script-fu wrote on 2020-10-13, 00:00:

Motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-6BXC Rev 2.0

In the manual it says 3 x 256mb sticks of Regular or ECC memory and i'm having a hard time trying to get matching sticks. Unless i'm missing something on eBay this is the best i can come up with.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256MB-PC133 ... xVckVfz

This is the holy grail in terms of 440BX based motherboard RAM compatibility, reading is highly recommended :
https://web.archive.org/web/20110211102046/ht … ram_bx_faq.html

As for the item you are considering, the photo is too crappy to allow reading markings on the chips and only one side is photographed .

If by 16x8 , the seller means 16Mx8 chips that number 16 in total (8 on each side of the module), then that module should theoretically work and be recognized as 256MB on a 440BX board .
However, I can't say for sure what the seller means by 16x8. For all I know, he doesn't either .

My recommendation when looking for 256MB modules SDRAM DIMMs:

a) Do not implicitly trust the seller's sales blurb . Sellers, even well meaning ones, can be clueless. This was true 20 years ago and has gotten worse as the knowledge related to this tech has become arcane .
b) Find DIMMs with good photos where chip markings are actually readable and both sides of the module are photographed .
c) Make sure there are 16 identical chips on the module .
d) Check the datasheet for the chips and make sure each one is organized as 16Mx8
e) Make sure the DIMMs are rated for at least 100MHz (PC100) . PC133 is fine too as long c) and d) are true .

EDIT : By the way, the DIMMs do not necessarily need to be matched .

darry wrote on 2020-10-13, 00:39:

EDIT : By the way, the DIMMs do not necessarily need to be matched .

Agree with everything you said but would clarify that DIMMS should be identically matched as for chip density, speed, etc if using two or more if possible BUT they need not be same manufacture 😀
added: Only reason I say that is some boards/chipsets do not like mixing double sided with single sided (ie: putting a 256M in with a 128M) unless the docs say they can.....

Horun wrote on 2020-10-13, 01:06:

darry wrote on 2020-10-13, 00:39:

EDIT : By the way, the DIMMs do not necessarily need to be matched .

Agree with everything you said but would clarify that DIMMS should be identically matched as for chip density, speed, etc if using two or more BUT they need not be same manufacture 😀

Thank you for the clarification . These are very good points . To be extra pedantic, I would add that if speed differs, as long as the modules are all rated for at least the speed they will run at, it should still work . That said, with prices and availability being what they are, getting modules with the same timings and chip density is so easy, that it's just not worth it to expose oneself to potential issues .

My goto would always be Micron / Crucial, so how about these

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256MB-SDR-SD-SDRAM-P … =3&isGTR=1#shId

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2020-10-13, 05:10:

My goto would always be Micron / Crucial, so how about these

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256MB-SDR-SD-SDRAM-P … =3&isGTR=1#shId

Yep, those should work just fine.

The ones in the OP link are Hynix chips and those should work as well.

Anyway, I am just glad I grabbed ALL the RAM and CPUs out of the old Dell PIII systems when the place I was working at around 12 years ago scrapped them. I've never had to even think about buying sticks of SDRAM and I have so much now that there is no way I could ever use it all - old computer equipment seems to find me though that is getting somewhat less of a thing now.

I pulled the trigger on those three sticks & thank you very much! Cracks me up tho as i remember in 1998 buying three sticks of corsair pc100 128mb for over $600.00. I will read threw all these other fabulous posts and try to retain the knowledge.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256MB-133-MHz-SDRAM/ … sEAAOSwv~1aJLif

This is 16 chip 256MB and pay little more. This is quality.

Do not buy no-name or third-party memory.

Cheers,

pentiumspeed wrote on 2020-10-13, 16:23:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256MB-133-MHz-SDRAM/ … sEAAOSwv~1aJLif […]
Show full quote

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256MB-133-MHz-SDRAM/ … sEAAOSwv~1aJLif

This is 16 chip 256MB and pay little more. This is quality.

Do not buy no-name or third-party memory.

Cheers,

Just because Crucial stuck their sticker on a Micron stick doesn't make it any better than any other stick with Micron chips on it.

All Crucial did was order them from Micron, put their branding on them and then sell them for a higher price.

Brand-wise, I would only buy SDRAM DIMMs with chip markings indicating they from a reputable memory IC manufacturer (Micron, Samsung, Mosel Vitelic, Hynix (Hyundai), etc in no particular order) . Counterfeiting/remarking are possibilities, so do no trust what you see 100% .

RAM chips are a commodity item, IMHO, speed ratings (clock speed and latency) matter more than the specific IC manufacturer, as long as it is a reputable one .

I somehow always had bad experience with Micron memory - from the early SIPP/SIMM days all the way till always 😀
The best PC133 memory modules i encountered so far are based on Mosel Vitelic and NEC chips (specific models, of course).
At least these are the ones that tick stably at 140MHz+ FSB with maxed-out system - all memory banks filled with the biggest memory modules the board supports. This is quite hard to achieve and very few modules "survive" it (assuming badass motherboard that allows it, in the first place 😁 ).

I always had great luck with Samsung chips on any SIMM or DIMM though I do not overclock. No need ! Have enough goodies there is no reason to stress one system when you have others that would beat that other one OC'ed ;p

darry wrote on 2020-10-13, 17:55:

Brand-wise, I would only buy SDRAM DIMMs with chip markings indicating they from a reputable memory IC manufacturer (Micron, Samsung, Mosel Vitelic, Hynix (Hyundai), etc in no particular order) . Counterfeiting/remarking are possibilities, so do no trust what you see 100% .

RAM chips are a commodity item, IMHO, speed ratings (clock speed and latency) matter more than the specific IC manufacturer, as long as it is a reputable one .

Spektek (sp?) was a really good one back in the day as well. That was one of the brands we sold when I worked at a computer store back in the 2000-2001 timeframe. Best overclocking sticks that were available at the time.