For travelling once every few years I still have an older HP Laptop using XP SP3, which only has one 512 RAM stick, but an empty slot for another one. The 512 MB nowadays is just enough to start Ff 30 and it is all full. So I did some research what to do.... Speccy tells me the one inside is 512 MB, DDR2, and 266 MHz, and advice all over the internet tells me to get the exact same one as is inside and put it in the empty slot. However, when I take the RAM stick out it says 512MB, but then nothing about MHZ or DDR, here is what it says: Ramaxel (the makers name, and then): 512MB 1RX8 PC2-5300S-555 LF There are about 60 more digits on the bottom of that sticker, but nothing that has any similarity with "DDR" or a "Hertz-value" What do people who unlike me know what they are talking about, suggest I should do? Is the Speccy data reliable? Thank you....
If it's written on Memory Stick, "512MB 1RX8 PC2-5300S-555 LF" Then you are a bit wrong, PC2-5300 = DDR2-667 => 666 MT/s => 333MHz So, it's not 266MHz as you said, PC2-4200 means 266MHz. "S" indicates 200 pins DDR2 SO-DIMM. "555" also means it's timings, CL & tRCD & tRP and CAS is 15ns. It's strongly recommended to buy exactly same model from same manufacturer, if it was not available, try other manufacturers' products but with exact specification, Timings, Frequency, DDR type and else. Good luck.
These software programs detect actual timings, not capabilities. In other words, the RAM might be 333 MHz but it did not run at its full potential inside the machine. RAM can run at lower timings for compatibility reasons.
THanks, but.... My point is: Is the information I got from Crucial relaible? Can I order the offered RAM Modules from them?
As Carlos said, don't take Crucial reports reliable. I have a Dell inspiron 530 came with 3.00 GB of ram according to Crucial report it would only take 4.00 GB wrong it is up and running with 8.00 GB. I even installed x64 bit windows 7 to rerun check from Crucial site it still reported Max was 4.00 GB. Don't get me wrong here even on Dell forums there conflicting reports but inspiron 530 came with at least four different motherboard versions and we have had discussions here on MDL. As for Speccy capabilities only used it once and that was to try and read a report forum member had posted but, Everest now called AIDA64 did give me correct info even though Dell could not
You see what I mean? Conflicting answers, whereever I look..... Crucial delivers from England, so I have them sent what they recommend to my european address, if it does not work as It should, I can return it. I researched a little about 4 or 8 GB memory for THIS computer here and found again so many contradictions, but there is a 64bit version of 7Ulti in the repository, I will give it try. Sounds like a waste to have 8GB and only being able to use 3.5 of them.... Thanks for your help ( I am sure I will have some more questions, when I add an SSD to my computer.... forgive me, I will be 70 soon)
No problem, we never stop learning. In old times the hardware vs. RAM interaction was controlled by the CPU (PIO). Nowadays there are DMA and BusMaster features, where most hardware can access memory independently of the CPU. Even the single core Celeron system should be fully capable to cope with both DIMMs at once. What is also notable nowadays is that DIMM SPD (Serial Presence Device, controls RAM behavior if you select Auto in BIOS) is not always programmed to run RAM at the full specs (compatibility reasons). That means if you want to run RAM with the full 333MHz you might have to explicitly select that in BIOS, overriding the Auto values. Personally, I do have DDR3 1600 modules that only run on 1333 when I select Auto.
Funny thing happened this morning... As I suspected, because the computer in question is a very old one, no one has the memory stick, that fits. Only Crucial will mail them them, and they will cost 35€, approx. 50$. Plus delivery costs--- So this morning I set out to one of the huge second hand shops in Tokyo. They have a bucket full of those sticks, and the man who works there told me "Just take one that says DDR2 512 MB and 5300". I bought two of them, in case one is messed up. I took out the original one and put the two I bought in (even though, they are from different makers) Works perfectly, Ff takes less than half the time now... Price Tag? 100Yen = $1