Sellers Of Ram

[ramone_kalsaw]

Hi,

 

I'm looking to buy a 512 mb upgrade chip for my Dell Inspiron 8200 laptop and was wondering if www.crucial.com is a reputable dealer -- or if there are others that you recommend.

 

Also, I'm planning on installing the RAM myself, are there any tips/pitfalls I should be aware of?

 

Thanks!

[annie]

I bought a chip from MemoryX. They had a chip for my old laptop. Third part RAM, but it WORKS, and the price was good. Fast service, all the way to Norway. And the wonderful part was that I'd given up on getting memory for that laptop years before. It's that difficult. But I got it from MemoryX! You won't believe how wonderful it is to move from 32 mb to 96! Of course, I got a new laptop right after, but that's another story.... That tiny little machine will still be in use for as long as it works, because the new one is a monster.

[stevevan]

Generally speaking, RAM upgrades are relatively easy to do yourself. The key advice I would give is to make sure you ground yourself (i.e. touch some metal part of the computer) to reduce the risk of static electricity damaging or destroying your memory chip(s) before you even have a chance to use it!

[TCH-Bruce]

Since you have a Dell laptop make sure that you have an expansion slot to install the RAM into. A lot of laptops have 2 slots and both are populated already. If you have 512MB you may have 2 256MB chips and not 1. So thinking you are going to get a 512MB boost you only end up getting a 256MB boost.

 

Go to the Dell site and find your laptop. Then look for the tech docs. They have clear instructions on how to perform a RAM upgrade.

[KungFòóFairy]

I'm looking to buy a 512 mb upgrade chip for my Dell Inspiron 8200 laptop and was wondering if www.crucial.com is a reputable dealer -- or if there are others that you recommend.

Yes, Crucial is a reputable dealer; I've purchased memory from them on several occasions and never had any problems.

Also, I'm planning on installing the RAM myself, are there any tips/pitfalls I should be aware of?

• Make sure to wear an antistatic wrist strap so your modules aren't damaged by static electricity.
  
• Line up the notch on the bottom of the stick with the complementary protrusion in the motherboard's memory expansion slot.
  
• Seat the stick firmly into the slot until the the clips slide easily onto the notches on the sides of the stick.
  

That's pretty much it; memory upgrades are just about the easiest type of upgrade you can make that involves opening the case.

Good luck with your new improved pc.

[MikeJ]

Yes, Crucial is a reputable dealer; I've purchased memory from them on several occasions and never had any problems.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'll second that. I've used Crucial memory for serveral upgrades over the years and never had a problem with it.

[jslagle]

I've also used Crucial several times, all good experiences.

 

They link to Belarc advisor on their page. That program will produce a report on your pc, processor speed, software rev numbers, etc. the most important thing is it reports on occupied and vacant memory slots and what is in each.

[ramone_kalsaw]

Since you have a Dell laptop make sure that you have an expansion slot to install the RAM into. A lot of laptops have 2 slots and both are populated already. If you have 512MB you may have 2 256MB chips and not 1.  So thinking you are going to get a 512MB boost you only end up getting a 256MB boost.

 

Go to the Dell site and find your laptop.  Then look for the tech docs. They have clear instructions on how to perform a RAM upgrade.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Thanks everyone for your insights and experiences!

 

Bruce,

 

When I bought my Inspiron 8200, Dell put 256k in it. I'm assuming that they put in a 256k chip into one slot, which would leave the second slot open for a 512k chip. I haven't opened the box up yet to check, but in your experience, isn't it unlikely that they would taken up two slots (128k x 2) to install 256k?

 

Thanks for your feedback!

[TCH-Bruce]

When I bought my Inspiron 8200, Dell put 256k in it. I'm assuming that they put in a 256k chip into one slot, which would leave the second slot open for a 512k chip. I haven't opened the box up yet to check, but in your experience, isn't it unlikely that they would taken up two slots (128k x 2) to install 256k?

 

Thanks for your feedback!

Not necessarily true. Standard configuration for that laptop is/was 128k expandable to to 1GB. So it may have 2-128k chips in it.

 

Check this link: http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/configurator/modelsinfo.asp?SysID=11589&distributor=0&submit1=Search

 

If you open the memory bay you can determine for sure how many are installed.

Edited December 31, 2004 by TCH-Bruce