I'm reading this because I work at a company that refurbishes and sells mostly Dell computers. We refurbish all sorts of Dell computers with no trouble, but we've specifically been having trouble with RAM in the Optiplex 780's. Not when we put the minimum 4 gigs of RAM that we sell computers with in the machine, but when we upgrade to 8 gigs.
I specifically maintain the RAM, not upgrade PC's, and there has been some debate about whether the main problem is the RAM or the techs doing it, but the supervisor has been in on trying to figure out some of it. I often get caught up in the struggle to get RAM to work in these machines.
Basically, these machines are Core 2 Duos, and unlike some Dell Core 2 Duos, they do take DDR3. However, my supervisor believes they do not take 12800 (and certainly not faster). These machines are goodies (I myself have an Optiplex 755 running Ubuntu), but they are oldies. A tech spent a large amount of time yesterday trying to install 12800s in one of them and couldn't get a single one to work, and some of it are brands that should have worked.
Our experience seems to overwhelmingly be that brands of RAM that we commonly remove from Dell computers work in the 780s, and cheaper brands that we don't commonly remove from them won't work. Kingston are ones that we typically get from Dell computers, and they often wear the Dell brand name on the other side.
Crucial does not commonly come in Dell computers and I don't know if they work in the 780s or not, and I rather suspect not, because it is among the cheaper memory we DO have, and surely they tried it. I mention these because people on Dell forums keep saying specifically in response to questions about the 780s, that Crucial and Kingston work on Dell.
I wish I had the extensive list, not at the top of my head. Skynex and Hynex, and Samsung, are three of the most common and best performing, through. They might not be spelled right.
There might also be tricks to installing RAM in the 780s. For instance, two specific DIMMS must be populated, which on the ones I've heard about should be a no brainer, since there are only two RAM slots. If there are more, DIMM 1 and DIMM 2 - I think is what I got told.
Also, one might have to install one RAM stick, reboot the machine, install another RAM stick, and reboot the machine.
I am getting told that if the wrong RAM is installed you can't boot the machines or do anything with them, but, for whatever it's worth, I use a 3500 board for testing RAM, and, if it isn't installed just so, I often get bootup/ posting errors that turn out not to mean anything at all. One can still for instance Pixiboot the machine and run the RAM test, or boot it into BIOS. I'm told that if you're actually setting up a machine to install Windows, DIMMS 1, 2 and 3 must have the same brand of RAM, and DIMS 4, 5, and 6 must have the same brand of RAM. Though usually they only put in two to four sticks of RAM even if there are six RAM slots.
If anyone else has more insight on how to get RAM to work in 780s I'd appreciate hearing it.
Problems have been occurring more often and more frustratingly over the past couple of weeks, because we don't have any of the brands of RAM that came out of Dell machines and customarily work in the Dell machines, just a lot of cheaper stuff that can't seem to work in the 780s. Some of it is Crucial.
I did try suggesting they specifically order some of the brands of RAM we take OUT of Dell machines. However, it is so much cheaper to order RAM randomely that it saves a lot of money even if hte techs spend extra time on the 780s or can't get them to work.
As far as other Dell models, I've not heard of any issues getting any RAM at all to work, other than there are quixotic episodes of RAM not compatible with machines that doesn't pose any real problem, or it has to all be the same speed, or a certain speed, and stuff of that nature.
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