1 DIMM or 2? Also, what brand?

Hey guys,

I'm looking to get a new laptop, and I don't know if it's better to get (1) 1 Gig DIMM or (2) 512 DIMMs. I hear there's something about dual channel that makes having two DIMMs better.

Also, what's the best brand to buy?

I'm not a huge computer person, so I'm throwing the question to you guys. Let me know!

J

 

If you ever want to upgrade to 2 gigs then get 1 dimm. Otherwise (if its about the same price), go for 2 dimmsas dual channel gives anywhere from a 5-20% (depending on who you ask) increase in performance. Kingston, Corsair, Trancend, Mushkin etc are all good brands to buy.

 

Related to Punky's question -As aftermarket RAM is cheaper, but I can not order a laptop wityh no RAM, could I get it with the minimum (512MB), throw out one of the 256MB modules and replace it with a 1GB module giving me 1.256 GB on RAM, or do they have to be paired?

 

Only if you want to utilize the dual channel option. If you go about this route the you will essentially have 1 virtual dimm, or at least thats how I have always understood it.

ucb9999

 

In other words, Yes. dBaxter that is just fine and your computer will run much faster with the increase in Ram. Also, should you ever want to go to 2 gigs you could dual channel then.

 

Its better to go for 1 DIMM so you can upgrade in the future.

Dual channel mode on a laptop isnt as great as it is on the desktop. It barely offers any performance boost at all. Also, if your laptop has an Intel i915 chipset or newer you can run dual channel on mis-matched pairs of RAM.

 

Can anyone offer me some reliable benchmarks on this topic, preferably using a dual core processor (which is what I'm planning to get)?

Also, I'm thinking of ordering off of rjtech.com. Should I get my RAM from Newegg or something?

 

could you elaberate on this? This is new information for me and I would like to get all the facts straight before I accidently make an incorrect statement on the subject.

Thanks,

ucb9999

 

You can check out this review in which dual channel was deemed worthless; http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=2766 and search the web for dual channel bench marks. Dual channel may be beneficial in future chips sets I hope..

 

The feature where you can run 'dual-channel' on two different size DIMMs is called asynchronous dual-channel . . it basically does nothing.

I wouldn't be that concerned with the brand, but I wouldn't buy the cheapest stuff out there.

 

My laptop is running dual channel mode on 1 stick of 512mb and another of 1GB.

 

I'm not sure where I was supposed to be looking in that link you posted but I was unable to get any use out of it. All I found was a review of some sort on the 1710.

ucb9999

 

Did you read the "User Upgrades"? Notice the specific chipset; used in many laptops.

"The most likely - and easiest - upgrade would be to increase the amount of memory in your system. The center cover is secured by two screws and hides access to the two SO-DIMM slots. It's worth mentioning once again that the 945GM/PM chipset only has a 64-bit front side bus, so while it can support dual channel memory, there is little advantage in running dual channel over a single channel - at least if you use DDR2-667 memory. If you're looking for a high-performance laptop, we definitely recommend going with 2GB of memory these days, especially if you're running a dual core processor. However, paying Dell for your memory upgrade may not be the most cost-effective way of getting more RAM. If you're willing to do the upgrade yourself, you might be able to save a few bucks, and just about anyone with a screwdriver should be able to swap out memory modules. The only caveat is that you need to make sure you get Dell compatible RAM, which generally means RAM that strictly adheres to the JEDEC standards (i.e. 5-5-5-15 timings at DDR2-667)."

I can't feel any difference from 1 to 1.5 gig on my dell but YMMV.

 

I've seen Dell voiding warranty for not having the ram installed by an approved center. Just a word of caution.

 

this is the only reason I haven't upgraded my ram myself yet. I payed for there 4yr premium warranty and I don't want to throw my money away by self upgrades if it will void the warranty.

Can anyone give me definite proof of whether or not Dell voids warranty for having ram installed by an approved center?

ucb9999

 

link please?

From my Dell owners manual:

Memory
You can increase your computer memory by installing memory modules on the system board. See
"Specifications" on page 137 for information on the memory supported by your computer. Install only memory modules that are intended for your computer.

Nowhere is "voiding your warranty" stated. However if you jam memory in backwards and crater the motherboard...