ram

[bob]

Anyone know if this ram will work in a Dell Optiplex GX1?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=426422&Sku=P56-1519

 

[Bob Knowlden]

No.

As the Optiplex GX1 uses the 440BX chipset, it requires low-density 256 MB
SDRAM DIMMs. ("Density" refers to the memory chips. In my limited
experience, low density 256 MB DIMMs have 16 chips on the stick, 8 chips on
each side.)

www.pny.com doesn't list any compatible RAM through their memory
configurator, so that must mean that the module at Tiger Direct is of the
newer, incompatible sort.

The "Sorry this item is only available from the original equipment
manufacturer" message at PNY is not true. You can get compatible memory from
www.crucial.com, and Kingston also lists compatible part numbers. You may
have to pay rather more than $38 for it, though. (The Tiger price isn't
particularly good for high density 256 MB SDRAM, though. You can find
cheaper, but equally incompatible, SDRAM at www.newegg.com and other online
vendors.)


Address scrambled. Replaced nkbob with bobkn.

 

[bob]

Ok. How did you know the Tiger ram was high density? I don't see that
anywhere.

Thanks.

 

[dawg]

This is a giveaway on the tiger site.
**Note: PNY PC133 memory modules are not backwards compatible to PC100 or
PC66

PC100 and PC66 is usually low density. Go to Crucial.com and use their site
to find the ram you need. You don't have to buy it from them.

 

[bob]

it looks like this will work:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=302006

 

[Bob Knowlden]

I believed that the PNY memory was high density because PNY does not seem to
make any low density RAM.

I doubt that the K-Byte memory that you list is low density. PC-100 does not
guarantee that.

K-Byte maintains a configurator. For the Optiplex GX1, it lists:

http://www.kbytememory.com/configurator/upg.pl?man_id=31&model=12733

It looks like the part number you'd need is 311-0717-KBT. The part number
from the Tiger link that you provide is for KB256-100.

Low density memory is from an older technology, so it will probably cost
more per megabyte than the (incompatible) high density version. You may have
trouble finding it from an online dealer that isn't a specialty house, so
www.crucial.com may be your safest source.

I have no connection with Crucial, or their parent company, Micron. I have
done business with them exactly once, buying - you guessed it! - a couple of
low-density 256 MB SDRAM DIMMs to upgrade my old Soyo 6BA+IV system (440BX
chipset, like the GX1) so that I could install Windows XP. (This, after
having some high density DIMMs not work. Incidentally, the Crucial DIMMs
were PC133.)

This doesn't seem to be what you wish to hear, but I can't help that.

If you wish to waste time, proceed to order an inexpensive high-density 256
MB stick. Your PC may even boot with it installed. However, if you run a
memory checking utility (or just run an application that really uses the
extra RAM), the new memory will fail. I believe that you won't damage
anything, but there will be memory errors.

 

[bob]

i bought some PNY memory at Office Depot that works. it was between 70
and 80 bucks tho, which is too much.

 

[dawg]

Way too much. But since supply is so low on that memory they get more.
Ridiculous.

 

[Bob Knowlden]

Just out of curiosity, what was its product number? PNY doesn't list any
compatible RAM on their web site.

 

[bob]

pretty sure it's this:

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=672891&&An=text


Item # 672891 ?