8250 Memory Upgrade - Performance Improvement?

If all you have is 256 MB that is really not enough.  512 MB would be about right, but that would be very expensive for this type of memory.  Doesn't really pay to spend money on an old computer like this with this type of obsolete memory.  You could spend the cost of a new computer just upgrading the RDRAM  memory.

I've seen several questions about buying additional PC-1066 RDRAM for 8250's, and the answers are very helpful in what & where to buy it.  My question is to those who've installed additional memory:  did you see a noticeable performance improvement?

8250 last leg

You can buy compatible RDRAM for the 8250 from either HERE or HERE

Bev.

RDRAM remains hard to find and can be expensive. And because Dell is not currently offering it from their "Parts and Upgrades" link, your options are limited. However there are some online vendors with very high customer feedback scores and generous return policies (e.g. guaranteed for 30 days against DOA) that you may consider. I recently purchased a 512MB upgrade for $90 from a vendor in Hong Kong. The memory arrived in less than a week and works perfectly.

Back to your original question: Does it improve performance? Yes. However I took additional tuning steps of deleting unused applications (e.g. old toolbars, old AOL versions and accompanying software that were no longer used), modifying the pagefile size so that min = max, defragging the pagefile into a single contiguous block using a commercial product, and then fully defragging the hard disk, including folder consolidation and MFT defragmentation.

When I was done, the enduser was wowed. He had gotten used to turning on the computer and going for a cup of coffee while he waited for it to fully boot. He was going to give the 8250 to his kids and get a new one for himself. But the performance change was so significant that he decided against buying a second computer and just added separate profiles to the 8250. He can successfully switch between open profiles, open huge (+1GB) message stores in Thunderbird, and can hibernate for days at a time without having to reboot. He's very happy. Doubling the memory + the disk housekeeping was a cost-effective proposition for optimizing his existing Dell.

If you consider buying used memory, please look hard at the vendor's rep and warranty; they are as important as their prices. 1GB RDRAM on an 8250 with XP is suitable for most common household uses, and will perform happily as long as you're not gumming it up with tons of startup services and processes that you're not using anyway. He's using iTunes, Thunderbird, Mozilla, IE, and MSOffice, and wants me to look at his other computers for potential tuneups.

Your mileage may vary, but HTH.

steve g

Stuff is indeed expensive, especially outside the US. I have a 8259 that had 512 from the start, but with wonderful programs like McAfee one can indeed have coffee first.

Now upgrading to 1 gig - bit of a gamble for a 6 year old, but the system is robust so I'll give it one more chance. Do I need to do a clean reinstallation of Windows to make sure all the mice are dead?

XP, right? You should be able to get away without reinstalling the OS, depending on how much you've used it over the years. Here are some general guidelines; I'm sure that others have recommendations about some of the technical detail, but I've done this successfully many, many times.

Install your new memory. Save your CRIMMs just in case you have issues with the new memory and need to return it.

1) Prune the OS of unused apps, especially those that have Startup processes that you can spot in Taskman. For example, various AOL installs may leave behind AOL's 9.x  fat client software, AOL Coach software, AIM, and AOL anti-spyware, Go to Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs and look for stuff that you no longer use. Remove it. There may be desktop apps that were installed by the initial OS load that you never used (Music Match, anyone?) No value judgments implied here, but you may have installed other programs for music management. Another example: you can remove old versions of Java and keep the newest one.

2) Delete unneeded directories for apps that no longer exist. Remove old printers that you no longer use. Delete the software and directories that the printer software  installed.

3) Delete temporary files from IE (IE -> Tools -> Internet Options)

4) Defrag your hard disk. This is usually found under Programs ->Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter.

5) Adjust your page file size (see my earlier post) so that Min= Max instead of having Windows dynamically manage it. I set my pagefile size to ~150% of the amount of memory installed; others set it to 100%; others set it to the defined value they find in Max after new memory is installed.

When WIndows dynamically adjusts the pagefile size, it adds space whereever it can find it on the hard drive. This can result in a pagefile that can be distributed into dozens (or more!) fragments that can be scattered all over the hard drive, and that-- over time-- take forever to load at boot time.

6) If pagefile fragmentation is bad, consider using a program that will allow you to defragment it. Windows's native tool will not defrag a pagefile. Some people swear by Diskkeeper by Executive Software-- I'm certain there are many other options and reputable opinions to consider.  If you have a lot of free space on your hard drive, you may try deleting your pagefile, rebooting, re-creating it, and rebooting again. If you don't have a lot of free space, you may have additional options by installing or using a 2nd hard drive to manipulate your pagefile so that it is contiguous. A contiguous pagefile will generally load faster than one that is not.

Reboot and enjoy.

Your post is a month old, so apologies if you've already done this and moved on. Please post again to update on your upgrade and progress.

Best of luck,

steveg

Hi.   I am considering getting a memory upgrade for my Dell 8250.   Does anyone know if Samsung memory with the label MR16R162GDFO-CT9  1066-32P is compatible?   Thanks.

Be sure seller offers money- back guarantee.  I ordered 2 compatible RIMMS, installed them in every configuration (i.e., two slots that I removed the dummies, moved them to two slots the old memory was in with dummies back in, etc) and my 8250 never would recognized them.  Fortunately, the seller took them and refunded my money.  He said they worked fine on his test computer when he got them back - so they weren't DOA - just my computer would not accept them.