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    is it true buying my own RAM hurts my system?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by theorist, Sep 29, 2007.

  1. theorist

    theorist Notebook Consultant

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    hi mates. thanks for reading this. i read somewhere that buying aftermarket ram like from newegg, will hurt the overall performance of my system because the RAM that comes with the vostro is custom tailored to it for maximum efficiency.

    is this true? thanks.
     
    theorist, Sep 29, 2007
    #1
  2. nizzy1115

    nizzy1115 Notebook Prophet

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    no, i dont know where you read this. ram is ram.
     
    nizzy1115, Sep 29, 2007
    #2
  3. AKAJohnDoe

    AKAJohnDoe Mime with Tourette's

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    Pffffftttt! PC's themselves are commodity items; the components that are used to build them even more so. The last "Dell" memory I bought from Dell was Kingston memory.
     
    AKAJohnDoe, Sep 29, 2007
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  4. jojoinnit

    jojoinnit Notebook Consultant

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    Thats what Dell would like you to think. Ram is Ram. Just make sure its the right speed.
     
    jojoinnit, Sep 29, 2007
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  5. zfactor

    zfactor Mastershake

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    no not at all not one bit
     
    zfactor, Sep 29, 2007
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  6. opnr2000

    opnr2000 Notebook Consultant

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    No more that it would hurt a human cheating on general mills with Kelloggs =)
     
    opnr2000, Sep 29, 2007
    #6
  7. Triple_Dude

    Triple_Dude Notebook Evangelist

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    It'll hurt your wallet if you buy incompatible RAM with no return policy... ;)

    Just make sure the CAS Latencies and timing are the same as the current one in your notebook.

    You can check by using CPUZ which can be downloaded (free) from:
    www.cpuid.com
     
    Triple_Dude, Sep 29, 2007
    #7
  8. opnr2000

    opnr2000 Notebook Consultant

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    Wut the heck?
    I just check my Bios and it says i have 2GB DDR2 667Mhz
    but i used the CPU app and it says this:



    Chipset & Memory
    Northbridge Intel GM965 rev. C0
    Southbridge Intel 82801HBM (ICH8-ME) rev. 02
    Graphic Interface PCI-Express
    PCI-E Link Width x16
    PCI-E Max Link Width x16
    Memory Type DDR2
    Memory Size 2048 MBytes
    Memory Frequency 332.4 MHz (3:5)
    CAS# Latency (tCL) 5.0 clocks
    RAS# to CAS# (tRCD) 5 clocks
    RAS# Precharge (tRP) 5 clocks
    Cycle Time (tRAS) 15 clocks

    Memory SPD
    Module 1 DDR2, PC2-5300 (333 MHz), 1024 MBytes, Hyundai Electronics
    Module 2 DDR2, PC2-5300 (333 MHz), 1024 MBytes, Hyundai Electronics


    From that it looks like it is 333mhz.

    Which one is correct??
     
    opnr2000, Sep 29, 2007
    #8
  9. Triple_Dude

    Triple_Dude Notebook Evangelist

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    Uh... Both, actually.

    DDR RAM is DOUBLE Data Rate RAM...

    So, it's 333Mhz * 2 = 666Mhz (except it rounds up to 667Mhz).
     
    Triple_Dude, Sep 29, 2007
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  10. opnr2000

    opnr2000 Notebook Consultant

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    hehe ok ..
    Thanks
    [Insert 666 joke here.]
     
    opnr2000, Sep 29, 2007
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  11. Coysdad

    Coysdad Notebook Enthusiast

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    Not like I can anything more to this thread in the way of the original question, but I thought I would share anyway - since its "on topic."

    I have an Inspiron 1521 that came from Dell with 1G memory. Today I went out and bought 2 1G sticks, Kingston brand, and this evening I put them in. They seem to be working totally fine, and Vista and others are running much more smoothly and speedily (like Mr. McFeeley).

    As others said - just make sure you get the right type.
     
    Coysdad, Sep 29, 2007
    #11