i have been thinking about upgrading my memory i ran belarc advisor to see what i had installed it told me 512 mb installed memory slot ddr1 256 mb and slot ddr0 256 mb i then went to the crucial site and they told me i could upgrade to 512 how can i upgrade to 512 if i already have 512 installed i have enlosed the crucial report this is very confusing


Get Maximum Performance from Your Packard Bell iMedia 5093
System Information for the
Packard Bell iMedia 5093
System Type: Desktop Computer
Maximum memory: 1024MB
Standard memory: 256MB removable
Slots/banks: 2 (2 banks of 1)
What's best for you?
Crucial Recommends:
We recommend a minimum memory total of at least 512MB. And since your Packard Bell iMedia 5093 supports up to 1024MB of memory, you may want to install even more, especially if you work with several programmes at a time or use memory-intensive software, such as image-editing software.
(Keep in mind that sometimes BIOS updates and other hardware configurations can alter memory recommendations.) We searched 20,000 systems to find only the memory upgrades guaranteed to work in your Packard Bell iMedia 5093.

How do you know you're getting exactly the right memory for you? As part of Micron, Crucial is the only memory upgrade supplier that's part of a major DRAM manufacturer. We work closely with major computer and motherboard manufacturers to make reliable, high-performing, compatible memory.

From stringent quality testing, which begins at the chip level at Micron, to ongoing compatibility testing in the Crucial Compatibility Lab, we take testing one step further to make sure you end up with exactly the right memory for you.

All Crucial memory upgrades come with:

Limited lifetime warranty
Compatibility guarantee
Free technical support


Out of 110,000 possible upgrades, the Crucial Memory Advisor lists only the ones compatible with your Packard Bell iMedia 5093, guaranteed to deliver the performance you need.
These 184-pin DIMM modules are compatible with your system.

512MB — CT291709 DDR PC2100 CL=2.5 Non-parity £48.99 ex. VAT (ea.) £57.56 inc. VAT* (ea.)
256MB — CT291707 DDR PC2100 CL=2.5 Non-parity £26.99 ex. VAT (ea.) £31.71 inc. VAT* (ea.)
128MB — CT291706 DDR PC2100 CL=2.5 Non-parity £14.99 ex. VAT (ea.) £17.61 inc. VAT* (ea.)



Now You Know What Works.
But What Do You Really Need?
Follow these 3 steps to get the upgrade that's best for you.
Step 1
Start by determining how many megabytes (MB) your computer can hold.
The Crucial Memory Advisor has already done this step for you! The maximum memory your Packard Bell iMedia 5093 can support is 1024MB.

Step 2
Determine how many memory modules you can install.

The amount of total memory slots in your Packard Bell iMedia 5093 is 2 (2 banks of 1).
The first number refers to the total number of slots your system has for memory modules. For example, if the first number is "2," a maximum of two modules can be installed. The numbers in parentheses refer to the number of banks in your system. If you have banks of 1, you can purchase and install one module at a time. If you have banks of 2, you need to purchase and install two modules at a time, and if you have banks of 4, you need to purchase and install four modules at a time.

How many modules are in your system now?
Now that you know how many memory slots your computer has, determine how many modules are currently installed in your computer. You can either: a) open your computer's case, identify the memory slots and count the number of empty slots or: b) use the Belarc Advisor to automatically detect your system's configuration information.

How many modules can you add to your computer?
You can add as many memory modules as your computer has empty memory slots. Just make sure you don't exceed the maximum amount of megabytes your computer can handle as determined in Step 1.
Step 3
Putting it all together. Based on the number of memory slots and the number of megabytes your computer can hold, determine which of the compatible upgrades will best meet your computing needs and budget.

Let's say you've taken our advice and you've decided you want your computer to have a total of 512 MB of memory.
Refer to Step 1 and make sure your system can support at least 512 MB of memory. If the maximum amount of memory your computer can support is less than 512 MB, use the maximum number as your goal.
Subtract the amount of memory currently installed in your computer (Step 2) from 512 MB (or your maximum memory). This will tell you how many megabytes you need to add to reach 512 MB total memory.
Taking into consideration the number of empty memory slots in your computer, choose a module (or modules) from the compatible memory upgrades listed in the Memory Upgrade Advisor report that will get you to 512 MB total memory.
Still need help?
Customer Support representatives are also available by phone at 0800 013 0330 (UK freephone) or +44 (0)1355 586 100 (international).
All prices shown in UK pounds excluding any applicable delivery charges. * - Default VAT charge calculated at 17.5% for the UK. Local VAT rates applied during checkout for selected EU countries.

you currently have 512mb of ram, that comes from 2 banks of 256mb. your board will support a total of 1024mb in total. i dont know your mother board specifics, but it seems you have a few options: buy 1x512 memory, and replace one of the 256 sticks with this (total: 758mb) ; buy 2x512 memory, and replace both sticks with this (total 1024mb) or buy one 1024mb stick and have this on its own (im assuming that you can have a 1024mb stick in one bank, and just not use the other in oder not to exceed the total memory capacity).
if it was me?? id sell the two sticks of 256mb you have, and buy 1x1024mb stick.

THANKS JEN.ERIC how much do you think i would get for the two lots of memory and would i notice the difference in performance going up to 1024 is it easy to do as im only just started learning about the insides of the pc

you will notice some difference, but dont expect your pc to become 'super-powered'. you will notice an imporved difference mainly when running a few memory-hungry applications. i dont know what exactly you use your pc for, but im surprised that 512 isnt enough. if your a gamer or run single apps that need lots of memory then fair play.
as for price, it depends how you sell. some places charge more for pc2100 nowadays, so you should look for your model of memory and see what it costs new, then maybe take 30-40% off (ONLY MY OPINION. I LIKE QUICK SALES). Ebay is your best bet if you ahve a sellers account, or maybe some sort of component-trading forum. if you're not exactly poor, then you could always just hang on to it. i have a friend who has kept all his memory, and the other day someone desperatley needed some pc100 for an old P2 he had - my friend was able to make a killing on the price, and yet the buyer got a bargain to what he would have paid a shop!! or you can just save it and build your nephew/niece a simple pc with cheap components etc. :-)

some good ideas there jen.eric thanks for all your help

Jen's got a good point that it's surprising that you think you need more than 512Mb - what do you do with it all?! If your system isn't yet running out of memory at peak times, then there's no logical reason why fitting 1Gb RAM should make it run any better.

in the first instance i thought i had only 256 mb but i will stick with the 512 mb as i now what i have got cheers every body for the help once again