memory slot colours

gwlogue · 10-31-2009, 06:31 PM

I was asked to install more memory in a Dell Dimension E520. When I opened it up I found 2 sets of 2 memory slots. There is one slot with white tabs and one with black tabs in each of these sets. The current memory chips are installed in the slots with the white tabs. The slots with the black tabs are empty.

Is there some significance to the colour of the tabs or of the placement of the chips in the slots?

***Midknyte*** · 10-31-2009, 06:47 PM

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...n/NH730A01.pdf

Quote:

The recommended memory configurations are:
– A pair of matched memory modules installed in DIMM connectors 1 and 2
or
– A pair of matched memory modules installed in DIMM connectors 1 and 2 and another matched
pair installed in DIMM connectors 3 and 4

gwlogue · 10-31-2009, 07:55 PM

There are 2 x 512mb chips in there now. Does the requirement to pair them mean I can not add a single 1gb chip to the configuration?

***Midknyte*** · 10-31-2009, 08:54 PM

You probably can, but that would make the ram run in single channel instead of dual. Why would you want to do that?

gwlogue · 10-31-2009, 08:57 PM

Co$t

rmanet · 10-31-2009, 11:49 PM

....so do what Dell recommends - buy two dirt cheap 512k chips and drop them into slots 3 and 4.

Same cost - almost nothing -be sure to buy from someone legit and use their RAM finder tools.

gwlogue · 11-01-2009, 09:51 AM

RAM finder tools?

***Steve R Jones*** · 11-01-2009, 10:34 AM

Odds are - adding more ram will be better even in non dual channel mode than not adding more ram.

gwlogue · 11-01-2009, 11:39 AM

Somewhat of a problem here. It appears that Dell Canada does not sell memory through it's website and there are no Dell stores that I know of. Local electronics and computer stores do not carry Dell memory. Corsair, Kingston, etc, etc.

gwlogue · 11-01-2009, 12:24 PM

Doing some reading on dual channel memory and I see that there may be a limit on the speed/size of the memory chips I can use. I'm guessing it is the motherboard that determines those limits. Is there someplace that shows me those specs?

gwlogue · 11-01-2009, 01:29 PM

Found spec's on Dell.ca using Service Tag

Rocketmech · 11-02-2009, 10:28 PM

http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...ion%20E520

gwlogue · 11-02-2009, 10:37 PM

That link does not work.

The reading I've done so far on dual channel memory technology says the memory modules in each pair should be the same capacity and speed. The first and second pairs need not be matched.

Based on that I'm going to go to the local computer parts store and pickup a matched pair of Kingston or Corsair memory modules.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Rocketmech · 11-02-2009, 10:45 PM

Hmmm, it works fine on my end. You can use the Crucial Memory Advisor Tool on their main web page.

http://www.crucial.com/index.aspx

Rocketmech · 11-02-2009, 10:55 PM

Regardless of brand, you want 2 matched sticks of the same speed or faster as those in the occupied slots. Example; you have 2 DDR2-667 in slots 1 & 2, use DDR2-667 or DDR2-800 in slots 2 & 3. The capacity of GB's doesn't matter. But, the mobo will run all the ram at the speed of the slowest installed.