Regarding Upgrade of RAM

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flounder · #1 Post by **flounder** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 2:10 am

Hi

I bought a T42 2378-FVU with an initial 256 MB of RAM since the IBM ram upgrade was coming out to be expensive. But now I feel I need an upgrade. Any recommendations on which ram to buy. I will looking for a 512 mb chip ... How do I tell if it would be compatible with my original 256 mb ram ...

Thanks

Ali

Greg Gebhardt · #2 Post by **Greg Gebhardt** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 5:53 am

http://www.crucial.com/index.asp?AID=50 ... ID=1264080

I have used them on several of my TP memory upgrades, no better!

AtmosMan · #3 Post by **AtmosMan** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 12:19 pm

I second Greg's recommendation.

ZPrime · #4 Post by **ZPrime** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:02 pm

cheapest stuff that passes memtest86 for you. it's not like you can (easily) overclock the ram/FSB on the notebook. I got some Kingmax PC3200 (trying to future-proof and it was like $5 more) from Newegg. 2x512MB. One of the sticks happened to be bad when I got it (was failing memtest near the end of the stick) but the other was absolutely fine. I exchanged the bad stick and now i've got a gig of perfectly functional ram.

Total cost: not quite $200. Much cheaper than the same amount would've been through crucial, and it works just as well.

dmcgibbo · #5 Post by **dmcgibbo** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 4:10 pm

yeah what is the difference b/w all the memories?

i have a T42p and was looking at 200pin, non-parity SODIMM SDRAM PC2700 512mb memory and it is all the same speed...

you can buy from IBM, kingston, crucial, and that p worded one and they all seem to be the same price about (maybe the IBM is a little more). so what's the deal?

#6 Post by **carbon_unit** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 6:25 pm

You definitely want to avoid Generic or "Shooting Star" (made up name) or some other off brand memory.
I have seen lots of memory that would pass memtest and still make the computer randomly unstable with occasional data corruption.
If you want to try some crap memory I have a 512 stick of PC133 that the retailer swears is good by his memory tester but makes computers freak out! I also have a couple of 64 meg sticks of PC66 that makes your computer freak out once every month or so at random. All pass memtest for over 24 hrs.
Personally I am done with cheap [censored] memory, all it does is cause problems and anguish when for a few bucks more you can have good memory with a real warranty.
I've tried Kingston, Viking and Crucial and I have settled on Crucial just because of good warranty experience and fast shipping. The others were good too.

Lesson: Good memory=Happy user, Cheap memory=Angry user.

Just my opinion, YMMV.

Greg Gebhardt · #7 Post by **Greg Gebhardt** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 6:40 pm

dmcgibbo wrote:yeah what is the difference b/w all the memories?

i have a T42p and was looking at 200pin, non-parity SODIMM SDRAM PC2700 512mb memory and it is all the same speed...

you can buy from IBM, kingston, crucial, and that p worded one and they all seem to be the same price about (maybe the IBM is a little more). so what's the deal?

You may not think so, but there is a difference. Not all memory is made by the same people. Long time ago I bought off brand memory and like you one stick was bad. About two weeks later another stick went south just when I needed it.

No thanks, I would rather pay a few more dollars and get "dependable" ram.

dmcgibbo · #8 Post by **dmcgibbo** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:18 pm

Greg Gebhardt wrote:
dmcgibbo wrote:yeah what is the difference b/w all the memories?

i have a T42p and was looking at 200pin, non-parity SODIMM SDRAM PC2700 512mb memory and it is all the same speed...

you can buy from IBM, kingston, crucial, and that p worded one and they all seem to be the same price about (maybe the IBM is a little more). so what's the deal?
.

You may not think so, but there is a difference. Not all memory is made by the same people. Long time ago I bought off brand memory and like you one stick was bad. About two weeks later another stick went south just when I needed it.

No thanks, I would rather pay a few more dollars and get "dependable" ram.

right but crucial, kingston, and those big names and IBM are all pretty reliable I assume. So what is the difference between IBM memory and an aftermarket good brand?

atlacatl · #9 Post by **atlacatl** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:29 pm

I second crucial - Cheaper than IBM (And most sites) and awesome warranty...You can't go wrong...

#10 Post by **carbon_unit** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:35 pm

Crucial is the retail division of Micron Memory who is one of the suppliers of genuine IBM memory.
If you buy IBM memory you might get Micron, Samsung or Hynix.

ozoneraider · #11 Post by **ozoneraider** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 1:41 am

I just bought 512mb ibm memory new in box on ebay for $88 shipped. You can easily get one for $120 if you don't want to wait.

verktyg · #12 Post by **verktyg** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 6:02 am

There are over 20 manufacturers of Memory Chips (RAM) worldwide. Of those, only a few actually produce finished Memory Modules - DIMMs, SODIMMs, SIMMs, etc.

Micron, Samsung and Infineon (Siemens) are some of those Memory Chip/Memory Module manufacturers. Just because a stick of memory has a certain brand of Memory Chips on it doesn't mean that it was produced by that manufacturer.

Most Memory Modules are made by fabricators who buy Memory Chips from chip suppliers and assemble them on PCBs (Epoxy/Fiberglass Printed Circuit Boards).

Memory Chips are sold in various qualities. The "chips" themselves start off as 200mm or 300mm Silicon Wafers that contain hundred of separate Integrated Circuits.

These circuits are tested using automatic equipment before they are cut into Die which are then assembled into the finished chips. The best quality chips frequently come from near the center of the Silicon Wafer and demand the highest prices.

Premium quality Memory Modules use closely matched Memory Chips. Cheap memory fabricator frequently cheat by programming the EPROMs on their Memory Modules to indicate better performance than the Memory Chips on the Modules are capable of.

Kingston. Viking and Corsair sell Memory Modules in at least 2 different quality levels. Their premium modules are excellent but their economy products use cheaper memory Chips and undergo very little product testing.

Micron markets their Crucial brand finished Modules through crucial.com on the Internet. They have the Crucial label attached. Real Samsung and Infineon also have multi-color brand labels on them.

Again, a label is no guarantee that the Modules are actually what the are supposed to be. I've seen a lot of fake labels.

Windows problems are frequently the result of bad or intermittently bad memory.

IBM, HP and a few other leading PC makers use premium quality memory in their main line products. Their lower end PC were bought out so there's no guarantee of the memory quality in these systems.

With cheap memory, "you buys yer ticket an you takes yer chances"....

Chas.

ian · #13 Post by **ian** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 6:19 am

Verktyg

Thank you for that informed view of the memory 'system' - I've fallen into the trap of purchasing cheaper memory for machines where I work - and the failure rate is impressive - it just ain't worth it. Now I'll only buy 'name' branded, reliable memory as I just can't afford the down time etc. - perhaps this is something we must all go thru before we realise just what's involved.

flounder · #14 Post by **flounder** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 11:10 pm

Hi

I have looked at the RAM installed in my system through IBM Parts Lookup for the system. According to it, my existing RAM is:

256MB PC2700 CL2.5 NP DDR SDRAM SODIMM F

Can someone decode this information into:

1. What is the type of the RAM? RAM speed?

2. How many pins?

3. Parity or Non-parity?

Then I can go ahead to check if the crucial RAM is compatible with my existing RAM chip.

Thanks

Ali

atlacatl · #15 Post by **atlacatl** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 11:15 pm

flounder wrote:Hi

Then I can go ahead to check if the crucial RAM is compatible with my existing RAM chip.

Thanks

Ali

I don't think you can more specific than this: http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts. ... &submit=Go

Good luck...

dmcgibbo · #16 Post by **dmcgibbo** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 11:16 pm

flounder wrote:Hi

I have looked at the RAM installed in my system through IBM Parts Lookup for the system. According to it, my existing RAM is:

256MB PC2700 CL2.5 NP DDR SDRAM SODIMM F

Can someone decode this information into:

1. What is the type of the RAM? RAM speed?

2. How many pins?

3. Parity or Non-parity?

Then I can go ahead to check if the crucial RAM is compatible with my existing RAM chip.

Thanks

Ali

You have...

non-parity
200pin
333mhz
sodimm ddr sdram

it should be pretty straightforward to find crucial pc2700 ram for your TP

edit: if you go to crucial.com you can input your computer manufacturer and model and it will tell you precisely what RAM you need to double check...

Plinkerton · #17 Post by **Plinkerton** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 1:56 am

I second crucial. I just installed mine without a hitch. Took 4 minutes, and 27 seconds to install...

pete0r · #18 Post by **pete0r** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 12:49 pm

flounder:

just go to crucial.com and put in your model. it'll have the right type there for you. it couldn't be much easier

humbads · #19 Post by **humbads** » Tue Sep 28, 2004 1:24 am

Anyone know how much power one of the SODIMMs uses? I asked in Corsiar memory forum, and one guy said up to 3 amps or 12 watts maximum, regardless of capacity.

http://www.houseofhelp.com/forums/showt ... hp?t=30571

Of course, if that's true, then it will save battery life to buy one high-capacity memory card rather than two lower-capacity cards. And if each chip takes up to 12 watts, then you could save a LOT of power by using a single card instead of two.

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