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Upgrading RAM on zv6015us notebook. pc2700 or pc3200 and why???

post #1 of 20
9/23/05 at 4:55am
Thread Starter 
Hey all,

I have the new HP Pavilion zv6015us series notbook with the AMD 3500+

Currently installed are two 512mb pc2700 rams...

I would like to upgrade with two 1gig rams to put it at 2gigs! However....

Can someone please explain if a pc3200 RAM would work on this laptop?

1.) Will the motherboard support it?
2.) Is it true that the faster RAM (pc3200) will actually compliment the AMD processor?
3.) Will the latency difference have an affect with the performance?

PC2700 OR PC3200???!?!?!?!?


Pro's and con's??


Thanks in advance...
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post #2 of 20
9/24/05 at 4:44am
1) Maybe... Sometimes it works sometimes not...
2) Yes.. Not much faster though and if its not 100% compatible it turns the speed down so its not worth it...
3) Not really...

Its easiest to go with PC2700... And because you are going with 2GB which most people have problems with it would be smartest not to go for the faster... I HIGHLY recommend getting the pc2700 and updating the bios before the installation...
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post #3 of 20
9/25/05 at 2:20am
Thread Starter 
On some of the pc3200 RAM's it says that it's compatible with the pc2700 and pc2100's.....therefore....does that still mean that it's a possibility that the pc3200 won't work in my new laptop???

Can you please give me more information on how to upgrade the bios? What steps are necessary to upgrade this to 2gigs?...

Thanks!
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post #4 of 20
9/25/05 at 3:33am
Thats not nomally true with laptops but when it is it just downclocks the speeds and everything...

For the BIOS there are updates for your zv6015us on the HP website... they are listed as BIOS updates... easy to find...

Well if it works, you need to update the bios, get good modules, install them... but even then you chances are low... unless you buy the models from HP but that will cost you like $500 last i checked and even then it may not work...
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post #5 of 20
9/25/05 at 5:19am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the info...

So would it be safe to go with the pc3200 RAM? I found a Crucial brand 1gig RAM for about $120..not too shabby

Being a perfectionist that I am, I'm just wanting to know if my motherboard will support the 400Mhz PC3200...I tried calling HP, but that's like talking to a brick wall. They honestly don't know jack about computers..

Is it also true that RAM will either work or it won't? Say I do get the pc3200's and install them after upgrading the bios...and it works....am I safe and good to go?
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post #6 of 20
9/25/05 at 1:15pm
They know the systems but they dont want you doing what your about to do because of the chances that something will go wrong...

It would be safe to go with that ram but it may not work...

Yes its true, but the other step would be to run a program like memtest for 24 - 72+ hours to make sure there are 0 memory errors...
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post #7 of 20
9/25/05 at 5:46pm
Thread Starter 
I wonder if anyone with a zv6000 series has done this before. If you know anyone that might be able to give information on personal experiences that would be awesome...

Something so simple, so complicated
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post #8 of 20
9/25/05 at 6:12pm
Yes many people have done it before and it has worked... even more however have tried it and it not work... Sometimes you get lucky with a certain combo...
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post #9 of 20
9/25/05 at 7:21pm
Thread Starter 
When I ran a memory scan I think at cruicial's website, it said:

Maximum Memory Capacity
8192 MB

Now don't you have to take that number and divide it by???? to determine your capacity?

Could it be possible that my motherboard is enabled to handle a faster RAM? Don't they usually block some 'stuff' (ports?) on your motherboard to limit the speed?

Thanks..
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post #10 of 20
9/26/05 at 3:22am
Thats wrong, no laptop can handle 8GB at this time...

No its not true...
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post #11 of 20
9/26/05 at 3:35am
Thread Starter 
Yea I knew that...I think you have to take that number and divided it by something...
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post #12 of 20
9/26/05 at 3:41am
no you dont...
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post #13 of 20
9/27/05 at 7:38pm
Thread Starter 
K maybe not...however...

This is what I'm planning to do...I'd appreciate your inputs as well...

1. From all the mixed comments about this issue, (2700 or 3200) I'm going to pick up one 3200 stick of RAM and try it first, replacing the RAM on the bottom of the notebook. (Crucial brand to be exact.) If it works great. If not, $#iT out of luck.

2. RAM will either work or it won't correct?

3. About the whole RAM test thing. Does anyon have the URL to that? Thanks..

4. As for upgrading the bios..this has to be done first before putting in the RAM correct? It can be found on hp.com <<???


Thanks again...
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post #14 of 20
9/27/05 at 7:42pm
1) Okay

2) Okay... Make sure you do a memory test first for atleast 24 hours...

3) http://www.memtest86.com/

4) I recommend doing it before the upgrade as the memory is more likely to work... It can be found on hp.com yes....
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post #15 of 20
9/28/05 at 9:13am
Thread Starter 
Thanks Teckng778...

As for the bios upgrade, this is all I could find on the HP webpage. The link for the bios sure doesn't seem like the right one...hhmmm..

(Driver page)
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/s...n&cc=us&os=228

(BIOS link for 'a' driver, but I don't think it's it...)
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/s...tem=ob-35045-1


Anyone?
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post #16 of 20
9/28/05 at 2:59pm
Yes thats were to get them... its correct if you have a zv6015...
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post #17 of 20
9/29/05 at 1:23am
Thread Starter 
From the description of that particular bios download, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with upgrading the RAM....hhmm still download it?

OR....wouldn't the computer just "do it's thing" by itself by default?

What exactly does the bios upgrade do in detail? Being that it's upgradable to 2 gigs, shouldn't it already be set up for handling 2 gigs?

Thanks again...
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post #18 of 20
9/29/05 at 1:27am
It will work with 2GB but some modules may not work or will have problems with compatibility unless you do that update... Your chances increase by doing the update that it will work... If you dont want to do it... dont... and do it if you have problems...
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post #19 of 20
9/29/05 at 1:30am
Thread Starter 
Ic...so is this link the right driver download? From the description on the site, it doesn't sound like it has anything to do with this whole RAM situation..

(BIOS link for 'a' driver, but I don't think it's it...)
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...item=ob-35045-1

Being that, that is the only BIOS update...since there isn't anything else, does that mean maybe I don't need any updates?


Thanks..
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post #20 of 20
9/29/05 at 1:36am
You may not need to but i recommend it... HP Almost never says if they add ram compatibility into a bios upgrade but its there...
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