mavenh

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Nov 22, 2009
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Hi
I have 2 Dell pc's with 2GB RAM and am looking to upgrade them to the max 4GB each - I think i read it right that both are 4GB max.
My question is, the stuff in there now appears to be 533Mhz, is there any advantage to buying 800mhz or higher ?
What is the max the MB will run at ?

PC's are
- Opti plex GS620 Standard Tower size - when i search it always come up with a Low profile desktop style.
(This has been edited - I originally wrote GS520, sorry)
- Dimensions E520 Tower

If it matters that all slots should be the same, i can put the 4 new 1GB dimms in to one of them and juggle others in the 2nd pc.

Any help appreciated.
Regards
Stuart
 
Solution
There is no GS620, its GX620. This board uses Intel 945 chipset with four DDR2 slots. DDR2-667 would be better, since the board can support this speed, but DDR2-800 will work as well and fall back to the lower supported speeds. Due to chipset limitation, your actual useable RAM will be more like 3.0GB ~ 3.30GB when installing 4GB. The remaining RAM cannot be used due to addressing limitations.

The E520 uses Intel 965 chipset and supports up to 4GB via four DDR2 slots (but should be able to use it all under 64-bit OS). This board supports DDR2-800, though it would depend on the processor used as well and may fall back to DDR2-667.

There isn't any premium for DDR2-800 over DDR2-667 or DDR2-533. Its all pretty much within a few...

marcellis22

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Oct 20, 2008
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You need to check the spec's out on the Dell website, the GX620's came with 533mHz ram, I suspect the GX520's are the same. You can use PC6400, (800mHz) ram, however it will be limited to whatever the motherboard will support, which I believe is 533... and yes, you will be wasting your money...
 

mavenh

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Nov 22, 2009
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Hi Marcellis
Its an Optiplex 620 - sorry i wrote it down wrong ;-)

Yeah, I thought ass much, but i can't seem to find the tech info about the MB speeds though - not sure if i know what I'm looking for if the truth be known of course.

Thanks again though, maybe I should stick with buyin 533 then!! Unless anyone else advises I can use faster and gain from it.

Regards
Stuart
 

tcsenter

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Jun 18, 2008
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There is no GS620, its GX620. This board uses Intel 945 chipset with four DDR2 slots. DDR2-667 would be better, since the board can support this speed, but DDR2-800 will work as well and fall back to the lower supported speeds. Due to chipset limitation, your actual useable RAM will be more like 3.0GB ~ 3.30GB when installing 4GB. The remaining RAM cannot be used due to addressing limitations.

The E520 uses Intel 965 chipset and supports up to 4GB via four DDR2 slots (but should be able to use it all under 64-bit OS). This board supports DDR2-800, though it would depend on the processor used as well and may fall back to DDR2-667.

There isn't any premium for DDR2-800 over DDR2-667 or DDR2-533. Its all pretty much within a few dollars. I would recommend DDR2-800 (PC2-6400).

Avoid the enthusiast/overclocking memory lines. Just buy plain vanilla "value" RAM with standard voltage of 1.8V. e.g.

Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB Kit) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2-800 (PC2 6400)

Super Talent DDR2-800 1GB (64x8) Value Memory

Super Talent DDR2-800 1GB (64x8) Memory s/S-RIGID Heatspreader


Might also be worth checking for a newer/later BIOS if you have any problems:

OptiPlex G620 System BIOS

Dimension E520 System BIOS
 
Solution