Optiplex 320 memory upgrade

Question

I recently ordered some memory for several of my optiplex 320 machines. I ordered these straight through Dell, and they are listed as 1GB Optiplex 320 sys memory on the invoice. The chips themselves are labeled 1Rx8 PC2-6400U-666-12. When I remove my existing 1 gb sticks and put two of these in, I receive the 1-3-2 no post code. When I use just one of these new sticks I recieve the 1-3-2 no post code. When I use the old stick in slot 0 and the new stick in slot 1, I sometimes boot, but with blue screens. With the new stick in slot 0 and the old in slot 1, I get the 1-3-2 no post code. The system works fine with just the old stick in it. These symptoms occur with any of the 4 new sticks I recieved from Dell.  I did flash the BIOS to the most recent release. I find it a little implausible that all 4 sticks would be bad. Was I sent the wrong memory? I wanted to post here before I wade through phone support to see if anyone had any similar experiances with the Optiplex 320 or any resolutions.

shesagordie · Answer

lordrel

It would seem that Dell sent you memory that's not compatible with your Optiplex 320.

Return the RAM for credit and go HERE and use their memory system scanner tool, or the memory selector for RAM that's certified to be compatible with your Optiplex 320.

Bev.

cyinop · Answer

I have 7 Optiplex 320 1 G machines in my office and have found that I can upgrade the memory by pairing 2 of the original 1 G memory sticks in a single machine.  I have tried 2 different non-Dell brand 1 G sticks including Crucial's brand and a single 2 G non-Dell stick and none will work. I then ordered 7 new Dell 1 G memory sticks (part #SNPU86622C) and they work but only in pairs.  My seventh machine will only recognize 1 of the 1 G sticks when I pair a new stick and an old stick.  Doesn't matter which slot and each stick will work individually.  Ran the BIOS update as recommended.   Dell technical support was absolutely no help in resolving this issue and it is widely documented online.  I have resorted to ordering another new stick for the 7th machine but will not order Dell computers in the future.

theflash1932 · Answer

What are the full and exact specs on all the memory?

cyinop · Answer

Not sure where to find the info as there are a lot of numbers on the stickers & printed on the memory.  What sort of numbers should I be looking for?

speedstep · Answer

Optiplex 320

Memory Type: DDR2 PC2-5300, DDR2 (non-ECC)

Maximum Memory: 4GB

Slots: 2

Each memory slot can hold DDR2 PC2-5300 with a maximum of 2GB per slot.

Recommended Upgrade

4GB kit (2GBx2)
DDR2 PC2-5300 • CL=5 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR2-667 • 1.8V • 256Meg x 64 • • Part #: CT917856

The Picture below is an example of what memory part numbers look like but is not the CT917856 listed above.

cyinop · Answer

This came out of the Optiplex 320: ProMOS Technologies V916765K24QBFW-F5 1GB 2Rx8 DDR2-667-MHz-CL5 PC2-5300U-555-12-EO 0720-W2863369

The new part is part #SNPU86622C (see Dell website). I would not recommend trying Crucial's suggested 2 GB per slot and Dell does not offer a 2GB stick as an option for the Optiplex 320. BTW I received the last of the Dell 1 GB sticks and it works fine in conjunction with the other new Dell stick. Anyone need an old stick? I'm finished with the issue.

speedstep · Answer

The 4 gig kit from crucial works fine. The Promos part is 1 gig.

1GB 240p PC2-5300 CL5 16c 64x8 DDR2-667 2Rx8 1.8V UDIMM RFB Taiwan, ProMOS, AFB, V916765K24QBFW-F5
Description: V916765K24QBFW-F5 AFB 1GB 240p PC2-5300 CL5 16c 64x8 DDR2-667 2Rx8 1.8V UDIMM RFB Taiwan, ProMOS

shesagordie · Answer

This thread has been locked due to it's age, if you have a similar issue, please use the 'New post' feature at the top of this page and start a new thread. Bev.

crmdvm · Answer

You were sent the wrong memory - there are 2 motherboards for the 320 - one is A00 and the other is A01 - the first is older and has a BIOS version that ends in 05 - the second is newer and ends in 12 - neither can use 6400 memory - the A00 can use 3200 and 4200 memory the A01 can use up to 5300 memory - the A00 can be flashed to the newer BIOS version - I have not tried all memory combos yet on an updated A00 machine - but the A01 can handle 1 or 2 GB chips for a max of 4GB - the error messages that you are receiving are indicative of a radical hardware change - they can be for unrecognized memory or hard drive changes - I have bootable utility disks so I put in memory that I know will work and go into setup and change the boot sequence to boot from the CD/DVD drive - I then use the original hard drive and see if it will work - if I have the correct BIOS and memory working then I try to upgrade the memory - but I have the luxury of having all types of memory available because I am refurbishing dozens of old XP machines and loading Windows 7 - this works well if you are dealing with a Pentium D machine and 2GB of memory - it only takes 16 GB of HD space for the 32 bit version and a few GB more for the 64 bit version - I have not yet explored all variations of this machine but when set up with a minimum of 2GB of memory, it works great as a simple server or internet computer - I hope that this info helps.

Locked Topics – Desktops General

Recommended Upgrade

1GB 240p PC2-5300 CL5 16c 64x8 DDR2-667 2Rx8 1.8V UDIMM RFB Taiwan, ProMOS, AFB, V916765K24QBFW-F5

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