DDR2 Ram in a Tosh M-45

I moved this from the Bargin Fourm............

I asked this before and am unsure of the answer. I have a Tosh
M45-S2653. Will DDR2 (PC4200) ram work in here (removing the PC2700 that came with it). Forget what I run, What I want to run, or the cost. Will it work, or is there a hardware conflict that will prevent this.

I want to swap out with 1 gb of crucial PC4200 DDR2, either 1 stick of 2 512's.

Thanks

Bill D

 

You can go to Newegg and check the prices there. I'm pretty sure that it'll work - just take out the old RAM and replace it with the new.

 

OK, guess it will fit in the slot, BUT, is there a different chipset on the motherboard for DDR2 ram? Crucial seems to list it. DDR2 uses less volts than DDR ram, so that should be a plus. Also the clock speed is faster. I would think its a simple, yes or no it will work??
Now I'm beginning to have an inquiring mind!! Would also like to know WHY!!!. Thanks

DDR2 Specs:Module Details:

* Crucial Part Number: CT479560
* Module Size: 1GB kit (512MBx2)
* Package: 200-pin SODIMM
* Feature: DDR2 PC2-4200
* Configuration: 64Meg x 64
* DIMM Type: UNBUFFERED
* Error Checking: NON-ECC
* Speed: 533
* SDRAM Timings: CL=4
* Specs: DDR2 PC2-4200 • CL=4 • UNBUFFERED • NON-ECC • DDR2-533 • 1.8V • 64Meg x 64

DDR Module Details:

* Crucial Part Number: CT434034
* Module Size: 512MB
* Package: 200-pin SODIMM
* Feature: DDR PC2700
* Configuration: 64Meg x 64
* DIMM Type: UNBUFFERED
* Error Checking: NON-ECC
* Speed: 333
* SDRAM Timings: CL=2.5
* Specs: DDR PC2700 • CL=2.5 • UNBUFFERED • NON-ECC • DDR333 • 2.5V • 64Meg x 64

 

I'm no RAM guy, but I'll take a stab at it If you've got the new P-M (Sonoma) that has a FSB speed of 533MHz, it has a faster MOBO than the Dothan or Banias, which only have a 400MHz FSB speed. Because the Sonoma has a FSB of 533MHz, it is able to support dual-channel memory that runs at high speeds, which is why the reading on the faster RAM chip also has a speed of 533MHz; its there to match the speed of the CPU and MOBO. If anyone more knowledgable about RAM sees a problem with what I said, feel free to correct me.

 

OK this is off Intel's site: this is the chip set in the M45-S2653, so it looks like your right. Its also 533 FSB as is the DDR2 ram. Guess I'll buy 2 512 stilcks of Crucial DDR2 ram and see what happens. It runs at a lower voltage which should help the battery, I hope. BTW, If you go to the intel Help web site, the party line is Kingston, Kingston and nothing but Kingston for ram.

The Mobile Intel® 915GM Express chipset is a component of the Intel® Centrino® mobile technology. Featuring the Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900, the 915GM chipset enables 2x the graphics performance of the previous generation of platforms based on the Intel® 855GME chipset. The Mobile Intel® 915GM Express chipset also supports Intel® High Definition Audio which is a new enhanced audio specification for high quality audio enabling a premium home theater experience. Additionally Mobile Intel® 915GM Express chipset supports up to 2 GB of DDR2 system memory which enables up to 60% increase in peak memory bandwidth and power benefits over DDR memory and PCI Express* bus architecture, a highly scalable general purpose I/O for the latest industry peripherals like ExpressCard*.

Thanks for the help

BillD

 

Hey, no problem. I'm glad I was right, not wrong Feel free to ask any of your notebook questions here!

 

For lack of better things to do and yesterday being a holiday, I decided to burn some time on the phone....Called Thoshiba..of course they only recommend DDR ram for this model. I kinda got it out of the tech support guy that they probably didnt test DDR2 ram in in. They also only recommend Kingston DDR ram also. Called Crucial. They show a M45 that takes DDR2 but they kinda leaned toward replace whats already in there (DDR) with DDR.

OK, so inquiring minds want to know, I started reading the Intel web site for specs on the various chips etc...!! The Intel 730 Sonoma processor supports DDR2 as does the 915gm chipset. It seems ALL the 740 and above processors support DDR2 with the 730 being the first in the series. I'm guessing Thoshiba is playing it safe.

I'm leaning toward going for it. Anyone ever returned Ram to Crucial??? Am I the first to try this??
BTW on Thoshiba web site they dont even list the M45-S2653 anymore, so I guess its discontinued..............

Thanks

BillD

 

I wouldn't buy directly from the company - I'd buy from Newegg.com. I don't think you need to worry about defects/bad RAM - it rarely ever occurs (and if it did, Newegg.com would take it back and replace it). Your notebook theoretically should (and most likely will) support DDR2 RAM - however, the DDR2 is unecessary unless you'll be doing super intesive tasks to get that extra bit of power. For the average user and the casual gamer, DDR RAM is just fine.

 

The M45-s2653 will NOT use DDR2 ram. Toshiba matched the chipset with DDR ram and not DDR2. They refreshed the M40/45 series about 2 months ago to use DDR2 RAM and SATA HDD's, but those models are the s3xx.

DDR2 and DDR are notched differently and use different voltages, and therefore are not interchangeable. Also, according to a comparison chart I saw once upon a time (I can dig it out if you're interested) when the chipset is matcehd with DDR ram, it will only operate at 333mhz. If you were to get 400mhz ddr cmodule it will only downclock to 333.

good luck

 

Maybe an explaination why? That would be nice.

 

Intersting - I'm no RAM guy, as I've already said, but I would assume that any Sonoma based notebook would be able to run DDR2 RAM, due to its upgraded FSB speed and newer MOBO as well.

 

The chipset will run DDR or DDR2. But depending on how the manufacturer of the motherboard matched the chipset, will determine which it will use. The intel chart I refered to before can be found by clicking HERE. Note that if you scroll down the memory supported, the mobile 910 and 915 chipsets (except the 915gms) will support DDR2 at 400 or 533 and DDR at 333. Since DDR and DDR2 are different and use different voltages (DDR=2.5V and DDR2=1.8V), if the laptop came with DDR you'd have to replace the memory slots and reduce the voltage in order to get DDR2 to work in it.

As for why Toshiba went with DDR over DDR2 with the original M40/M45's I have no idea. Maybe cost, maybe the latencies were still to high int he DDR2 and Tosh didn't think it'd be worth it, only some engineers at Toshiba will know.

 

Well, I can't argue with that. It is interesting though that the same chipset supports both DDR2 RAM and DDR RAM.

 

I'm surprised the Sodimm DDR and Sodimms DDR2 memory chips are different. I was lead to believe from the tech support at Crucial, that they were the same. Thoshiba tech suport kinda said the same thing. He told me I could try it, the worst that would happen is that it wouldnt boot. Having never seen a DDDR2 chip, I dont know, but by counting the pins in pictures and the looking at size measurments they look the same to me. Dunno.... I will agree that SDRAM DDR and DDR2 chips are different , pins size etc.

Back to the chip set....The page referenced, seems to show the 915gm chip set is compatable and supports everything I want to do......dunno!!!

Believe me, I'm looking for someone with a DDR2 chip, to see if it will work.

Pretty much the main reason I would like to try this is the voltage issue. If the DDDR2 uses less volts which it does, mabey I can squeez a little more out of the battery. Plus I'm gonna be running Chart navagition programs for a boat and a faster refresh rate wuld be nice.

Good discussion going anyway, thats how I've pretty much learned to be self taught over the years about computers.

Wow...all this knowledge and its FREE!!!!!

Thanks

BillD

 

I have a M45-S269. It has DDR2 ram. 1 - 512mb stick the other slot is open.

I have used Crucials tool to scan the notebooks memory and it came up the it was DDR. I posted about this in another thread somewhere awhile back. I was told that it was DDR2 when I purchased it.

I then scanned using CPUID or something like that and the Everest program and they both confirmed that it is indeed DDR2. Just as I suspected.

 

Alright, I've got an M50-MX5(canadian) and it came preloaded with a stick of 512 DDR RAM, Pentium M 750 Dothan + Alviso-G i915GM Northbridge.

Now, from my understanding, Intel says that the Alviso 915GM northbridge supports dual channel (Everest says this, too), and moreover supports DDR2.

Furthermore, Everest says I can support 2048 MB of RAM, while the user's guide says I can only do 1536 (weird).

I'm wondering if anyone else has experience with this kinda issue - do DDR2/dual-channel work on these systems? And do I have just 1536, or 2048 available?

Oh, and if I get a 512 MB DDR2 and a 1024 MB DDR2 stick from the same company running at the same speed, will they run dual-channel, or do they both have to be the same size? Thanks :B