Upgrading Portege r200's RAM with 2 GB memory chip - possible?

Hi,
After all this time - i'm still sticking with my portege r200.

So i successfully installed a 32 gb SSD - and it was awesome.

Replaced my motherboard so that I had the fastest CPU available - 1.3 ghz (instead of 1.2 - i know very small - but i liken this to a dude trying to squeeze out another 20 HP from his sports car).

.. and installed the 1gb memory chip.

The manual states that the MAX is 1gb (well, 1.25 total - 0.25 is soldered to the motherboard).

A few years later, the 2 gb chip was manufactured for the Portege r400. Has anyone purchased a 2 gb chip for the Portege r200? It's the same shape, size, voltage, pin and speed.

Thanks!

 

The constraint is likely to be the Intel chipset. If this info is correct, it is the Intel 915GMS.

The Intel datasheet doesn't explicitly state the RAM support for the 915GMS but it shows that the 915PM supports 1GB modules up to a limit of 2GB.

My hunch is that the 915GMS chipset wouldn't know what to do if confronted by a 2GB module. If you can temporarily borrow a 2GB module then you can drop it in and find out. However, there is the further challenge of making sure that the 2GB module supports 400MHz memory speed. The newer 800MHz modules support 667 and 533MHz but not 400MHz.

The R400 has the newer Intel 945GMS chipset which supports 2GB modules.

John

 

A forum member here upgraded their Sony TX that utilises the 915 to 2GB of ram.

 

Are we sure that version of the TX uses the 915 chipset? I presume it is similar to the TX5 which has t he 945 chipset. That's very similar internal hardware to the sony G11 which I know will run with a 2GB module.

The older TX series such as the TX2 is more similar to the R200's specification (eg Pentium M CPU).

John

 

Hi John that model does use the 915 chipset. It is a Japanese model so the model numbers are not the same. The TX5 is more like an EU model TX2.
These are the specs
http://209.85.227.132/translate_c?h...&hl=en&usg=ALkJrhhNW1zcZ-KUdiqISO4i0F37aCo4dg

 

In that case it looks as if the 915M chipset can support the 2GB as a single module provided the BIOS can also recognise a 2GB module and also do whatever the Sony does to not get confused by the total RAM exceeding 2GB.

John

 

Well, so I plugged in a friend's 2 gb RAM chip (that was 800mhz), and the laptop wouldn't even turn on. It beeped 3 times. I suppose this means that the laptop doesn't even recognize it.

However, i won't give up! Maybe the "Toshiba Manufactured" ram chip for the r400 will be compatible.

Hopefully, someone that has tried that could contribute to this thread.

in any event, i will update you guys if i ever get my hands on one.

 

Hi, SZ-zer,

I have a R205-S2062. I really like this laptop. But, the problem is that it can only 1.25G memory in total, as you said. How was your test with a Toshiba-manufactured ram with your laptop? Was it successful? Did you try with slower rams? Please update your experiment. I really want to increase my laptop's memory to more than 2G. Thank you in advance.