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Inspiron 5520 shuts down during EPSA memory testing
I was recently given a much used Inspiron 5520, it had no hard drive installed, and mismatched memory
Per the BIOS and EPSA screens, I have the following.hardware in it (the specs seem to cover may different machines in the same model #
Version - A14
Name - Inspiron 5520
Service tag
CPU - Intel i3-2370M
CPU Speed - 2.40 GHz
CPU ID 206A7
EPSA build 4228.12 UEFI ROM
Motherboard PPID CN04G65K1296125D0027A00
Video - Vendor: uEFI, Product: Graphics Protocol, Version: N/A Memory Size 63.93MB
When I looked up the memory, a non-Dell vendor said it takes PC3-10600/12800 DDR3 204-Pin SODIMM but doesn't say if it needs 1 or 2 RX8, etc... I have a rather random assortment of RAM and have been testing it in various pairs of 4GB DIMMS and in individual DIMMS, and the machine keeps turning off during the memory test section of the Dell EPSA tests...(it also fails when running Memtest86)
Do I need to find the exact correct DIMMs, (If so, what is the spec?) or does this sound like a more serious issue?
Thanks,
ex-Gooserider
JOcean
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July 17th, 2021 20:00
For reference the compatible RAM types can be found on this web page. And you should be using identical pairs. Mismatched pairs in a Dell almost certainly will lead to errors. I would not trust any RAM you have just sitting around.
ex-Gooserider
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July 23rd, 2021 16:00
I talked more with the previous owner of the laptop who suggested that it was pretty marginal in various hardware areas, and possibly not worth putting a lot of effort expense into further upgrading...
However I have found ONE 4GB DIMM that passes the EPSA, tests, and then a few days worth of Memtest86 without errors. So my current plan is to install GNU/Linux and W10 on it and see how it works with this one DIMM...
My significant other recently became legally blind due to some medical issues, and wants something that she can use to test some of the low-vision features and things like screen readers, to see if they will work better for her than the fruit co. machine she uses now... My hope is that this laptop will at least work for that and give us an idea about whether or not it's worth investing in a more powerful machine or trying to upgrade this one...
At any rate I will definitely make note of the memory spec. I had seen the specs that U2CAMEB4ME had posted and didn't find them at all clear, in part given the huge range of configurations (something like 7 different CPU's, 10 Video options, and multiple chipsets) that seemed to be listed under the same model number..... Your link was much more specific and that helps a lot.
ex-Gooserider
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July 24th, 2021 04:00
Glad I could help out! And all my thoughts and prayers go out to your significant other.