Upgrading 800mhz memory on XPS 420?

Question

Hi. I have 3G of Dell ddr2 800 on my new xps 420 and have decided to upgrade to 4 gigs. I can buy 2x1g from Dell and replace the 2x512mb sticks or replace all 4 with Corsair xms2: http://www.corsair.com/_datasheets/TWIN2X2048-6400C5DHX.pdf

I've searched the relevant threads and have run CPUZ so I'm assuming the following: any ram I use to replace the Dell ram must run at the same voltage, 1.8v.This really limits the possibilities for upgrading to memory rated at the same speed (800mhz) but with lower case latency (e.g. cl4) and tighter timings (e.g. 4-4-4-12).

But I also found, as others have, that the Dell memory is running at a surprisingly high cl 6 with timings of 6-6-6-18. My question is, since the Corsair I've selected runs at 1.8v, and runs at cl 5 w/ 5-5-5-18 timings, will the BIOS accept and run this memory at this tighter timing? My guess is that the performance gain would be small, but still improved. And as far as I can figure, this will be the best I can do. Any experience/knowledge out there is welcome!

Message Edited by christopher33931245 on 04-01-2008 05:08 PM

Message Edited by christopher33931245 on 04-02-2008 02:14 PM

christopher3393 · Answer

Thanks. I have 3Gb in there--verified. I'll upgrade to 4GB and have 3GB available-- vrified by tech support. And thanks Dave: I'd be getting all 4GB from the egg simultaneously but always good to check. I guess I'm not going to know if the Corsair will run at cl 5 until I try it. Kinda surprising that I had to dig for spec info that is available as standard practice from newegg, zipzoomfly, and others. Also surprising that the timings that the Dell memory runs at are looser than the industry standard--especially surpising on a high performance XPS. I guess you have to jump to the 630 or 720 for genuine enthusiast performance. Also surprising that even tech support doesn't have the info on voltage, case latency, and timings on Dell's own memory! Message Edited by christopher33931245 on 04-02-2008 02:56 PM Message Edited by christopher33931245 on 04-02-2008 03:34 PM

xps420OC · Answer

So you ony have 2Gb of actual ram in your computer then.  It the 3rd GB is virtual memory then that mean your using a GB or your HD as Ram.  So do you only have 2 Gb or actual ram in your computer of do you have 3Gb installed.   If you are not 100% sure on how to check let me know.

christopher3393 · Answer

Well, the 3GB is showing as only 2GB available in Dell system info -- the 3rd gig is assigned entirely to virtual memory and page file. So unless those settings need adjusting, my guess would be that 4gb should show up as maybe 2.3 available. A small gain, admittedly.

xps420OC · Answer

If you already have 3gb of 800mhz ram there is no reason to upgrade. Your computer will not see more than 3gb even with 4gb installed. You will just be wasting your money. The only reason to buy new ram would be to increase speed, and you would have to replace all of your ram.

So dont get an extra Gb, it will be useless.

Davet50 · Answer

if you are planing on using the Cosair mem then i would remove the current mem. If you mix the two then the system will run at the slowest speed. With the price of mem as cheap as it is now adays it really wont hurt to go with 4 gig. One thing it will do is ensure that all the stick are using the same spd and profiles. A lot of times mfr will slightly change something on the stick and they won't be all the same. this has been shown to happen here on this forum..

christopher3393 · Answer

Ok. I just talked to a guy who mods and sells xps 420s on Ebay. He has run the Corsair memory on the 420 and he says it runs at 5-5-5-18. He hasn't tested the speed difference btw the Dell 800MHZ memory and the Corsair, but he doesn't think it is noticeable. And he also thought it was odd that the Dell memory runs at 6-6-6-18, but he confirmed that it does. I don't know enough about benchmark testing to know what tests would best compare the 2 memories' performance, but I might give it a shot if someone can recommend a test or 2.

christopher3393 · Answer

I ran into the problem that Davet50 mentioned above: even though my 2 sets of 2x1GB Corsair memory were purchased only a day apart and had matching specs and code numbers across the board, the computer would not boot. It recognized the memory, but the memory would not function. So the only solution is to buy a 4x1GB  Corsair kit or a 2x2GB Corsair kit. There is a small performance hit with the 2x2GB kits, so I don't want to do that, and the price and availability of the 4x1 kits aren't attractive. So I simply bought 2x1GB Dell memory to replace the 2x512 sticks and it worked instantly. I also noticed a small performance boost immediately which I did not expect. Message Edited by christopher33931245 on 04-14-2008 11:33 AM Message Edited by christopher33931245 on 04-14-2008 11:34 AM

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Upgrading 800mhz memory on XPS 420?

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