Question About RAM Compatibility in an HP D220 Micro Tower
-Model: HP D220 Micro Tower (Business Desktop Line from 2002/2003)
-Specs: http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/11709_na/11709_na.HTML
-Motherboard: Intel 845GV chipset
-CPU: Not sure, either (1) 2.4GHz Celeron with 400MHz FSB / 128K L2 Cache or (2) 2.8GHz Pentium 4 with 533MHz / 512K L2 Cache.
-Current RAM: PC2700 / CL=2.5 / 2.5V
-Purchased Upgrade: PC3200 / CL=3 / 2.6V
-Compatible?
-Would Incompatibility Be Damaging/Dangerous?
Greetings All,
A relative of mine is experiencing very slow speeds with a very old system at work: an HP D220 Micro Tower that seems to date from 2002/2003. The relative notified the IT department, but whatever they did had only a minimal effect. So I decided to purchase a RAM upgrade and install it in the computer, even though neither of us has any type of clearance from the IT department.
When I specified the HP D220 MT system, using the Crucial.com Memory Advisor ('HP - Compaq' > 'HP Business Desktops' > 'D220 Series (PC2700)' ), the Advisor listed several options as 'Guaranteed-compatible memory upgrades for your HP - Compaq D220 Series (PC2700) Desktop/PC.' The Crucial RAM that I eventually purchased (from newegg.com, rather than directly from Crucial) was one of those 'Guaranteed-Compatible' options, and it had the following specs: 1GB / PC3200 / CL = 3 / 2.6 V.
Below is the listing of all 'Guaranteed-Compatible' upgrades for the D220 at Crucial.com, as well as a link to the Newegg listing of the exact item that I purchased:
http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=D220%20Series%20(PC2700)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146575
My first question is: Do you think it is wise for me to install the RAM without an explicit green light (which I don't think they would grant, if we were to ask) from the IT department? Is there some considerable danger of data loss/corruption on the HDD, or perhaps a danger of corrupting the motherboard or overburdening the power supply or something of the kind, if the RAM were to be incompatible? In other words, is there any risk of serious and/or irreversible damage that could follow, if the Crucial RAM turns out to be incompatible with the D220? And do you think this upgrade -- installing RAM -- is risky enough that one should generally either leave it to the IT department, or leave it alone, in order to limit one's own liability for potential damage? (Note that the procedure itself wouldn't be a difficult one for me, as I have done RAM and HDD/SSD installs before.)
My second question is: How reliable is the Crucial Memory Advisor Tool? Can it be trusted in most every case, or does Crucial often make assumptions about compatibility based on widely available information (such as type of motherboard), without actually doing the test on each and every system? Does Crucial perform an actual test (multiple tests?) of the system in question, before they list an upgrade as compatible?
And my third question: How important is voltage, when it comes to compatibility? If a stick if RAM has a 2.6V rating and goes into a system that requires 2.5V memory, will the 2.6V stick cause problems, perhaps by demanding too much power? And what if a stick with CL=3 (CAS Latency = 3) goes into a system where the manual states that CL=2.5 is required? Would this also cause issues?
Finally, I should note that I ask all of this because there is SOME material out there, published by HP, which indicates that RAM upgrades for the D220 CANNOT be anything other than 2.5V/CL=2.5; while OTHER published material seems to indicate that CL=3 and/or 2.6V might be OK. Here's some of the published material I was able to find on the net though there is one additional document (not listed below, stating that 2.5V/CL=2.5 is mandatory for the D220) that I can't seem to find that document at the moment):
1. Service Reference Guide (March 2004)
Business Desktop d200 Series 4th Edition
The DIMMs used must be industry-standard 184-pin, unbuffered PC2100 266 MHz-, PC2700 333 MHz-, or PC3200 400 MHz-compliant (select models), 2.5 volt DDR-SDRAM DIMMs. The following features are required: CAS latency 2, 2.5, or 3 (CL = 2, CL = 2.5, CL=3)
Modules must contain the mandatory Joint Electronic Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) Serial Presence Detect (SPD) information.
128Mbit, 256 Mbit, and 512Mbit non-ECC memory technologies
Single and double-sided DIMMs may be used
DIMMs constructed with x8 and x16 DDR devices and x4 SDRAM are not supported.
2. Hardware Reference Guide (June 2003)
HP Compaq d220 and d230 Microtower
For proper system operation, if the system supports DDR-SDRAM DIMMs, the DIMMs must be industry-standard 184-pin, unbuffered
PC 2100 266 MHz-compliant CAS Latency 2 or 2.5 (CL = 2 or CL = 2.5), or PC 2700 333 MHz-compliant CAS Latency 2.5 (CL = 2.5)
2.5 volt DDR-SDRAM DIMMs. They must also contain the mandatory Joint Electronic Device Engineering Council (JEDEC)
Serial Presence Detect (SPD) information. DIMMs constructed with x4 SDRAM are not supported; the system will not start using unsupported DIMMs.
3. Service Reference Card (November 2003)
HP Compaq d220/d228/d230 Series
Personal Computers - November 2003
Processor Type: Intel Celeron or Pentium 4
RAM Type: DDR PC2100 or PC2700 non-ECC
Maximum RAM Supported: 2 GB
Expansion Bus: PCI 2.2
-Model: HP D220 Micro Tower (Business Desktop Line from 2002/2003)
-Specs: http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/11709_na/11709_na.HTML
-Motherboard: Intel 845GV chipset
-CPU: Not sure, either (1) 2.4GHz Celeron with 400MHz FSB / 128K L2 Cache or (2) 2.8GHz Pentium 4 with 533MHz / 512K L2 Cache.
-Current RAM: PC2700 / CL=2.5 / 2.5V
-Purchased Upgrade: PC3200 / CL=3 / 2.6V
-Compatible?
-Would Incompatibility Be Damaging/Dangerous?
Greetings All,
A relative of mine is experiencing very slow speeds with a very old system at work: an HP D220 Micro Tower that seems to date from 2002/2003. The relative notified the IT department, but whatever they did had only a minimal effect. So I decided to purchase a RAM upgrade and install it in the computer, even though neither of us has any type of clearance from the IT department.
When I specified the HP D220 MT system, using the Crucial.com Memory Advisor ('HP - Compaq' > 'HP Business Desktops' > 'D220 Series (PC2700)' ), the Advisor listed several options as 'Guaranteed-compatible memory upgrades for your HP - Compaq D220 Series (PC2700) Desktop/PC.' The Crucial RAM that I eventually purchased (from newegg.com, rather than directly from Crucial) was one of those 'Guaranteed-Compatible' options, and it had the following specs: 1GB / PC3200 / CL = 3 / 2.6 V.
Below is the listing of all 'Guaranteed-Compatible' upgrades for the D220 at Crucial.com, as well as a link to the Newegg listing of the exact item that I purchased:
http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=D220%20Series%20(PC2700)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146575
My first question is: Do you think it is wise for me to install the RAM without an explicit green light (which I don't think they would grant, if we were to ask) from the IT department? Is there some considerable danger of data loss/corruption on the HDD, or perhaps a danger of corrupting the motherboard or overburdening the power supply or something of the kind, if the RAM were to be incompatible? In other words, is there any risk of serious and/or irreversible damage that could follow, if the Crucial RAM turns out to be incompatible with the D220? And do you think this upgrade -- installing RAM -- is risky enough that one should generally either leave it to the IT department, or leave it alone, in order to limit one's own liability for potential damage? (Note that the procedure itself wouldn't be a difficult one for me, as I have done RAM and HDD/SSD installs before.)
My second question is: How reliable is the Crucial Memory Advisor Tool? Can it be trusted in most every case, or does Crucial often make assumptions about compatibility based on widely available information (such as type of motherboard), without actually doing the test on each and every system? Does Crucial perform an actual test (multiple tests?) of the system in question, before they list an upgrade as compatible?
And my third question: How important is voltage, when it comes to compatibility? If a stick if RAM has a 2.6V rating and goes into a system that requires 2.5V memory, will the 2.6V stick cause problems, perhaps by demanding too much power? And what if a stick with CL=3 (CAS Latency = 3) goes into a system where the manual states that CL=2.5 is required? Would this also cause issues?
Finally, I should note that I ask all of this because there is SOME material out there, published by HP, which indicates that RAM upgrades for the D220 CANNOT be anything other than 2.5V/CL=2.5; while OTHER published material seems to indicate that CL=3 and/or 2.6V might be OK. Here's some of the published material I was able to find on the net though there is one additional document (not listed below, stating that 2.5V/CL=2.5 is mandatory for the D220) that I can't seem to find that document at the moment):
1. Service Reference Guide (March 2004)
Business Desktop d200 Series 4th Edition
The DIMMs used must be industry-standard 184-pin, unbuffered PC2100 266 MHz-, PC2700 333 MHz-, or PC3200 400 MHz-compliant (select models), 2.5 volt DDR-SDRAM DIMMs. The following features are required: CAS latency 2, 2.5, or 3 (CL = 2, CL = 2.5, CL=3)
Modules must contain the mandatory Joint Electronic Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) Serial Presence Detect (SPD) information.
128Mbit, 256 Mbit, and 512Mbit non-ECC memory technologies
Single and double-sided DIMMs may be used
DIMMs constructed with x8 and x16 DDR devices and x4 SDRAM are not supported.
2. Hardware Reference Guide (June 2003)
HP Compaq d220 and d230 Microtower
For proper system operation, if the system supports DDR-SDRAM DIMMs, the DIMMs must be industry-standard 184-pin, unbuffered
PC 2100 266 MHz-compliant CAS Latency 2 or 2.5 (CL = 2 or CL = 2.5), or PC 2700 333 MHz-compliant CAS Latency 2.5 (CL = 2.5)
2.5 volt DDR-SDRAM DIMMs. They must also contain the mandatory Joint Electronic Device Engineering Council (JEDEC)
Serial Presence Detect (SPD) information. DIMMs constructed with x4 SDRAM are not supported; the system will not start using unsupported DIMMs.
3. Service Reference Card (November 2003)
HP Compaq d220/d228/d230 Series
Personal Computers - November 2003
Processor Type: Intel Celeron or Pentium 4
RAM Type: DDR PC2100 or PC2700 non-ECC
Maximum RAM Supported: 2 GB
Expansion Bus: PCI 2.2
So will have to think about it. Appreciate the feedback guys.
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