Help with RAM in m1330

Hello all,

I really want to have 2gb of ram in my new m1330, but dell's price is way to high for it. So my question is (this may sound stupid to you but) would having a pro install ram be completely safe for the laptop, and would it void the waranty? I know I sound paranoid, but I once needed a motherboard replaced in a laptop, and the end results were quite undesirable.

 

wont void warranty and its very easy to install the ram, unlike the m1210, both sticks are very accessible after removing the bottom panel. you can easily do it your self... just make sure you buy so-dimm pc5300 or pc5400 or better

 

this is the best deal out there...
http://shop3.outpost.com/product/5297187?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

There are some more great deals located in the Hot Ram Deals thread and as terryw mentioned look for DDR2-667 or DDR2-533

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=121363

 

RAM is considered a user-upgrade, so it definitely won't void warranty.

And outpost has some exceptional prices on memory- theres a nice OCZ 4gb for only 160 as well.

 

do you know if that works in the inspiron 1501

 

Thanks for your help

Do you know if the keyboard has to be removed on the m1330 to replace the ram as in the tutorial here an notebookreview?

 

Also, will there be an empty slot? I would only need to buy 1gb correct?

 

I am pretty sure DDR2 PC2-5300(PC2-4200/PC2-4300) work with the 1501.

 

Ohh and last question... I promise...

In reference to that deal someone posted above (frys.com, 2gb for 44.99), Could I install one 1gb in one notebook and the other in another?

Sorry to be so clueless!

 

yep, that'll work fine
dont need to pair ram these days!

 

can anyone please tell me if i get PC2 3200, 5300 or 6400 SoDimm fit in a m1330 . SOrry to be so clueless

 

And another (probably silly) question. That RAM will work in a 1420, as well? I'm debating between the two, but if I can get such a good deal on memory I might as well grab it now and save the upgrade price.

If it works in both it would be great...

 

I recommed the DDR2-667(PC2-5300/5400) because Santa Rosa cant use DDR2-800(PC2-6400). It down clocks it to 667mhz.

Same as above since its a Santa Rosa notebook.

 

In a brand spankin new m1330 will there be an empty ram slot? Will I have to remove the keyboard or is there easy access on the back?

 

According to Terryw's post, the location of the Ram should be on the back(bottom side up)

 

If there were two slots, would dell put 512mb in each, or will there be 1g in one and I can easily just put my new 1g in?

 

Should both sticks be the same, or could I do a different amount of memory in each slot?

 

I was told by a Dell rep that the m1330 has 4 dimms (RAM slots). Can anyone confirm?

 

Ok, let me see if I understand.

I order my m1330 with 1 gb, and it has 2 slots each with 512mb. Having two identical ram cards can help with system performance, but to remove one card and insert one of different size (1 or 2gb) is still possible.

Am I correct?

 

Is it possible to take advantage of dual channel with two different ram sticks?

 

Having both RAM modules the same might help boost performance a little.

Yes, you can change one module to something bigger. In general, more RAM helps boost performance.

I recently tried two RAM combinations in the Samsung Q70 (similar hardware to the M1330). The results are attached. The 2 x 1GB is as supplied and should be dual channel, if dual channel works, while the 1-5GB is 1GB + 512MB, all DDR 667MHz CL=5. The latter shouldn't be dual channel but is less than 5% slower.

You have the choice of upgrading 2 x 512MB to either 2 x 1GB or 1 x 512MB + 1 x 2GB. I would go for the latter, because that bigger module is more likely to be useful in the future and you will have 50% more RAM for your applications after Vista has taken the first 1GB.

John

 

Thanks! That one post cleared up so much confusion. I experimented with changing some ram, and the operation wasn't difficult at all. (No removing the keyboard), so hopefully I'll be able to do it with my new m1330.

Last question- (this time, I mean it ) Can I move the 512 ram from the m1330 that I'm not using to an old desktop computer that we have?

 

Most unlikely. Notebooks use SODIMMs (Small Outline DIMMs) which are smaller than standard desktop memory.

I always keep any memory I remove so that if there is any warranty issue I can restore the computer to the physical condition it was supplied in.

John

 

Thanks so much for all of the information. You've been a huge help for me.

 

When I reordered mine this morning to downgrade the RAM back to 1GB. I was told that as well, since he said it could be upgraded to 4GB RAM. Anybody else hear anything??

 

M1330 supports a maximum of 4GB (2x 2GB SODIMMs). There's only two RAM slots on the M1330.

 

Definitely not right. Laptops only support 2 DIMMs. The Dell rep probably meant to say 4 GB of RAM, which is two sticks of 2 GB each, so 2x2 GB = 4 GB total.

 

For reference using 4GB's of a RAM with a Vista 64 bit would probably be more beneficial than the 32 bit version as a 32 bit OS can only take advantage of so much memory...


Also does anybody know how much of a performance increase there is between PC2 5300 and PC2 5400 (both 667)?

 

They are just different names for the same thing. Some manufacturers round 667 * 8 = 5336 up and some round down.