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From: Ben Myers on 9 Mar 2010 16:25
On 3/9/2010 1:21 PM, Bob Villa wrote:
> On Mar 9, 12:05 pm, Boris<nos...(a)nospam.com> wrote:
>> powrwrap<powrw...(a)aol.com> wrote in news:8910b9a7-64fd-47f6-a60e-
>> 4ea3b16d3...(a)q21g2000yqm.googlegroups.com:
>>
>>> On Mar 9, 5:38 am, Bob Villa<pheeh.z...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Just got a good deal on used DDR and upped her to 2X512. I does make
>>>> a big difference...but I wasn't about to pay what the want for new
>>>> DDR!
>>
>>>> bob_v
>>
>>> My eight year old 4550 has 768 MB of memory. Back then I think I paid
>>> $45 for a 512 MB stick. Last time I looked a 512 MB stick was about
>>> $18. I thought that was pretty cheap. Isn't it?
>>
>> I added 512MB to my 2003 4550 two years after I got it, which maxed it out
>> at 1GB. Wish I could add more. The machine has been running 24 x 7 since
>> first plugged in.
>
> According to the Dell forum (and, I believe, Ben) the M/B CAN handle
> 2X1G.

2x1GB is the max for the 4550. The written specs for it were apparently
produced before 1GB DDR went into volume production. I no longer have
any 4550 motherboards to test, but I still have a few Optiplex GX260
boards. The Dimension 4550 and the Optiplex GX260 boards share the same
Intel 845G chipset, capable of handling 2GB of memory, and you can
replace one with the other in a pinch, with no Windows BSOD or other ill
effects.

The Dell web site has a number of erroneous specications. For example,
the Latitude 100L and Latitude C840 both support 2x1GB SODIMMs, yet the
specs on the web site say 1GB max. I have a client who wants to replace
his Inspiron 2650 (which really sucks) with a chipset-compatible laptop
handling 2GB or memory, so we can take the hard drive from the 2650 and
pop it into another Dell easily, without the usual BSOD you get when you
move a hard drive from one computer to another.

The Dimension 2650 really sucks because its crippled 845MZ chipset
cannot handle more than 512MB total. The C840 has the 845MP chipset,
part of the same 845 family, so it uses the same Windows drivers, and
works well with 2GB. I tested one this morning. The 100L has the 852GMV
chipset, a close relative of the 845, and I am unsure if it is close enough.

At least I can offer the guy one possible replacement that is almost
100% likely to work, and to save him the many hours of reinstalling all
his specialized but not pirated software.

Just shows that you can't believe everything you read... Ben Myers
From: Ben Myers on 9 Mar 2010 16:32
On 3/9/2010 3:51 PM, Cynthia G wrote:
> I have 2GB in mine. It was after someone in thsi groups said it work that I
> tried it. The improvement going from 1 - 2GB was not as big as going from
> 512MB - 1GB, but it's still an improvement.
>
> Cynthia
> ------------------
> "Boris"<nospam(a)nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:Xns9D3666B08F90blahblahcom(a)188.40.43.213...
>> powrwrap<powrwrap(a)aol.com> wrote in news:8910b9a7-64fd-47f6-a60e-
>> 4ea3b16d35b8(a)q21g2000yqm.googlegroups.com:
>>
>>> On Mar 9, 5:38 am, Bob Villa<pheeh.z...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Just got a good deal on used DDR and upped her to 2X512. I does make
>>>> a big difference...but I wasn't about to pay what the want for new
>>>> DDR!
>>>>
>>>> bob_v
>>>
>>> My eight year old 4550 has 768 MB of memory. Back then I think I paid
>>> $45 for a 512 MB stick. Last time I looked a 512 MB stick was about
>>> $18. I thought that was pretty cheap. Isn't it?
>>
>> I added 512MB to my 2003 4550 two years after I got it, which maxed it out
>> at 1GB. Wish I could add more. The machine has been running 24 x 7 since
>> first plugged in.
>
>

Anyone accustomed to using a system with many open applications and
window tabs will see an improvement in transition time from program to
program or window to window with 2GB rather than 1GB. I have a client
who drives me a bit crazy because he typically has Outlook (a memory hog
with large PST file), multiple IE windows, Word, Excel, several Acrobat
Reader windows, ACT and who knows what else running on his newer Dell
Latitude at the same time. He complained about having a slow system
until I took the system memory from 2GB to 3GB. He is a candidate for a
newer quad processor laptop with 8GB memory and 64-bit Windows 7.

But for the run-of-the-mill person who does only two or three things at
once, 1GB is OK. Unless Skype and two or three IMs are running as well.
Skype is a very useful and cost-effective memory hog... Ben Myers
From: Boris on 9 Mar 2010 16:53
"Cynthia G" <cynthiag31DONTREAD(a)hotmail.com> wrote in
news:hn6bj9$pm$1(a)news.eternal-september.org:

> I have 2GB in mine. It was after someone in thsi groups said it work
> that I tried it. The improvement going from 1 - 2GB was not as big as
> going from 512MB - 1GB, but it's still an improvement.
>
> Cynthia
> ------------------
> "Boris" <nospam(a)nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:Xns9D3666B08F90blahblahcom(a)188.40.43.213...
>> powrwrap <powrwrap(a)aol.com> wrote in news:8910b9a7-64fd-47f6-a60e-
>> 4ea3b16d35b8(a)q21g2000yqm.googlegroups.com:
>>
>>> On Mar 9, 5:38 am, Bob Villa <pheeh.z...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Just got a good deal on used DDR and upped her to 2X512. I does
>>>> make a big difference...but I wasn't about to pay what the want for
>>>> new DDR!
>>>>
>>>> bob_v
>>>
>>> My eight year old 4550 has 768 MB of memory. Back then I think I
>>> paid $45 for a 512 MB stick. Last time I looked a 512 MB stick was
>>> about $18. I thought that was pretty cheap. Isn't it?
>>
>> I added 512MB to my 2003 4550 two years after I got it, which maxed
>> it out at 1GB. Wish I could add more. The machine has been running
>> 24 x 7 since first plugged in.
>
>

My 4550 runs XPHome, and when I went from 512MB to 1GB, the difference was
noticeable all around. The biggest difference was in painting the Window
Explorer thumbnail views, and when painting the pictures in whatever photo
gallery I had running at the time (Microsoft Picture It! from Dell?).

I've got about 8,000 pictures now, but haven't installed any gallery type
program. I will probably use Picasa as my sorting, viewing, emailing
program for the pictures, and I was wondering if with so many pictures,
would more memory make them paint faster on the screen.

But, probably not worth it when I could just move the project over to a
Win7 machine that already has 2GB RAM installed.
From: powrwrap on 9 Mar 2010 18:41
> On Mar 9, 2:51 pm, "Cynthia G" <cynthiag31DONTR...(a)hotmail.com> wrote:

> I have 2GB in mine.  It was after someone in thsi groups said it work that I
> tried it.  The improvement going from 1 - 2GB was not as big as going from
> 512MB - 1GB, but it's still an improvement.

Great, here I was all geared up for a XPS Studio 9000 but if I spend
$50 on 1 GB of memory for my 8 year old Dimension, I'll have
(essentially) a faster computer...

LOL.




From: Jonathan Eales on 10 Mar 2010 03:41

"Bob Villa" <pheeh.zero(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
news:d5c3eea9-4b44-4815-b3eb-0086fe46e9b0(a)g19g2000yqe.googlegroups.com...
> Just got a good deal on used DDR and upped her to 2X512. I does make
> a big difference...but I wasn't about to pay what the want for new
> DDR!
>
> bob_v
>

My old Dimension 4550 is just about to be retired! I've already received
its replacement, a brand new Vostro 430 i5-750 with 3Gb RAM and Windows 7,
I'm just waiting for my office to be redecorated and the new desks
installed.

I upgraded the 4550 to 1Gb a couple of years ago, but it just doesn't seem
responsive any more and multitasking with the old Pentium 4 2.53GHz is not
really possible. So the DDR RAM will be used for spares along with
everything else in the quirky old case.

I'll be sorry to see it go. Many a character has been typed and many a
word read on it.

Jonathan



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