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    512mb ram question

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by mjnoles1, Jan 29, 2006.

  1. mjnoles1

    mjnoles1 Notebook Consultant

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    I ordered a m140 and I am receiving the 512mb 2 dimms memory. My question is will the 512 2 dimms memory be slower than just the 512 1 dimm memory or will it be the same speed but I just wont have an extra memory slot open? Also, is 512 enough memory for me since I will not be playing games on this machine it will be used mostly for school work, internet and so on. So, not using any hardcore editing software or games.
     
  2. ikovac

    ikovac Cooler and faster... NBR Reviewer

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    2x256 is slower a bit than 1x512. But since you don't play games or do anything that needs super performance, don't worry. But If you are going to upgrade anytime in the future, it is much better to have 1x512.

    Cheers,
     
  3. Amber

    Amber Notebook Prophet NBR Reviewer

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    it is very small difference and you won't really notice the change in speed. The only good part about going with 1dimm is if you plan to upgrade to 1gb of Ram in the future, then all you would have to get is another 512mb stick.

    Normally for what you are doing 512 to 1gb is a good amount of ram.
     
  4. otaku

    otaku Notebook Deity

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    I just upgraded to 1gb and have found that I only use about half of that while working and even while gaming (UT2004) also generally extra ram will somewhat stablize your machine in my experience I crash alot less now than I used to (alot) because I have the ram I need..and then some :)
     
  5. Oscarine

    Oscarine Notebook Consultant

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    Actually 2x256 vs 1x512 will yield better results at the same timings on a Sonoma based machine due to the fact your employing the dual channel benefit. Mind you your talking ...0.5 to 5% increase, at the cost of not being able to upgrade down the road without replacing a DIMM. 512 is a managable amount of RAM for every day tasks Light to Moderate gaming. Some games EQ2, Battlefield 2, Civ 4 come to mind that will dramatically increase in performance however with extra memory, with battlefield 2 even showing significant improvement of 1gb vs 2gb RAM