Start a Conversation

Solved!

Go to Solution

2309

April 7th, 2019 18:00

Inspiron 530s, v-gen ram compatibility

​Hi all,​

​I am planning to upgrade my old dell inspiron 530S ram.​

​Is V-gen ddr2 800 pc6400 2GB (1 piece) dual channel compatible with my machine?​

​My specs: inspiron core2duo E4500, 2 pieces ddr2 667 pc5300 (2x1GB) single channel, gpu: intel g33​

​Currently, slot 1 & 2 are used. I am planning to use slot 3 for the new ram.​

​ ​

​Thanks in advance, BK​

9 Legend

 • 

33.3K Posts

April 8th, 2019 07:00

Avoid the headaches and likely failures.  Only install in pairs and only use all the same brand/type memory.

 

9 Legend

 • 

33.3K Posts

April 8th, 2019 03:00

If you plan on upgrading memory, do not mix brands/types as in most cases it will fail.  Second, as Dell's have a history of compatibility with non-Dell branded memory its hit or miss with memory - some work OK and some others do not.  For that reason we recommend Crucial memory as it is guaranteed to work in a Dell. 

Finally, install memory in pairs, not a single slot as that defeats the dual channel capability of the CPU.

Crucial shows 4GB as max memory for this model.  That may or may not be true as the Dell published spec's probably were for a 32 bit OS. Some - not all - will actually take more than 4 GB is it has a 64 bit OS. 

It should also be noted this requires 1.8V memory.  

https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Dell/inspiron-530s

9 Legend

 • 

47K Posts

April 8th, 2019 04:00

These models do not support larger dimms until you update bios 1.0.18

Ram must be used in pairs so you can use 2 or 4 dimms.

2 gigs is the MAX size of a dimm and it must be LOW DENSITY intel compatible ram.

3 will have issues.

Bios should be updated without antivirus software installed and BEFORE changing ram.

 

2 Posts

April 8th, 2019 06:00

My bios is 1.0.18

My ram info:

Memory Controller Information

Maximum Memory Module Size: 2048 MB

Maximum Total Memory Size: 8192 MB

Supported Memory Types: DIMM

Memory Module Voltage: 5.0 V

Associated Memory Slots: 4

Handle 0x0006, D.M.I type 6, 12 bytes

Memory Module Information

Socket Designation: DIMM1

Bank Connections: 0

Current Speed: Unknown

Type: D.I.M.M.

Installed Size: 1024 MB (Single-bank Connection)

Enabled Size: 1024 MB (Single-bank Connection)

Error Status: OK

 

Handle 0x0007, D.M.I type 6, 12 bytes

Memory Module Information

Socket Designation: DIMM2

Bank Connections: 2

Current Speed: Unknown

Type: D.I.M.M.

Installed Size: 1024 MB (Single-bank Connection)

Enabled Size: 1024 MB (Single-bank Connection)

Error Status: OK

 

Handle 0x0008, D.M.I type 6, 12 bytes

Memory Module Information

Socket Designation: DIMM3

Bank Connections: None

Current Speed: Unknown

Type: Unknown

Installed Size: Not Installed

Enabled Size: Not Installed

Error Status: OK

 

Handle 0x0009, D.M.I type 6, 12 bytes

Memory Module Information

Socket Designation: DIMM4

Bank Connections: None

Current Speed: Unknown

Type: Unknown

Installed Size: Not Installed

Enabled Size: Not Installed

Error Status: OK

 

So, must I use paired ddr2 cards not single card ones?

No Events found!

Top