What RAM do I need to buy?

Support & Help Requests Hardware
1

Hi all,

I need to pick your brains with a small problem I am having with deciding which RAM I need to buy to replace a 1GB strip of RAM I have in an old laptop and replace it with a 2 or 4GB strip.

The laptop is a generic build by a company called “ONE” here in Germany (One PC Model U50SI1. 2GHz Intel CPU. 1GB RAM), it came with a 1GB strip and the following is written on it:

Make = ELPIDA 1GB 2Rx16 PC2-5300S-555

There is only ONE SLOT for the RAM!. :confused:

I have a strip which is 2GB but the laptop won’t boot with it:

Make = NANYA 2GB 2Rx8 PC2-6400S-666-13-F1.800

So my question is, what strip should I buy to replace the 1GB ELPIDA strip to 2 or 4GB?.

I don’t know anything about this subject or whether it is DDR, DIMM etc!. :confused:

Any tips/advice are appreciated!. :smiley:

I found this one on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Toshiba-Equium-L350-10L-PSLD2P-RAM-Speicher-2GB-2Rx16-PC2-DD2-5300S-555-12-/331710896325?hash=item4d3b8298c5:g:FcoAAOxyVaBS1oZJ

2

From what I see, you can not expand more memory is not supported, as they do not recognize.

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3 
Memory 
•
DDRII 667 
•
DDRII RAM socket * 1 
•
System DDRII up to 1 GB total (Support 2GB will depend on 
customer’s request)

Customer request? Request of what? The PDF is vague.
http://download.gericom.com/NOTEBOOK/Phantom-Serie/A4-Superlight-53120-U40si-U50si/Manual/U50SI1%20English.pdf

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4

Thanks @anon42388993,

it looks like it cannot be expanded to anything higher than 1GB unless I can find out how to do it on the motherboard!. :smiley:

Thanks to @hathor for your input too!. :smiley:

5

I don’t know if this is any help, but the following link says that the Advent 5311 laptop is basically a rebadged Uniwill U50SI1.
It also says it can have a maximum of 2GB ram.

http://www.uktsupport.co.uk/advent/laptop/5311.htm

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6

Yes, it could be just a jumper on the MB or maybe a bios change. Hard to say.

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7

Since the first module is PC2-5300 (aka DDR2-667) and the non-working one is faster speed PC2-6400 (DDR2-800), I’d try a DDR2-667 module. Some machines can underclock the RAM – or claim they can – but I’ve had better luck with matching the original speed.

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8

Thanks for this Steve, now I know I can at least use 2GB RAM. :smiley:

@abrowne, I don’t really want to buy a stick of RAM that won’t work!, if I buy a DDR2-667 module, do you think it would work?, what do you suggest for a 2GB stick based on the specs I gave with the original 1GB RAM?. :smiley:

9

@wolfman, There is an interesting thread in the Crucial Memory forum, which suggests, among other things, to upgrade the bios to the latest version using the old memory first. One of the contributions also suggests that these laptops will only work with PC2-5300 RAM. See:

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10

Thanks Steve, I don’t really want to take the risk of crippling the rig if the BIOS update goes wrong, it works well with Ubuntu 12.04 (Mate DE), Windblows is slower and I might even try Windblows 10 later today if it will run it!. :smiley:

11

I just found this as well. There may may be a BIOS setting to specify the RAM installed:

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12

I will do a restart and see what RAM settings I can find (if any!). :smiley:

13

I usually buy Crucial for myself and at work. It’s the retail brand of one of the major manufacturers (Micron).

This looks right: http://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B000F7QRTG/

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14

Thanks for that, I will decide whether or not to go ahead and buy it!. :smiley:

@Steve, I couldn’t find anything relating to RAM in BIOS, I have Phoenix 1.13 installed but I won’t tamper with it, thanks!. :smiley:

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15

@abrowne, I went ahead and ordered the RAM stick, it should be here on Thursday and I will let you know how it went. :smiley:

16

The RAM came today and I swapped it for the installed one and it sadly didn’t work!. :frowning:

Never mind, I will stick with what I’ve got. :smiley:

Thanks to everyone for their input. :smiley:

17

Oh no, that’s too bad.

18

Not to worry!, I am sure I will find a use for the RAM in a different laptop at some stage or other!. :smiley:

Case closed!. :smiley: