[SOLVED] Can this 1600MHz DDR3 hurt my old laptop

[Ryzener]

My laptop is Acer 5739G with 2x2GB DDR3 1066MHz (Smasung). A frend of mine has 2x4GB DDR3 1600MHz (Silicon Power). Can I damage anything if I put the 1600MHz RAM?

I think it will eighter not boot or boot but the ram will run at 1066MHz.

Yes, the 1066MHz RAM is DDR3 not DDR2. The 1066MHz has 16 chips, the 1600MHz has 8 chips. The CPU is T9600.

 

[hotaru.hino]

The RAM will just run at the lower speed. However it's recommended to reset BIOS settings first.

 

[BFG-9000]

Shouldn't hurt anything but it may not work or at least not at the full capacity.

See, PM45 chipset only supports 2Gbit DDR3 memory density, and 8 chips implies 4Gbit (there are chips with multiple packages in them but that's rare) so the chipset's memory controller won't know how to address the higher density chips. Depending on how the higher density chips are arranged, the memory controller may be able to see half of the capacity... in which case you'd get no more RAM than you have now.

The 1066 speed isn't a problem because you are using a 1066FSB processor and discrete graphics instead of IGP so any extra memory bandwidth over this would just be wasted

 

[Ryzener]

Thanks for the answers! @BFG-9000 I think you are spot-on.
I've tried with one 4GB stick (removed both 2GB and reset the BIOS). Some LEDs lit up, the DVD drive made a noise but no beeps, no fan, blank screen, no backlight. I've waited 10 to 20 seconds and I've pressed the power button again - it shut down. Moved the ram to the other slot - same result.

The ram is SP004GBSTU160N02 (512Mx8 8Chips). There is a BIOS update available for me. I've found two people reporting that the laptop works with 2x4GB. But their RAM was lower density and they were on the latest BIOS versions.

Does the no beep thing indicate that the BIOS is OK with the new RAM? I don't think BIOS update will help in my case.

 

[BFG-9000]

Nope, no POST means it won't work at all, and a newer BIOS is unlikely to help if that's 12 years old.

Despite the laptop manufacturer claiming 4GB is the maximum, the chipset is what matters and does accept 2x4GB sticks, but only if they have 16 chips each to be 2Gbit density.

Note that nowadays 2Gbit would be considered an extremely low density (your original 2GB sticks are even lower at 1Gbit) and difficult to find--the newer 4Gbit IC sticks you have are themselves low density because that's what Nehalem to Ivy Bridge use (that allowed for 8GB sticks with 16 chips). Haswell and all AMD accept high density 8Gbit memory (which allows for 16GB sticks with 16 chips)

 

[Ryzener]

When my laptop boots normaly it does not beep. Not even a single beep like the PCs do.

Does the no beep thing indicate that the BIOS is OK with the new RAM?

So I've thought the no beep here is equivalent of single beep.

 

[Ryzener]

"PM45 chipset only supports 2Gbit DDR3 memory density"

Where can I find information about the density of my chipset? I've checked 4 websites with information about it but I can't find the density mentioned.

 

[BFG-9000]

Intel seems to have removed the links to datasheets for long obsolete products, but you can still find them online. It's on page 64.

Or you could just look at the Wikipedia entry for DDR3 where right by the top of the page it says all of Intel's Core 2 DDR3 chipsets only support up to 2Gbit. DDR3 was around for more than ten years so it's hardly unusual for the earliest devices to not be compatible with later revisions of the standard.

Your friend's RAM should work in just about anything but Core 2.

 

[Ryzener]

Thanks again.