How To Upgrade Vostro 1500/ Inspiron 1520 Ram Yourself

In my process of writing a review on my new Dell Vostro 1500, I upgraded its ram. I took lots of pictures and wrote a detailed description on how to upgrade it yourself. These laptops aren't as easy as most other laptops are! Check it out and let me know what you think.

http://pctipguys.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid=1

 

Wow really nice guide! Very descriptive and pictures helped a lot! Will bookmark for future use! (I missed the mega deal before 8/1 )

 

hey ...very nice guide...where is the ram installed by default?

 

by default 1 stick is under the laptop, and 1 stick under the keyboard.

 

great guide. Thanks for putting in the time

 

Very nice guide! Two quick questions though:

1. Is this ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145157) the RAM you got? I wanted to buy my own to save money just like you did but I would hate to buy the wrong stuff, and my laptop knowledge is very limited.

2. Are the 1400 and 1420 whole different beasts, or would the guide apply to them as well?

 

Hasn't dell advertised dual channel ram mode? for it to be in dual channel i think both the ram sticks should either be in DIMM A or DIMM B part, and of the same capacity...if you are getting 1gb, im guessing (512X2) sticks will be installed in DIMM A/B for it to work in dual channel... i hope by default they are under the keyboard...wouldn't want to open up the keyboard on the very first day

 

Yes that is the ram i got. there may be cheaper ram, but i knew that would work in the laptop.

Also the 1400 and 1420 are completely different designed laptops (for better or worse) same thing with the 1505 and the 1520's.


as to the question about dual channel ram, yes it is dual channel. DimA is under the laptop, DimB is under the keyboard. I purchased it with 1gb ram (512 in the bottom, 512 under the keyboard. I replaced it with 2x1gb, 1 gb under the laptop, 1gb under the keyboard).

 

thanks a lot for clearing that...

 

Thanks for the pics, I'll be doing this on monday. I got 2gb from dell for $32

 

Thanks for going to the trouble to make this guide.
They sure don't make it easy to get at the RAM slots.
The first stick, not too bad. But that second one...

 

Oh wow, pretty complicated to reach the stick below the keyboard...

Is it the same for the 17-inch models?

On mine, it was much easier as both sticks are in the bottom of the notebook behind a cover and it is described very well in the manual.

 

Wow, it was so my easier on my old Acer to upgrade the RAM...both sticks together in one spot underneath the unit which can be popped right out (similar to #1 from your article).

Thanks for putting up this guide! I'll likely be doing this myself sometime after my 1500 arrives.

 

be very careful with the plastic trim piece.. i know 2 people now who have broken them pulling them off they are in fact pretty fragile

 

Is it really alright to use a flat head screwdriver to get Stick 2 or do I need to use the dell tool? Where does one find a dell tool?

Nice directions. Thanks

 

when we get new keyboards to replace broken ones at work, dell usually ships one of those tools in the box with the new keyboard. If you use a screw driver you might scratch the case, so anything that is plastic is best if you don't have that tool.

 

what we use is the plastic teeth flosser's we cut the point back to where its thicker and slide that under and twist it works great

 

Hello,

I have bought a vostro 1500 with 1gb ram some days ago.
Now I want to upgrade it to 2gb...do i have to buy a 2gb ram or can i just buy 1gb ram and add it to my 1gb ram that is already in my notebook?
AndCould anyone give me a link to a site where i can buy the exact type of ram that i need for the vostro 1500?

Thanks in Advance

sam solid