DVD burner and RAM Q's 2

[stillwillyboy]

I am wanting to buy a DVD burner and some more RAM for my desktop PC. I have some Q’s. Any input would be appreciated.

Here is some of my PC info:
Win2K
X86 Family 6 Model 8 Stepping 3 Genuine Intel ~ 794 Mhz
Total Physical Memory 130,488 KB

I was thinking about buying 512 MB RAM.
Would this extra RAM add to (new total of 642MB?) or replace some of my current RAM? (new total 512MB?)
What kind of RAM do I need? PC3200/2700/2100 DDR? Or PC2-4200 DDR2 DIMM? These two kinds are advertised by Circuit City.

CompUSA has a Norwood 16X Internal Double Layer DVD+-R/+-RW.
Will this also burn CDs?
Should I buy the DVD+R or the DVD-R DVDs?
What’s the difference?

What about burning software? I have WindowsMediaPlayer 9.
Will WMP9 let me burn or do I need to buy some other software? I do not plan to do high volume anything.

TIA.

Bill

 

[BadBigBen]

Without more INFO about your SYSTEM, it would be more like guessing as to what type of RAM it uses... but I can tell you that it is not PC2/DDR2 RAM...

Mostlikely it is SD-DRAM PC133 than PC 2100 or better... check your Manual or the MoBo Manufacturer Website for Compatibility...

--------------

ALL DVD Burners burn CD's aswell... !

about the diffs on DVD -R or +R, depends on the USAGE of the MEDIUM thereafter... Usually the +R are cheaper in Price and suffice for everyday usage, MO...

You will mostlikely need a third party Programm for burning DATA/Video DVD's, I suggest NERO, but that is my Prefered App...



Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[alildevil]

Yea as far as the DVD R - or +, the standard now is the +, ot you will see +- together.

Also DVD+R is a disc that allows multiple layers for one disc where as dvd-r only allows one layer.

Multi layer DVD+R can allow little extra capacity per disc than DVD-R.

I think the DVD-R [/b]was[/b] orgionally made by Pioneer...
And DVD +R was used by Sony, Philips, HP, Dell, Ricoh, Yamaha, and of course Microsoft.

I think you mean Duel Layer and not Double layer, but I could also be mistaken

I would play it safe and just get a DVD that can do both. ANd at this tiem I would opt for the Duel laye feature, you might now need it now, but if you want to burn a copy of some movies, you might need to use duel layered disc's.

 

[cdogg]

alldevil,

Also DVD+R is a disc that allows multiple layers for one disc where as dvd-r only allows one layer

I'm sorry, but this is not exactly true. +R and -R have the same capacities (4.7GB). +R does come in DL (Dual Layer aka Double Layer) capacities of 8.4GB, but not all of them are that way.
This link will help explain some basics:

http://www.videohelp.com/dvd

stillwillyboy,
You have a Pentium III probably running an 810 or 815 chipset (you can search for and download Everest Home Edition for help finding out). These older chipsets rarely supported more than 512MB. I know the 815e chipset I had back in the day maxed out at 512MB.

Also, the RAM you are using is PC133 SDRAM, not DDR SDRAM.

I strongly suggest you consider upgrading the PC. For the amount you are willing to spend on RAM, that would cover your motherboard. If you don't feel like building/upgrading yourself, then Dell and HP have some really good deals on PC's under $500. Even the most basic offer is going to be much, much faster than any upgrade to your PC (for the same price).

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
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