The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Memory Upgrade for Dell I9300

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Katie4077, Dec 5, 2007.

  1. Katie4077

    Katie4077 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Hello,

    I searched around and didn't really find a definite answer, so i figured i would ask.. I'm looking at buying a 1GB stick or a 2GB kit (2x 1GB) memory to upgrade my Dell Inspiron 9300. It currently has 512mb of DDR2 Memory. This is where i'm getting confused..

    I've ran the Memory tools on Dell.com and at Crucial.com .. both of them recommend either DDR II SDRAM PC2-5300 or DDR II SDRAM PC2-4200. When I run Everest, it shows my Memory Bus "Real Clock" is 267(DDR) with a "Effective Clock" of 533. The "Bus Type" is Dual DDR2 SDRAM if that matters. It also lists my Front Side Bus "Real Clock" as 133 (QDR) and my Effective Clock as 533.

    I'm having a bit of trouble determining whether or not i need PC2-4200 or PC2-5300 ? There's not really a price difference but i don't want to buy the wrong type and have it do something bad to my system. Any help would be appreciated!
     
    Katie4077, Dec 5, 2007
    #1
  2. jetstar

    jetstar Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    1,095
    Messages:
    7,034
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    I'd get the 5300. Its slightly faster, although there will not be any perceptible increase in performance.
     
    jetstar, Dec 5, 2007
    #2
  3. Katie4077

    Katie4077 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Thank you for the quick reply.. :)

    Will my system take both PC2-4200 and PC2-5300? I've gathered at least that my laptop has PC2-4200 in it right now from the 533mhz..
     
    Katie4077, Dec 5, 2007
    #3
  4. crinzema

    crinzema Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    42
    Messages:
    302
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I have an inspiron 9300 as well. I believe you can only use pc2-4200.
     
    crinzema, Dec 5, 2007
    #4
  5. adinu

    adinu I pwn teh n00bs.

    Reputations:
    489
    Messages:
    2,842
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    You can use pc5300, but it will downclock from 667MHz down to 533MHz. So it doesn't matter which you chose, they will both run the same.
     
    adinu, Dec 5, 2007
    #5
  6. crinzema

    crinzema Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    42
    Messages:
    302
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    When i upgrade my 9300 to 2gb, I used pc2-4200
     
    crinzema, Dec 5, 2007
    #6
  7. Katie4077

    Katie4077 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Well, it's the PC2-5300 that's on sale.. will getting that hurt my system at all?

    And thanks everyone for the help :)
     
    Katie4077, Dec 5, 2007
    #7
  8. f4ding

    f4ding Laptop Owner

    Reputations:
    261
    Messages:
    2,085
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    As far as I know, it won't hurt your system. It should be able to take higher clocked memory without a problem.
     
    f4ding, Dec 5, 2007
    #8
  9. Katie4077

    Katie4077 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Katie4077, Dec 5, 2007
    #9
  10. adinu

    adinu I pwn teh n00bs.

    Reputations:
    489
    Messages:
    2,842
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Any of those would be fine, they are both high quality sticks.
     
    adinu, Dec 5, 2007
    #10
  11. dtwn

    dtwn C'thulhu fhtagn

    Reputations:
    2,431
    Messages:
    7,996
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    206
    Both are very good brands for RAM.
    G Skill might be better in this case as it offers life time warranty.
     
    dtwn, Dec 5, 2007
    #11
  12. Katie4077

    Katie4077 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Last question i promise!

    Crucial has 2GB (2x 1GB) DDR2 - PC2-4200 RAM for about the same price as the two i previously mentioned. Since my laptop will apparently only recognize up to 533mhz, should i just get the PC2-4200? Do the PC2-5300's consume more power or produce more heat that i would need to worry about?

    I'm so clueless when it comes to this.. i appreciate all the help so far.
     
    Katie4077, Dec 5, 2007
    #12
  13. adinu

    adinu I pwn teh n00bs.

    Reputations:
    489
    Messages:
    2,842
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    The pc5300s will just downclock to 533MHz speed, so they will act exactly like pc4200 ram when in your notebook.
     
    adinu, Dec 6, 2007
    #13