Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!crdgw1!uunet!munnari.oz.au!uhccux!wiliki!newsham
From: newsham@wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu (Timothy Newsham)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Expanding My SVGA Card to 512K
Message-ID: <13421@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu>
Date: 11 Jun 91 23:31:04 GMT
Sender: news@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu
Reply-To: newsham@wiliki.UUCP (Timothy Newsham)
Organization: University of Hawaii, College of Engineering
Lines: 21

My Super VGA card only has 256K RAM on it right now.  I want to get
it up to 512K so that I can take advantage of the 256 color 1024x
768 mode (I'm aware that without the extra 256K, I can only do 16
colors in 1024x768 mode, is that correct?).

My SVGA card manual specifies only that I buy DRAM chips of 80ns or
less.  There are eight empty RAM sockets on my SVGA card.

I've found vendors in Computer Shopper selling DRAM chips of the
configuration "256x4-80" for $5-$7.  Is this what I need?  If it is,
how come the people I bought my computer from want $40 to upgrade it
to 512K?  Are the local folks looking to profit that much from a
memory upgrade?

And why eight empty sockets?  I understand that "256x4-80" means 256K
on four chips at 80 nanoseconds.  If I can expand to 512K with only
four chips, why did they give me eight empty sockets?  My manual or
dealer makes or made no mention of my card being able to expand any
higher than 512K.

Someone please help clear up my confusion.