Dell Inspiron Mobile PC has a limit of 512 MB of RAM.?

Question

Dell Inspiron Mobile PC has a limit of 512 MB of RAM. I was told that if I install more than that, the PC just won't see anything bigger than that. So does that mean if I put in 1 GIG of RAM, the PC will run as if it has 512 MB of RAM and not 1 GIG of RAM? Or won't the PC work at all.

Here is what I found in the manual:

Memory
Architecture (Inspiron 2650) DDR200 3.3V DDR
Architecture (Inspiron 2600) PC133 SDRAM
Memory module connector one user-accessible SODIMM sockets
Memory module capacities 128 and 256 MB
Memory type 3.3-V SODIMM
Standard memory 128 MB
Maximum memory 512 MB
Memory access time: clock speed
(Inspiron 2650)
200 MHz
Memory access time: clock speed
(Inspiron 2600)
133 MHz

I don't understand all this, but does this say how much RAM can be installed? Is it one piece of RAM or can two be installed?

This is what crucial.com said after doing a scan on the laptop:

Maximum Memory Capacity: 512MB
Currently Installed Memory: 320MB
Available Memory Slots: 0
Number of Banks: 2
Dual Channel Support: No
CPU Manufacturer: GenuineIntel
CPU Family: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Mobile CPU 1.60GHz Model 2, Stepping 4
CPU Speed: 1595 MHz
The standard memory is installed in a socket which cannot be accessed by the end user. The second memory socket supports the end user upgrades. In order to reach the maximum you may need to have the standard memory replaced by an authorized service center.
(I guess there is 256 mb ram in one slot and 64 in another slot. ) And now crucial said I have to get a rep to change it out. Say it isn't so. :-)

Answer 1

I have a hard time believing the 512 MB figure you were told about. I suggest you check back on Dell's website (or call them and ask) about how much RAM your Inspiron can use. It would help to know what model number of Inspiron you have, but the Inspiron 700m (which is over a year old) can support up to two gigs of RAM. Which means there are two possibilities ...

1) Whoever told you the 512 MB figure doesn't know what they're talking about, or

2) I've misunderstood what computer you're talking about. If that's the case, please add more details to your question.

EDIT - in response to your additional details: Wow!! OK, knowing the Inspiron model number makes a BIG difference.

Dell's support site confirms that the maximum RAM your computer can have is 512 MB. From the other details, it seems that you have two RAM slots. One of them has 256 MB in it, and the other one has 64 MB, for your system's current installed RAM total of 320 MB. Also, one of them is user-accessible and the other is not, but it's not quite clear which is which.

I would tend to assume that the non-user-accessible RAM slot is the one with 256 MB, but here's how to confirm it:

1) Follow Dell's instructions (they should be online or in your manual) for getting to the user-accessible RAM slot.

2) See if visual inspection of the RAM tells you what size it is. (If it's got a nice clear label, then we're done.)

3) If visual inspection doesn't indicate the size of the RAM in the user-accessible slot: remove the RAM, button the laptop back up, and boot the machine up. Check the RAM amount while the machine boots or after it loads Windows, depending on what opportunity it gives you to check. If the RAM shows as 256 MB, then the one you removed is 64; if the RAM shows as 64 MB, then the one you removed is 256. (I strongly suspect -- and hope -- that the former will be the case.)

4) If the user-accessible slot had 64 MB RAM in it, then you can order a compatible 256 MB stick from Dell, Crucial, whomever, and bring your system up to the maximum of 512 MB without taking your computer to a shop. If the user-accessible slot had the 256 MB chip, you'll have to have a shop do the upgrade.

In any case, it won't do you any good to put in a RAM stick larger than 256 MB. Your computer has two RAM slots and a maximum RAM capacity of 512 MB, which means that the most you can do is put a 256 MB RAM stick into each slot (2*256 = 512). It will **not** work if you remove the RAM sticks from both slots and then install a single 512 MB RAM stick.

Good luck and hope that helps!

Answer 2

It won't use any of the 1 gb. You have to put in the highest it can hold or less for it to register in the pc. They might mean you can only put up to 512 in each slot. Most computers have 2-4 slots. Just put 2 512's in and you have a gig of ram.

Answer 3

I have to agree with Navigator.