4 GB of RAM in Dell Precision M70

Can a Dell Precision M70 use 4GB of RAM?
I understand the chipset can take 4GB, but
a 32-bit OS (that is, XPP) won't use the
full 4GB. You will get something over 3GB
of usable RAM out of it. Anyone able to
comment on this.

 

The M70 is Pentium M/915 based, isn't it? I think the chipset only supports up to 4GB.

 

Thanks, Commander Wolf, for your information and response. The M70 is a Pentium M Centrino with a 2 GHz processor. Could you upgrade to a 64-bit operating system and actually use the full 4GB of RAM? If so, what operating system would you suggest--XPP, Vista, or Win 7?

 

This is a hardware limitation. Unless Intel's lying, upgrading to a 64bit OS won't do you any good.

 

Would upgrading to a 64-bit OS (with two 2GB sticks) be faster than my 32-bit system now?

 

See the dual channel RAM guide for some info on the possible (small) performance boost of 2 x 2GB compared with 2 x 1GB. I would not assume that 64 bit Windows will automatically bring a performance improvement.

John

 

Thanks, John, for your response. Aside from performance considerations, I wanted to make some of these changes just to see if they would work. There is much controversy out there as to whether you can (1) run a Dell M70 with two 2GB memory modules [though my sources tell me the 915PM chipset will support 4GB] and (2) run a 64-bit OS on the M70.

 

I didn't realise how much things have moved on. Intel thinks that the 915 chipset can handle only up to 2GB RAM.

Regarding 64 bit support, check the CPU specs on the Intel website. There is also the possibility that the BIOS doesn't enable 64 bit support even if the CPU can handle it.

John

 

The M70 doesn't support 64-bit, and it doesn't support 4GB RAM. I've installed 3GB RAM in my M70 before, and it only shows up as 2GB.

I had already sold all of my 1GB DDR2 modules, so currently, I have 2 x 2GB in a D610. It works fine, but again, only shows 2GB installed.

 

Hello there.

Just to confirm: The M70 does not work with 4 GB RAM.

2 GB starts.
3 GB starts (no matter what slot you put 1 / 2 GB in) but shows up as 2 GB.
4 GB makes the laptop power off automatically after 1 second - it refuses to start.

No harm is done to the laptop or memory, but the combination does not work, even with latest firmwares.