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June 5th, 2009 14:00
M1710 Ram questions/problems
Hello, I have a Dell XPS M1710 laptop which came with 2 sticks of 1GB 2Rx8 PC2-5300S-555-12 Ram. Recently, my DIMM B Slot on the motherboard quit working (both sticks of ram work in DIMM A, but neither work in DIMM B). When I start up with 2 sticks of ram, the machine won't even work, so now I'm stuck with only 1 GB of ram.
I believe that this machine supports a Max of 4GB (2GB per slot), so I am considering getting rid of my (2) 1gb sodimms, and buying (1) 2gb sodimm. I think this ram is supposed to be 667mhz, but CPUZ shows it as running at 333mhz. Is that because it requires both plugged in to get the full ram potential (dual channel or some such thing?)
Any input into either how to fix my motherboard ram slot, why my ram seems to be running at 1/2 speed, or advise on which ram to purchase to optimize my laptop would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Kerry.
I believe that this machine supports a Max of 4GB (2GB per slot), so I am considering getting rid of my (2) 1gb sodimms, and buying (1) 2gb sodimm. I think this ram is supposed to be 667mhz, but CPUZ shows it as running at 333mhz. Is that because it requires both plugged in to get the full ram potential (dual channel or some such thing?)
Any input into either how to fix my motherboard ram slot, why my ram seems to be running at 1/2 speed, or advise on which ram to purchase to optimize my laptop would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Kerry.
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ejn63
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June 5th, 2009 14:00
DDR is double data rate - the signal is sampled twice per cycle, effectively doubling the bandwidth - i.e., PC2-667 RAM DOES run at 333 MHz, so what you're seeing is completely normal.
If one of the memory sockets is bad, the mainboard needs to be replaced.
kerryss
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June 5th, 2009 14:00
I had considered replacing that, but motherboards seem to run $300-$400. This laptop has had many problems already with batteries, keyboard, power bricks, etc, so I don't think it would be wise to invest very much more into it.
You mentined about DDR sample cycles. Does a machine require 2 dimms of DDR ram in order to get the full mhz speed, or perhaps is there a bios setting that is limiting my ram speed for the single chip?
Thanks, ejn63.
ejn63
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June 5th, 2009 14:00
DDR-667 DOES RUN at 333 MHz - normally. That is why it's called DDR-667; it effectively runs at twice its actual speed. Your RAM is running exactly as designed.
No, it is NOT necessary to pair modules for the proper speed, though it IS wise to do so since you lose half your memory bandwidth (NOT speed) by running a single or mismatched modules.
kerryss
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June 5th, 2009 16:00
Ok thanks. I will probably sell off the 2 dimms and buy a 2gb pc2-5300s to tide me over until my next laptop purchase.