3 or 4GB of Memory on the SZ: Resolved

Well, in celebration of getting my SZ back, I decided to try going beyond 2GB of memory on the SZ.

Dell has the 200-pin 2GB SODIMMs for the D620 ( http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A0740424). I didn't want to try 4GB since 32-bit XP really can't use 4GB well (64-bit is where it's at for a ton of memory) plus the expense, I couldn't justify going whole hog. When I decided to buy, it was $609 per stick and I wasn't sure it wasn't going to work.

Well, I got the memory today, took one of my 1GB SODIMMs out, put the 2GB in, and lo and behold, BIOS recognized it - it said I had 3072 for memory. Sony didn't cripple it.

I then booted into Windows and as you can see by the attached picture, Windows sees it as well. So my SZ now has 3GB of memory.

I paid $609.65 the other day, and just now I looked when getting the link anbove, and it is $443.65 per SODIMM. Dell credited me back the $167 difference, so I'm good. They didn't complain at all about it.

For just under $450, that is a steal compared to what most people are charging. Hell, about 3 weeks ago Dell was charging nearly $800 for one 2GB SODIMM. Now you can get 4GB for almost the same price as one.

As a comparison, Crucial is charging nearly $1500 for 4GB ( http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.Asp?IMODULE=CT25664AC667) of the 200-pin 2x2GB. At least with Dell you can buy one if you want.

 

SWEET!!!!!!
I upgraded my HD to the seagate 7200RPM 100GB last saterday And now it,s time to extend my ram to 4GB next saterday .Thanks for the tip Fender im on it

 

****,4gb? I didnt think they go that high. How do you know max. memory?
Crucial scanned mine and it read....


Currently Installed Memory 1024 MB
Maximum Memory Capacity 2097152 MB
Im 2nd guessing the max memory cpacity

 

Sony's posted limit for the SZ is 2GB. That is not the case - Sony just didn't test more because more than 2GB is a cost most folks can't afford. The chipset fully supports up to 4GB.

I have had other laptops that behave the same - the posted limit isn't really the limit.

Crucial's scanner is basing whatever it is on Sony's posted limits.

For $450, I'm considering getting another one and then selling my 2GB.

 

my 2gb are going on ebay f,sure

 

That's awsome news!

 

Where is a good place to buy a 2 GB stick?

 

Dell is still the best place. My link above isn't working, but if you go to Dell's site, and look up Dell Certified Memory for the D620 or D820, it still shows up at $443ish.

 

Just to clarify, I have read alot about this today and found out that the BIOS didn't recognize more than 3.5Gb. I haven't bought the SZ yet (holding out for SZ5 to arrive so the SZ4 will drop price) so I can not verify myself. Is there a switch in BIOS to activate memory re-adressing in these SZ's??

Chipset specs say that it shouldn't be a problem at all with 4Gb of memory (on 400, 533 and 667 speeds).

I want 4GB so I can run my WMWare servers fluently.

==================
Maybe a BIOS update sorts it. Or, is anyone good at BIOS modification here? I've done a few mods, but that was on my stationary three year old crap PC

 

Once again ... there is a limitation under 32-bit client OSes that you cannot get 4GB. It's a Windows issue, NOT a Sony issue. No BIOS fix will get you there. 32-bit OSes cannot address the full 4GB.

You need a 64-bit OS to get at all 4GB.

I run VMWare Workstation just fine with 3GB of memory.

 

I have 64-bit Vista on DVD beside me. But, after what I've read, IT DOES NOT HELP. BIOS needs to support 4Gb for Win 64 bit to adress it. I'm pretty convinced after a few hours of looking into that the SZ platform doesn't have the feature.

What does BIOS show when you have 2x2Gb RAM sticks in? All reports I have read, tell me if I'm wrong, says 3Gb. Or was it 3.5Gb? Of course, we must not forget the GFX shared memory that's stealin' a bit?


Basically, HAS anyone tested Vista or WinXP 64bit on the SZ with 2x2Gb RAM in? What is the result? If it says 4Gb, I'll install my 64bit Vista without hesitation.

Thanks,

 

No offense intended, but I don't think anyone is willing to test out XP or Vista 64-bit with no driver support from Sony. Lord even knows what the battery life would be.

Remember that the OS has overhead (XP and Vista), so no matter what, even if 4GB is recognized, you'll never get all 4GB anyway. So the difference between 3.5 (what you can essentially get now) and 4 is not that much. 2 to 3 is a big leap.

 

I don't think there is issues with drivers, but, I can not be sure. I mean, Vista was released on both 32 and 64 at the same time. Wherever I have found 32 bit drivers, I have found 64 bit ones too.

Of course you can get those 3.5Gb instead of just the 3Gb, but you loose a little performance when you use the switch.

As I've said, the question still is, does BIOS recognize the full 4Gb or not? Rest is up to the OS. I could run 64bit Linux instead if that makes you feel better.

Question remains, so to say. No offence, but I want to sort this out.

 

I posted this same topic here in this forum a while ago. SZ BIOS only recognizes 3GB so even a 64-bit OS may not help. I don't have a digital camera with me now so I can't give you the screenshot.

 

So now you guys have confirmed that 3GB is compatible ... can you tell us where the best place to get a 2GB stick? Cheers

O, on a sidenote ... I checked all the forums bout the speed of RAM that can be run on an SZ but I wanted to query something (and not just argue who is right and who is wrong) - but why would Sony pre-fit their machines with RAM that can run at 667MHz if the chipset can only support up to 533MHz? (I'm aware the speed difference is not so noticeable!)

 

Er ... the whole point of starting this thread eons ago was that I verified that 3GB works. I was the sucker that was "dumb" enough to try it

I think if we have another thread on this topic my head is going to explode! lol Same goes for 533 vs 667 RAM. The hardware can technically support 667, Sony only supports 533. 667 RAM can be put in 533 and works just fine, so it depends on the supplier and who was cheaper at the time Sony was buying it. I don't think it's any more complicated than that.

 

Thanks FenderP
Seeing as you know what you're talking about (and sorry if this makes ure head explode) but (from the other posts I've read) I'm assuming there is NO way that the sony settings in BIOS or otherwise can be tweaked to get the RAM to run @ 667MHz. Right?? (again, stupid q cos the speed ain't that noticeable!)

Any good place's online to buy 2GB stick?

 

I know there is BIOS tools to aid you in the quest of unlocking disabeled/hidden features in some BIOS'es. I tweaked my Abit mobo in my old stationary. But, that was a Award bios.. Not sure it matters. I've been out of the computing business for about four years so I'm practically a newbie now.

So, at least we know now that 3Gb is recognized in BIOS. but, you can get 3.5Gb in Windows with one of the switches. So, OS isn't BIOS dependent it seems, like other things aren't always either. Maybe a 64bit OS does recognize the full 4Gb if it's tested.

FenderP, why don't you get hold of a 64bit Vista (however you do it is up to you), and try that on the side, just to see. I mean, drivers isn't a big concern. I think I can grab a few on my intranet at work, or ask one of the geeks to look into it. THey usually make specific betas for PB,HP/Cpq etc anyways.

 

Sure, I'll do it in my copious spare time because I have nothing better to do than reformat my laptop. If you want it done, experiment yourself.

If you think drivers are not a concern, clearly you've never owned a Sony laptop before ...

 

Couple questions.
Is the increase in ram from 2GB to 3GB worth sacrificing dual channel access?
If 32 bit can not recognize 4GB, would you still get dual channel access with
2 2GB chips?

 

First of all, why do you need to reformat your PC to install Vista? I mean, multiboot is all there for you to use.

Nope, I have never owned a Sony laptop, but my company sell them. Haven't seen much problems yet, but then, most customers doesn't go where we're heading. Is the Sony drivers specific you mean? H/W manufacturers drivers does not work? I mean, sound, chipset, nvidia official etc?

Gosh, I missed my final bid on eBay with less than a second half an hour ago. Damn, half price and I missed it

 

Sorry, I'm not repartitioning my hard drive, etc. For your own little experiment. I was trying to be kinda nice about it by being a bit sarcastic, but I guess I need to be crystal clear. Unless you're going to pay me for my time and equipment, I'm leaving what I have intact. If you're willing to pay me $200/hr to try it and buy me a 64-bit SZ to try it out (I only have the SZ90 which does not support the 64-bit OS), go nuts. Until then, you're on your own.

Yes, not only 64-bit drivers in general, but the Sony specific ones. Sony only supports 32-bit OSes on their laptops and all of their utilities and DLLs are all 32-bit. Do a search here - very few people have tried it and none have kept 64-bit.

 

This IS the most important question IMO. Does anyone can answer this?

 

ditto on the above q ...

:cry: any suggestions with buying a 2GB stick online? thx

 

You probably need a new machine to have 4GB on your system. SZ just can't seem to handle this unless we have some unofficial helps . Here is a screenshot of 4GB (2 x 2GB Corsair) RAM SZ running on 64-bit Vista, and also the BIOS

 

Thank you! My questions is answered.