Seth wrote:
>
> "Paul" <nospam@needed.com> wrote in message
> news:i1r5mm$5ie$1@news.eternal-september.org...
>> Justin wrote:
>>> In article <4C406C67.6080900@invalid.invalid>,
>>> LouB <Lou@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Helroy wrote:
>>>>> "Justin" <justin@nobecauseihatespam.org> wrote in message
>>>>> news:justin-2F1501.00243816072010@62-183-169-81.bb.dnainternet.fi...
>>>>>> Hi folks, I have a Dell D430 with 1GB or RAM.
>>>>>> When I installed WIndows 7 - this thing is redefining slow.
>>>>>> Would another gig of ram help?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://www.imagebam.com/image/a8870888787396
>>>>>
>>>>> I would run Windows7 upgrade advisor before installing.
>>>>> http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx
>>>>>
>>>> Already has win 7 so more ram is the way to go.
>>>> 3 rather than 2 would be even better.
>>>
>>> The Dell D430 can only support 2GB of ram.
>>
>> I wouldn't be too sure about that. It has 1GB soldered
>> in and one SODIMM slot. The 945GM datasheet seems to be indicating
>> that SODIMM could be a 2GB module. The total max might be 1+2=3GB.
>> (If the original memory wasn't soldered in, it could have been upgraded
>> as well.) For performance reasons, a better combo would be 1+1 (dual
>> channel
>> symmetric mode). It all depends on whether the OS caching habits
>> with 3GB total, exceed the benefits of running 1+1 dual channel symmetric
>> and getting slightly more memory bandwidth.
>>
>> http://www.memoryx.net/dellbuo.html
>>
>> http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-Latitude-D430-Subnotebook.7900.0.html
>>
>>
>> "The reviewed notebook was equipped with one Gigabyte soldered DDR2
>> RAM.
>> Nevertheless, the RAM capacity can still be easily enhanced to up
>> to 3 GB,
>> because there is a free memory slot hidden beneath a maintenance
>> opening.
>> Considering the current RAM costs, this is surely a good idea. But,
>> Windows XP ran also smoothly with only one GB RAM."
>>
>> See Table 22 and Figure 15, starting on PDF page 339. This is the
>> info for the 945GM, which should be the chipset of that computer.
>>
>> http://www.intel.com/Assets/PDF/datasheet/309219.pdf
>>
>> You can verify the chipset present, with something like CPUZ. Some
>> chipsets are hard to tell apart, so the utilities identify the
>> chipset as a member of a "family", rather than stating it is one
>> exact chipset. Using the no-install version of this utility,
>> means you can just run the executable without needing to
>> mess around.
>
> According to both Dell and www.crucial.com it only supports 2G max. the
> 1G on-board and 1 additional. While the Intel chipset may support a 2G
> expansion, the Dell design doesn't.
>
OK, I found another document on the Dell site, and this one says the D430
has a 945GMS and not a 945GM. (And the CPUZ utility is typically of no
help in situations like this, as it can't seem to tell the difference
between them, using electronic identification.)
http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/latit/en/spec_latit_d430_en.pdf
The 945GMS appears to be single channel. PDF page 28 has the details.
http://www.intel.com/Assets/PDF/datasheet/309219.pdf
* Supports single-channel DDR2 SDRAM only
* Maximum Memory supported 2 GB
* Memory Channel Topologies supported:
- Single-channel with 1 SO-DIMM only (up to 1 G
- Single-channel with 1 SO-DIMM (up to 1 G
and Memory Down (up to 1 G
* Support for DDR2 at 400 MHz and 533 MHz
That is more consistent with the info Dell gives.
Someone tried 1+2 here on the D430 and the machine failed to POST.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-latitude-vostro-precision/267864-dell-d430-3gb-ram-2.html
The above information also means, that Justin will not see a bandwidth
increase, when the SODIMM is installed. He'll see more memory, but the
single channel bus won't provide any more megabytes/sec in a memory
benchmark. The 945GM might have done that, if it was present.
It also makes me wonder, how many product returns they got on this
site, for selling a 2GB SODIMM for the D430.
http://www.memoryx.net/dellbuo.html
*******
Have I found hardware, where more memory does work ? Yes. My previous
motherboard had a chipset, where the chipset manufacturer claimed
it would only support 2x1GB. And after reading some things on a German
web site, I tried 1+2 and 2+2GB combinations, and they both worked.
So you can find products, where the information provided is incorrect.
Years ago, the 440BX boards were like that as well - initially supporting
128MB and eventually taking low density 256MB modules. Every once in
a while, people discover these things and take advantage of them.
Paul