Questions about laptop RAM

[RaijinKen]

Hello,

I have just purchased a dell 1405 and awaiting the arrival. However, I checked out the prices for RAM and they are cheaper than what dell offers. So I have a couple of questions.

The RAM that is inlcuded with the laptop is 533mhz DDR2. Can I take that out and use DDR2 667mhz ram or will I have to stick to the original

How hard will it be for me to replace RAM? can I just do it myself or do I have to take it somewhere?

 

[Brainonska511]

Yes, you can use DDR2 667. It is easy to do, there is a door on the bottom attached by one or two screws. After unscrewing it, you'll have easy access to the RAM. Check out Dell's support site for more information, they have all the service manuals on it which will have a more detailed explanation of how to install additional RAM.

 

[Rob9874]

I'm planning on doing that too. I ordered my 1705 with 1GB of 533, and will replace with 2GB of 667 (~$250), and sell the 1GB of 533. Anyone have any recommendations of where to buy, or what kind? I was planning on just going to Crucial.com.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Rob9874
I'm planning on doing that too. I ordered my 1705 with 1GB of 533, and will replace with 2GB of 667 (~$250), and sell the 1GB of 533. Anyone have any recommendations of where to buy, or what kind? I was planning on just going to Crucial.com.

Crucial might be a little on the expensive side for the type of RAM you want. You might just want to try some of the RAM sold through Newegg.

 

[Rob9874]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511

Originally posted by: Rob9874
I'm planning on doing that too. I ordered my 1705 with 1GB of 533, and will replace with 2GB of 667 (~$250), and sell the 1GB of 533. Anyone have any recommendations of where to buy, or what kind? I was planning on just going to Crucial.com.

Crucial might be a little on the expensive side for the type of RAM you want. You might just want to try some of the RAM sold through Newegg.

Any advice on what brands to look for? Never bought laptop RAM before. Does AnandTech have a review on it?

 

[andrewbabcock]

Perhaps it is just me but it seems as though dell is one of the easier manufacturers to modify. I know that in my 9300, almost all parts are user upgradable. While they do cater to the mainstream consumer who doesn't care, they also cater to geeky users who need something on the cheap that they can easily modify down the road (who are also to lazy to get a whitebox and build something themselves). I can look beyond their crappy build quality/tech support to say that dell is not all bad for everyone.

I know dell gets flamed on this board at times but dell definitely works for a lot of people including a lot of power users.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Rob9874

Originally posted by: Brainonska511

Originally posted by: Rob9874
I'm planning on doing that too. I ordered my 1705 with 1GB of 533, and will replace with 2GB of 667 (~$250), and sell the 1GB of 533. Anyone have any recommendations of where to buy, or what kind? I was planning on just going to Crucial.com.

Crucial might be a little on the expensive side for the type of RAM you want. You might just want to try some of the RAM sold through Newegg.

Any advice on what brands to look for? Never bought laptop RAM before. Does AnandTech have a review on it?

I don't think AnandTech does any reviews on notebook RAM, but whatever is here should be fine: Text
The only thing I've seen is people say to stay away from the AData DDR2 667, but anything else with good reviews from Newegg should be fine.

 

[theNEOone]

be careful with your upgrade, because only one of the sticks is easily upgradeable. i have the xps m140 which is the predecssor to the 1405. on my notebook i was able to upgrade one stick by simply removing one door on the bottom. however, the second stick of ram was tucked underneath the keyboard. it involved a much more detailed procedure than just unscrewing a cover and slapping a new stick in.


=|

 

[Rob9874]

I don't think AnandTech does any reviews on notebook RAM, but whatever is here should be fine: Text
The only thing I've seen is people say to stay away from the AData DDR2 667, but anything else with good reviews from Newegg should be fine.

I noticed the Crucial at NewEgg isn't much cheaper than the RAM on Crucial's website. Is it worth going with a brand I've never heard of for $90 RAM, instead of getting Crucial for $120? If it's not a problem, I'm willing to try. Let me know. G.Skill has good reviews, but I've never heard of them. Of course, I've been out of the RAM world for several years.

Also, if I go with G.Skill, what's the difference between the PC2 5400 667 with 38 reviews, and the PC2 5300 667 with 103 reviews? 5300 seems more popular. Same bus speed?

 

[Rob9874]

Bump? Anyone have any advice for my silly questions? Looking to buy some RAM soon, and would love some advice first. Thanks!

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Rob9874

I don't think AnandTech does any reviews on notebook RAM, but whatever is here should be fine: Text
The only thing I've seen is people say to stay away from the AData DDR2 667, but anything else with good reviews from Newegg should be fine.

I noticed the Crucial at NewEgg isn't much cheaper than the RAM on Crucial's website. Is it worth going with a brand I've never heard of for $90 RAM, instead of getting Crucial for $120? If it's not a problem, I'm willing to try. Let me know. G.Skill has good reviews, but I've never heard of them. Of course, I've been out of the RAM world for several years.

Also, if I go with G.Skill, what's the difference between the PC2 5400 667 with 38 reviews, and the PC2 5300 667 with 103 reviews? 5300 seems more popular. Same bus speed?

PC2 5400 667 and PC2 5300 667 are the same thing, the stuff that is labeled as PC2 5400 is really PC2 5300 667.

Wow... DDR2 667 So-Dimms have jumped in price. I remember looking back in July they was one stick that was $65 AR, but other sticks could easily be found within the $70-$80 range.

As for what will be good, you would probably be problem free with this: Text

Back when I was lurking on Notebookforums.com's Dell section, a lot of people would recommend and be using Transcend memory in their Dell laptops: Text

Or if you want to go with a 2GB kit (which may or may not be more money than buying two individual 1GB sticks): Text

 

[Jaxidian]

I got a 1GB stick of OCZ PC2-5400 for $75 without rebate a couple days ago at Fry's. I like it.

 

[Rob9874]

Back when I was lurking on Notebookforums.com's Dell section, a lot of people would recommend and be using Transcend memory in their Dell laptops: Text

Thanks for the advice. I got 2 of those, for $196 shipped. And yes, DDR has gone up recently. When I was checking these a few days ago, the G.Skill was $84, now it's $94.

C2D 2.0GHz, 2GB DDR2, 256MB graphics card...this laptop's gonna rock!!!

 

[ninjazed]

One word : Corsair!
linky
I put this in my Asus W2JB and it rocks!
It went up in price a little since I bought it but quality RAM is a sound investment.

 

[HomeyFoos]

I hit the Fry's deal as well. Took my brother with me and got 2 gigs of OCZ DDR2 667 for $150. I was amazed at how easy it was to install the ram on my e1705. Literally 2 seconds.

 

[imported_zippo]

Definitely newegg the additional memory. This might be a dumb question but I know the original author was upgrading his 1gb (2 sticks) with 2 gb (also 2 sticks). I'm planning on purchasing the minimum memory from dell (1 stick 512mb) and just adding in a 1GB stick to bring the total to 1.5GB, I scanned through various reviews on newegg and the general consensus is that I can stick two different sized sticks (512MB and 1GB) in the e1505 and it will run fine. Sound right?

 

[Doh!]

yes