is there a maximum limit to RAM in a notebook

I have a HP dv6218tx notebook, nd when i purchased it, i remember the specifications indicating that the RAM could be upgraded only until 2GB. There are 2 card slots, so wht's stopping me from upgrading it to 3Gb or 4GB??i have a 1.83Ghz core 2 duo processor..can i upgrade it or not?

 

It simply means that the motherboard is incapable of handling anything more than 2GB. You could physically put a larger amount but one of a few things will happen. It may not boot at all, it may run and only show 2GB, or it may run but run all messed up.

I dont know what MB you have, sometimes you can get around limits, most of the time you cannot.

 

if your laptop is Core 2 Duo, you will be able to support up to 4GB (you need a 64 bit OS to read all 4GB. A 32 bit OS reads maybe 3.7GB of ram). I believe the chipsets are all the same for Santa Rosa

If your laptop is of the newer montevina variety, you can support up to 8GB of ram although there's almost completely no need for it.

 

You can run CPU-Z and verify the chipset. If it is the GM/PM 945 or the GM/PM 965, then 4GB is supported by the chipset.
Mostly, either BIOSs are locked down, or have no support for 2GB modules, or 2GB modules were not available at the time of the notebook's release.

 

Santa Rosa can also read up to 8GB, the limit will be due to the BIOS, not the motherboard. If the manufacturer says max 2GB then that's what their BIOS is capped at.

 

HP's documentation is outdated. It will say 2gb max even though it can support up to 4gb after the BIOS update.

 

I have an HP dv6000. What is the BIOS, and how do I update it? I'd love to go up to at least 3GB. I just upgraded to 2.

 

i've updated the BIOS by goin to my laptop support page and flashing it(is tht wht you say for updating the BIOS??)..so does tht mean tht now my NB can support 3gb or even 3.7gb of RAM???

also..i hav only a 160gb harddisk..i was thinkin of takin that out and putting a bigger one in..i know i can change the RAM on my own, but can i change the harddisk on my own??is it jus a case of unplugging the old one and puttin the new one in???there's no way of putting 2 HDs in the same place eh?

 

I have put 2.5gb in a dv6205nr before ( i belive that is the model number ) also 3gb in a dv9260us so yes it will work with 2gb sticks of ram.

 

Flashing means "updating" the BIOS ya, it erases the old and puts in a new one thus not really updating

If you put in 4GB you may have anywhere from 2.85GB to 3.5GB (the rest will be adressed by other hardware) if you run a 32bit Operating System. You can use all 4GB if you use a 64bit OS.
But it all depends on if the BIOS will accept more than 2GB or not.

You could change out the HDD yourself yes, it's as easy as upgrading the RAM. Out with the old in with the new.
I don't know if your notebook supports 2xHDD, most commonly there is only 1. You can look in the service manual for your notebook if it does support 1 or 2, or just look at the back of your laptop and use common sense, assembling the HDD cover to see for yourself

 

Sometimes the chipset can't handle more than a pre-set amount.

I know that a popular limitation is 6.8GB.

 

checkmait, you mean the BIOS?

I wouldn't say that's a popular limitation As i haven't seen anyone use that much ram at all lately

 

im downloadin the lates flash for the BIOS from the support page..will flash that and then go ahead wit the purchase of the 2x2gb memory sticks..and will also get a bigger hard drive..should i get IDE or SATA???i got a HP dv6218tx..or either is ok???which has the lowest temperature, lowest noise, better reading/writing etc??

 

HP 2GB 800MHZ DDR II SODIMM

will tht suit my notebook??the vendor site says tht its compatible only with HP 6530b, 6730b, 6730s, 6735b, 6735s, 6830s Notebook PC..

 

or this??

HP 2Gb DDRII 667MHz MEMORY MODULE

how do i know which one to use??does the MHz thing matter???i know its all SODIMM for notebooks..but DDR2 should be ok yeh??

 

You chipset can only do 667mhz maximum

You can install a 800mhz module but it will just downclock to 667mhz.

The RAM you are after is 2gb DDR2 667mhz PC-5300 200pin RAM

Go to newegg.com. They have good RAM deals.

 

yohan610, Any 2GB DDR2 SO-DIMM (200pin) at 667Mhz or above will work for your HP you don't need to buy HP-specific parts.
If you buy any faster than 667Mhz like 800Mhz it'll downclock to 667Mhz and most probably use faster/lower timings!

And your notebook uses 2.5" sata HDD and nothing else. So search for 2.5" sata HDD's if you wanna upgrade.

 

i spoke to a friend and he told me tht 500GB SATAs might be a bit thicker than others and might not fit..is this the case??or are the dimensions of all disks the same?

 

The Samsung HM500LI, WD5000BEVT and the soon-to-be released Seagate 5400.6/7200.3 have a standard height of 9.5mm

Only the Hitachi 5K500 and the Fujitsu MHZ2500BT have a non-standard height of 12.5mm.

 

I have some Kingston 2 x 1gb rams for sale. DDR2

 

will PC-5400 200 pin 667 MHz DDR2 SODIMM be ok??wht's teh difference between PC-5300?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDR2#Specification_standards

quote: Some manufacturers label their DDR2 modules as PC2-4300 instead of PC2-4200, PC2-5400 instead of PC2-5300, and PC2-8600 instead of PC2-8500. At least one manufacturer has reported this reflects successful testing at a higher-than standard data rate,[2] whilst others simply use the alternate rounding as the name, as described above.

because PC5300 refers to chips with a peak transfer rate of 5333 MB/s, the number rounded down.

 

the motherboard is incapable of handling anything more than 2GB. You could physically put a larger amount but one of a few things will happen. It may not boot at all, it may run and only show 2GB, or it may run but run all messed up.