HP ze2308wm accepts 1 gig sticks of pc3200

*this is a copy/paste from my post on a couple other forums.. just thought you all would like to know. Those wondering if the notebook only accepts 512mb "max" sticks and is stuck running at 333 with pc2700... this may help*

for any ze2308wm purchasers. I actually bought a 1GB chip of PQI ram for it for $110 shipped online and it made all the difference in the world. (the coupon I used is expired now so it is around $130-140)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141208


The laptop actually automatically detected the faster ram and ran at 400Mhz fsb without having to do anything. I got a 200 pin 1GB PQI sodimm pc3200 chip for it and replaced the single 256mb pc2700 chip. The ze2308wm's are actually capable of 400Mhz and the notebooks motherboard automatically runs at 400 if you put a capable chip in. I got the PQI chip because the board said to only use 2.5v chips(I'm clueless about notebooks so I just went by what it said) and the PQI chip(model # MD421GUOE) is 2.5v plus it is CL 2.5(best I could find for notebooks). Not only did I upgrade the ram, but first thing I did is was format that hard drive to get rid of all that pre-installed software that comes with it(slows it down a LOT.) I pulled out the Windows XP CD that came with it, formated the hard drive, then I reinstalled XP Home and put the driver CD in and installed NOTHING but the drivers, none of that ''reccomended'' software. I then went and installed my dreamweaver, homesite, adobe pro, office, and photoshop(programs I will actually use unlike the stuff they preinstall) and that made a noticeable difference. The formatting of the hard drive is not mandatory or anything, the memory upgrade alone will help a lot. I am just saying what ''I'' did. I did the reinstalling when all I had was the 256mb chip, and then I installed CounterStrike:Source and it would ''bbaaarreelly'' run, like not even playable on the lowest possible settings. Once I got the ram I opened the game and it runs flawlessly. It is by no means a gamer but when I'm at school in the library using their wireless to pass time, it definately helps while waiting for my next class to start playing some counterstrike with that onboard ATI xpress 200m video card that was being bottlenecked by the ram. The reason I got a single 1GB chip instead of saving some $ and getting 2 512 chips is because not knowing how laptops work, I assumed 1 chip would consume less power than 2 and would allow a better battery life?? I have no clue if it is true but that is my reasoning and the fact that if I ever upgrade the cpu or anything(doubtful) I do have an empty slot to run another gig, like I said... very very doubtful, I couldn't see myself blowing another $100 on something that probably wont make a difference.. I'm sure the video card/cpu is the bottleneck on it anyway, the 1GB is plenty. If you would like to save some $ and get 2 512 chips instead(or you can just get a single 512 chip for a cheap "moderate" upgrade), PQI's model # for those is MD4212UOE and just purchase a couple of those. I bought my ram at newegg.com but there is plenty of stores to choose from. I am a PQI fan and newegg always has it for cheap so they are my go to for memory. Knowing the PQI is compatible with our notebooks though, why even get anything else?

memtest verified the notebook running at 159mhz(318mhz DDR) on the stock ram stick, and 199mhz(398mhz DDR) on the new one... 4 times the capacity, and a verified 80mhz(25%) increase in speed... not bad for a little over $100, I am glad I splurged, that's for sure.. And to think my friends and even forums I asked said to just do PC2700 because the 3200 wouldn't work... but I remembered the little birdy telling me a long time ago(don't remember where I read it) that AMD CPU's have the memory controller onboard and the Semprons were capable of 400mhz.. I suppose it's verified and true. I hope this helps somebody

DON'T FORGET! The stock chip in there is only pc2700 so leaving it in there with a new 512 chip or 1gb chip, it will hold the laptop back and only run at 333mhz, be sure to remove it! sell it on an online auction or something and use the $ to replace some of what you spent on the upgrade or maybe you have a friend/family member that can use it??

Also, a MUST is to go to Hewlett Packard's website and locate the drivers & software under their support and install their ''AMD Processor Update for Microsoft Windows XP.'' Without installing that, sometimes your processor only runs at half of it's capable speed! It can be verified by right mouse clicking the my computer icon and going to properties and sometimes the processor says it is only running at 800mhz instead of 1600... combine that with your SODIMM pc3200 memory upgrade and you will feel like you just got a new laptop

~ENJOY!