How to match RAM?

Post #410,021 by drook 5/11/16 8:47:16 AM 5/11/16 8:47:16 AM Reply	How to match RAM? My laptop is feeling creaky and slow. I've got two RAM slots but only one is full. I'd like to fill the other, but want to make sure it matches. Output of dmidecode is: Handle 0x000F, DMI type 17, 27 bytes Memory Device Array Handle: 0x000D Error Information Handle: No Error Total Width: 128 bits Data Width: 64 bits Size: 2048 MB Form Factor: DIMM Set: 2 Locator: S2 Bank Locator: DIMM2 Type: DDR2 Type Detail: Synchronous Speed: 667 MHz Manufacturer: Toshiba Serial Number: 1706DB14 Asset Tag: No Asset Tag Part Number: 64T128020EDL2.5C2 I think this is a match. Am I missing anything? -- Drew
Post #410,024 by a6l6e6x 5/11/16 11:05:02 AM 5/11/16 11:05:02 AM Reply	Do you know what Toshiba model you have? Plug that into the Crucial search function here: Crucial search. Prosper! :) The laptop might even accept higher capacity DIMMs. Alex "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov
Post #410,027 by drook 5/11/16 11:24:36 AM 5/11/16 11:24:37 AM Reply	It'll take higher But the price jumps so much I'd be better off buying a whole new system. -- Drew
Post #410,034 by Another Scott 5/11/16 12:00:48 PM 5/11/16 12:00:48 PM Reply	RAM prices rise pretty steeply for stuff that's a few generations old. I note it's DDR2. That's pretty pokey these days. I'm not surprised that there's a big price jump. It looks like 2x4GB is $100-$140 at Amazon. If you're willing to spend that much, and the machine recognizes it, it would help quite a bit. And might save you reinstallation time, etc. But you can get a new machine that's probably much faster and better supported by spending only a little more. http://dellrefurbished.com/laptops HTH. Cheers, Scott.
Post #410,038 by boxley 5/11/16 12:13:09 PM 5/11/16 12:13:09 PM Reply	get a new hp at wallmart for that price always look out for number one and don't step in number two
Post #410,025 by pwhysall 5/11/16 11:10:34 AM 5/11/16 11:10:34 AM Reply	Do what Alex said Go to Crucial, run the thinger that checks compatibility, buy what it says. If you've got a slot free, toss (or sell or give away or whatever) the SODIMM you've got and install two of the biggest it'll take.
Post #410,042 by malraux 5/11/16 1:13:16 PM 5/11/16 1:13:16 PM Reply	Thirded. That's what I do. Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
Post #410,053 by drook 5/11/16 2:15:17 PM 5/11/16 2:15:17 PM Reply	Prices One stick to match what I have, taking it from 2G to 4G: $27 Two sticks x 2G (DDR2-800 instead of DDR2-667): $54 Two sticks x 4G: $240 Refurbished version of next year's model of what I've got, with 4K and twice the HD: $198. Yeah, I'm not dropping $240 on this thing. -- Drew
Post #410,056 by pwhysall 5/11/16 3:30:30 PM 5/11/16 3:31:15 PM Reply	$240?! Fuck off. Fuck right off. Fuck. Right. The. Fuck. Off. Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ddr3-4gb-sodimm/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Addr3%204gb%20sodimm https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ddr2+4gb+sodimm&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Addr2+4gb+sodimm One of those is going to work for you. You can go to 8GB for less than thirty or forty quid. OK, that's about 50-70 of your inferior colonial "dollars", but whev. And that's Amazon. Not the cheapest place on the internet. Edited by pwhysall May 11, 2016, 03:31:15 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #410,057 by Another Scott 5/11/16 3:42:44 PM 5/11/16 3:42:44 PM Reply	That's DDR3 stuff. He needs DDR2. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ddr2+8+gb+sodimm&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Addr2+8+gb+sodimm Cheapest I see there is $100, and yes, Crucial wants $200+. Old memory gets spendy if you wait too long. Cheers, Scott.
Post #410,058 by pwhysall 5/11/16 3:43:51 PM 5/11/16 3:47:36 PM Reply	2nd link is DDR2. Samsung modules for £24. But yeah, old memory is disproportionately expensive. By comparison, a 32GB kit for my desktop is £110. Hmm. :D Edited by pwhysall May 11, 2016, 03:47:36 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #410,059 by Another Scott 5/11/16 3:50:09 PM 5/11/16 3:50:09 PM Reply	Amazon mixes up stuff all the time. That's a DDR3 part. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-memory-1333MHz-SODIMM-laptops-x/dp/B0074HYVU2/ It's as little as $20 in the USA. ;-p Cheers, Scott.
Post #410,060 by drook 5/11/16 4:38:58 PM 5/11/16 4:38:58 PM Reply	So we're back to ... how do I know it's compatible? I'm assuming as long as it's DDR2-667 it will match what I have, and any matched pair of DDR2 will work? -- Drew
Post #410,061 by Another Scott 5/11/16 5:12:49 PM 5/11/16 5:12:49 PM Reply	It should work that way. You'll probably have no troubles. Mac can/could be more temperamental. E.g. Ramjet: Non-Stacked IC's: Ramjet uses a Non-stacked module for the 4GB SO-DIMM module for the MacBook. The cheaper stacked IC variety of 4GB SO-DIMM draws more power, which increases heat and decreases battery life. Ramjet ONLY uses premium non-stacked chips. As long as your listing is correct and the new parts are: PC2-5300, DDR2-667, 667Mhz, Latency 5-5-5, Non-ECC, Unbuffered, 1.8V, 200pin SO-DIMM then you should be Ok. (Don't worry about the Latency stuff.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SO-DIMM#/media/File:Laptop_SODIMM_DDR_Memory_Comparison_V2.svg "Matched pairs" are safer, of course, but it's probably not necessary. Cheers, Scott.
Post #410,063 by drook 5/11/16 5:39:03 PM 5/11/16 5:39:03 PM Reply	Does the PC number matter? http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-PC2-5300-200-Pin-Notebook-CT25664AC667/dp/B000F7QRTG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1463002456&sr=8-4&keywords=DDR2-667+2+g+sodimm The title on that one says it's PC2 5300, the detail says it's PC5400. -- Drew
Post #410,064 by Another Scott 5/11/16 6:00:24 PM 5/11/16 6:00:24 PM Reply	As long as it's close, it shouldn't matter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDR2_SDRAM#Specification_standards * Some manufacturers label their DDR2 modules as PC2-4300, PC2-5400 or PC2-8600 instead of the respective names suggested by JEDEC. At least one manufacturer has reported this reflects successful testing at a higher-than-standard data rate[6] whilst others simply round up for the name. The PC number is something like a data transfer rate. That's kinda advertising if it's only a slight delta from the standard. In that Amazon description case, it's probably just a typo. HTH. Cheers, Scott.
Post #410,066 by drook 5/11/16 6:16:50 PM 5/11/16 6:16:50 PM Reply	Thanks ... someday I'll learn to put Wikipedia in my search terms I was looking for an explanation of the terms and kept hitting sales pages. -- Drew
Post #410,062 by a6l6e6x 5/11/16 5:28:04 PM 5/11/16 5:28:04 PM Reply	Well, to fit mechanically you need SoDIMM (i.e. small outline) modules. And again mechanically you probably have 200 pin modules so avoid the 240 pin module used on desktops. Other than that, you should be OK. Alex "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov
Post #410,119 by scoenye 5/15/16 8:22:05 PM 5/15/16 8:22:05 PM Reply	Oddly... http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-1910718.html That post has the same part (and serial ??) number as yours but shows it running at 800MHz.So you may already have a DDR2-800 part in there but the motherboard tops out at 667 MHz. http://www.amazon.com/PC2-5300-Modules-200-pin-Genuine--Tech/dp/B00C538B56/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1463357758&sr=8-7&keywords=DDr2+667+sodimm This is 2x2GB DDR2-667 for $29. A-Tech is Amazon undercover. I've installed a couple of 32GB kits in older HP Proliant servers without issues.
Post #410,120 by drook 5/15/16 8:23:18 PM 5/15/16 8:23:18 PM Reply	Already ordered, will check what's on the chips when I install it -- Drew

Welcome to IWETHEY!