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Dell XPS Gen2 memory issue

post #1 of 3
3/31/09 at 1:25pm
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So, I know this computer is pretty antiquated by now.. it has lasted me almost all the way through college but I just noticed how cheap memory is so i bought 4 gigs of Kingston Hyperx ram. I know windows xp can only see 3.25gigs but i figured it would run better with 2 identical sticks of ram in it instead of a 2gb stick and a 1gb stick.

However I'm having problems. When both 2gig sticks are plugged in, the computer will not turn on. It gets power and tries to startup and just turns back off. I have tried each 2gig stick in both slots individually and both sticks will work fine on their own. If I have one of the 2gig sticks in with one of the 512mb stock sticks the computer doesnt even recognize the 512mb stick. I have tried alternating the 512mb stick and 2gb stick in both slots.

Help!?! I updated to the most recent bios, what else should I try?

Thanks a ton!

Walker
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post #2 of 3
3/31/09 at 4:33pm
Stay with the default max of supported 2gigo ram.

cheers ...
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post #3 of 3
3/31/09 at 4:58pm
An XPS Gen2/M170/Inspiron 9300 does not support 4 gigs of RAM period! It's an issue with the chipset on the motherboard not with Dell or your particular laptop. Only recently (within the last 2 years) has Intel or the other chipset manufacturers produced the chips capable of supporting 4 gigs or more of RAM for the consumer. Before then it was only possible on much more expensive server chipsets which weren't used on mainstream systems. Remember, RAM was much more expensive a few years ago and most systems sold then came equipped with less than 1gig.

Frankly, if you look on the Intel website you'll find that only 2 gigs is officially supported for the i915 chipset, and if you look at Dell's site you'll find them listing only 2 gigs as being supported for your laptop as well. If you're running XP don't fret, many tests have shown over the years that there is no performance gain with over 2 gigs in XP. However, with your system 2- 1gig memory sticks is much more preferable than 1- 2gig stick; because the i915 chipset operates most effeciently when it's able to interleave the memory in dual channel mode.

So if you're looking for optimum performance for your system, you need to be running with 2 identical speed binned 1gig sticks.

I hope this helps,
Ciao
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