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I have a Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop. I knew that the chipset and the motherboard were capable of supporting PC2 4200 (533 MHz DDR2) memory. Thus, I was quite shocked when I flipped over the stick of RAM that came with the laptop (it is installed sticker-side down) and read Hynix 512MB 2Rx16 PC2-3200S-333-12. Looks like Dell sold me PC2 3200 (333 MHz DDR2) memory to save a few bucks… Naturally, I was pissed. I wasn’t getting the maximum possible performance from my hardware! Horror! So I ordered a pair of PC2 4200 Kingston sticks from Newegg (pair of identical sticks for dual-channel action, which the Inspiron 6000 also theoretically supports). And then the fun started.

I flip over the laptop, remove the battery, open the ram hatch, take out the despicably slow Hynix, put in the two 4200 Kingstons, close the hatch, reinsert the battery, press the power button… And then:

1. The fan turns on
2. The caps lock light blinks for 10 seconds or so
3. The fan (and the power) turns off
4. That’s it. No POST, no BIOS, no GRUB, nothing.

During this whole experience, the screen remains black and the keyboard is unresponsive.

I am naturally terrified. Did I fry the motherboard somehow? I am not sure Dell warranty covers installing memory on one’s own… So I pop out the battery, take out the Kingstons, put in the Hynix, reinsert battery, press power. Laptop turns on.

Next hypothesis: one (or both) of the Kingston 4200 sticks are dead. Not likely (Kingston is a reputable company, unlike Hynix), but it seems the most plausible explanation at the moment. So, pop in one of the Kingston sticks alongside the Hynix. Turn on power. “The amont of system memory has changed — press F2 to run setup”. Hmm — the BIOS detects the Kingston stick fine, but of course it is downclocked to run at the Hynix speed, and of course no dual-channel. So, looks like the other stick is dead. Just to check, take out one Kingston, put in the other — and everything still works. The second stick also works! Wtf? Am I insane? Just to check, I take out all memory, put in one stick of Kingston — and get a blinking caps lock. Check with the other Kingston — same thing.

At this point I am scratching my head. Was I mistaken? Does the Inspiron 6000 in fact support 533 MHz DDR2? Would I have to return the Kingstons and pay Newegg its 15% restocking fee? Well, a quick browse of Dell forums confirms that yes, the Inspiron 6000 does support 533 Mhz. So why doesn’t my shiny new memory work?

I take out all memory. To keep myself occupied while I think, I on putting in a stick of Kingston, trying to turn on the machine, seeing blinking caps lock, taking the memory out, putting it back in… And suddenly, on the tenth try, it boots! And POST’s! And gets to the BIOS! I am overcome with joy. I turn the machine off. I put in the second Kingston. I turn it on. I get the blinking caps lock.

Now, I am beginning to suspect bad contact. Anyway, long story, short, after much trial and error I finally figure out how to insert both sticks of memory so that the Inspiron POST’s.

Conclusion: the Inspiron 6000 does support PC2 4200 memory. However, when it is in 533 MHz mode, it is extremely selective about how the memory is inserted — the slightest weakness of contact, and your machine will not boot. So perhaps the reason Dell shipped my Inspiron with 333 MHz DDR2 is because they couldn’t figure out a reliable and quick way of installing higher performance memory.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 8th, 2005 at 20:11 and is filed under tech reference. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.