway and crashes due to some other defect such as a clogged fan causing overheating, but the RAM gets blamed anyway. Sometimes a power cable gets accidentally unseated when taking the case apart, but the RAM gets blamed anyway. And sometimes a few pieces of RAM from the pile really are bad in their own right.
In summary, there are lots of ways that used RAM can appear bad, even if it's not; and some of it probably is actually bad. You'll be dealing with a lot of customer emails/returns if you go this route, so be prepared.
posted by Rhomboid at 7:11 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
In summary, there are lots of ways that used RAM can appear bad, even if it's not; and some of it probably is actually bad. You'll be dealing with a lot of customer emails/returns if you go this route, so be prepared.
posted by Rhomboid at 7:11 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
They're worth a few bucks each. I'd try to sell the whole lot on Craigslist for like $200-$300 and be done with it.
posted by jeffamaphone at 11:57 AM on May 2, 2011
posted by jeffamaphone at 11:57 AM on May 2, 2011
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posted by Good Brain at 6:11 PM on May 1, 2011