Optiplex 780 upgrading memory

[mfigueroa]

I purchased 2x4gb of memory to upgrade my Optiplex 780 which originally came with only 2 gbs. I did some research to make sure the memory I purchase would be compatible with the motherboard. I purchased the following memory from amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00683X4PQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
when I put in the new memory, the PC boots up normally, fans working and all, but I get absolutely no signal/video to my monitor. When I pop in the old 2 gbs, the computer boots up normally and i can use it.

Can you please advise how to make the new memory work, if i have to go into bios?

thank you in advance.

 

[bambiboom]

mfigueroa,

The memory should be automatically recognized. Possibly, the solution is to upgrade your BIOS to be able to recognize the full amount:

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/product/optiplex-780/drivers

> and the file is: O780-A15.exe

And this just runs as a program. Right click on the file "Run as Administrator"

It doesn't hurt anyway to have the latest BIOS just to eliminate that as a problem.

Another possibility is that the RAM have to be in particular slots. If there are four slots, the first two, or largest modules may have to be in the 1 & 3 -that kind of thing. A lot of Dells have two of the slots with 2 white locking tabs and 2 black to show where the pairs go.

If you still have the 2X 1GB modules, you should be able to use those with the 2 X 4GB and have 10GB, only be sure they are placed in the proper order- and in pairs- e.g. 2X4GB in slots 1 &3 and 2X 1GB in Slots 2& 4.

I'm all for getting the old bangers going as well as possible. I was given a couple of systems by an architectural office from the generation before your Optiplex and these work very well with a bit of care:

Precision 390 (2006) Original: Core2 Duo 6300 dual-core @ 1.86GHz, 2GB > Quadro FX550 > 2X WD 320GB . Windows XP Pro 32-bit
[ Passmark system rating = 397, CPU = 587 / 2D= 248 / 3D=75 / Mem=585 / Disk = 552 ]

Dell Precision 390 (2006) Revised: Xeon X3230 quad-core @ 2.67GHz > 8 GB DDR2 667 ECC > Firepro V4900 (1GB) > 2X WD 320GB >Linksys WMP600N WiFi Dell 24" > 1920 X 1200 > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[ Passmark system rating = 1458, CPU = 3699 / 2D= 431 / 3D=1350 / Mem= 885 / Disk=552]

Dell Dimension E520 (2006) Original: Pentium D 830 @ 3.0GHz, GeForce 7300LE (128MB), 2GB DDR2 667 , 2 x WD 320GB > 2X Dell 19" LCD > Windows XP Pro 32-bit
[ Passmark system rating = 384, CPU = 613 / 2D= 248 / 3D=72 / Mem=562 / Disk = 522 ]

Dell Dimension E520 (2006) Revised: Core2 Duo E6700 dual core @2.66GHz > 4GB DDR2 667 > GeForce GT440 (1GB GDDR5) > 2X Dell 19" LCD > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[Passmark system rating = 1219, CPU = 2024 / 2D= 457 / 3D=978 / Mem= 828 / Disk=576]

Cheers,

BambiBoom





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[mfigueroa]

So i figured out the issue, I had to upgrade the Bios to A15 and then as soon as I installed the new 2x4gb sticks the Optiplex 780 automatically picked them up and worked perfectly.