Solved Need help buying RAM

[mangoh]

According to this thread a Dell Inspiron 1501 can support upto 4GB of RAM (possibly 8GB)

On Dell's official website it says the maximum it can support is 2GB but I believe it can support more, they may not have tested for more.

I currently have W7 64 bit installed on my Dell Inspiron 1501 with 2GB of RAM.

I'm from the UK so could anyone suggest links to where I can buy 4GB of RAM and 8GB of RAM from?

 

[Emoclaw]

I found these:
Cheap Laptops, Tablet PC, and Cheap LED TVs | Ebuyer.com

PC Components, Desktop PCs, Laptops, LCD TVs & Computer Hardware

Aria PC - Computer Hardware, Components, Monitors.. at lowest prices

Laptops, Computers, PC Components, MP3 players, Software, Digital Cameras and more - dabs.com

Overclockers UK - Computer components, hardware & gaming PC

Computer Hardware - Scan.co.uk

I'd also suggest Newegg.com - Computer Parts, Laptops, Electronics, and More! although I think it's international.
Also, some RAM-Building websites like Corsair's have functions which allow you to choose your country and show you stores of where you can buy(link).
You could just visit any computer hardware store.

PS: I've made some research about what your Inspiron can run, people say it supports 4GB of RAM (2*2), however Dell says it does not, many others are running 8 GB, I think you should try and if it does not work there are money refunds.

 

[mangoh]

Hi thanks for your suggestions but I was hoping (perhaps I should have stated this earlier) that someone would give me direct links to the RAM I need. I say this because I don't want to get the wrong type of RAM. Furthermore it is also harder to find the right stick as simply searching "Dell Inspiron 1501" into Crucial for example will return results for two 1GB sticks.

 

[indianacarnie]

Use Crucials Memory Advisor to see what kind and how much your machine will "take".Then, if you don't want to buy from them use the spec.'s to search for best price etc.

SDRAM, DDR2 and DDR RAM memory upgrades from Crucial.com

 

[mangoh]

Use Crucials Memory Advisor to see what kind and how much your machine will "take".Then, if you don't want to buy from them use the spec.'s to search for best price etc.

SDRAM, DDR2 and DDR RAM memory upgrades from Crucial.com

Please see my post above

Anyone know any direct links to the memory I need.

It's hard finding RAM as most sites say that a Dell Inspiron 1501 can take 2GB of RAM so only offer 2x1GB sticks.

I feel like I am going in circles here.

 

[indianacarnie]

Well, did you even try running the advisor? I know that even the link YOU provided to Crucial offered more than 2x1GB sticks for your machine.

The advisor tells you how many memory slots you have, how many are free, what kind of memory you need (i.e. DDR3 1333 etc.), how much your system supports and makes suggestions.

 

[mangoh]

Well, did you even try running the advisor? I know that even the link YOU provided to Crucial offered more than 2x1GB sticks for your machine

My laptop has 2 banks and MY link that I provided does NOT offer more than 2GB of RAM. I need 2x2GB RAM or 2x4GB RAM.

The advisor tells you how many memory slots you have, how many are free, what kind of memory you need (i.e. DDR3 1333 etc.), how much your system supports and makes suggestions

I was hoping users of SevenForums would be my advisor as they are more helpful

 

[indianacarnie]

Then some system spec.'s would be in order don't you think? SO that WE can enter them into the advisor for you and tell you what to do.

 

[mangoh]

Then some system spec.'s would be in order don't you think? SO that WE can enter them into the advisor for you and tell you what to do.

What else do you need?

I already mentioned it is a Dell Inspiron 1501.

Thanks

P.S. I think you're missing my point... I've done the whole Crucial thing... They don't offer 2x2GB or 2x4GB RAM.

 

[DeaconFrost]

P.S. I think you're missing my point... I've done the whole Crucial thing... They don't offer 2x2GB or 2x4GB RAM.

It doesn't matter what they sell or don't sell. Their site is the resource to use to find out what your laptop is capable of accepting, and then you go price shop elsewhere.

If Crucial says it takes 2 GB, then I wouldn't try putting any more in it than that. In the future, don't get snippy with people who don't want to do your work for you. Shouting that you want a direct link is just telling us you are too lazy to be bothered to do your own thinking. There is not exact one memory type for your computer. As others have mentioned, you take the specs Crucial gives you, and you price shop for yourself. If you don't want to spend 5 minutes reading and learning all you need to know about buying memory, then take your laptop to a shop and pay them to do it for you. Buying memory is actually very easy...provided you are willing to spend the 5 minutes in reading what you need to learn. 5 minutes is all it takes. You spent more time getting snippy with those trying to help you.

 

[jimpz]

What everyone is basically saying is get the 2gb*2 (or 4gb*2) of what Crucial or any other site recommends.

 

[mangoh]

P.S. I think you're missing my point... I've done the whole Crucial thing... They don't offer 2x2GB or 2x4GB RAM.

It doesn't matter what they sell or don't sell. Their site is the resource to use to find out what your laptop is capable of accepting, and then you go price shop elsewhere.

If Crucial says it takes 2 GB, then I wouldn't try putting any more in it than that. In the future, don't get snippy with people who don't want to do your work for you. Shouting that you want a direct link is just telling us you are too lazy to be bothered to do your own thinking. There is not exact one memory type for your computer. As others have mentioned, you take the specs Crucial gives you, and you price shop for yourself. If you don't want to spend 5 minutes reading and learning all you need to know about buying memory, then take your laptop to a shop and pay them to do it for you. Buying memory is actually very easy...provided you are willing to spend the 5 minutes in reading what you need to learn. 5 minutes is all it takes. You spent more time getting snippy with those trying to help you.

I disagree just because Crucial says not to put 2GB in it doesn't always mean that you should follow what they say. Most of the time I agree but crucial and so many other sites has it wrong with the max RAM a Dell Inspiron 1501 can support. Also if you take note I did not shout about it first as I only used caps in response to what a previous post had already said. It's not about being lazy but I just wanted some good quality advice without the expense of going into a shop... Afterall I thought that is what SF is for. I don't have time for people who can't be bothered to read the thread, sorry and if you are not willing to help then please leave my thread.

What everyone is basically saying is get the 2gb*2 (or 4gb*2) of what Crucial or any other site recommends.

+rep thanks for being polite about it. However the issue I have is what bit am I meant to be looking from on crucial so I could possibly research it myself.

"Memory Type: DDR2 PC2-5300, DDR2" ???

So what do you think I should look for DDR2 RAM? Surely that's too vague so is the PC2-5300 the important part?

 

[Emoclaw]

If Crucial says it takes 2 GB, then I wouldn't try putting any more in it than that.

Every link I searched on google leads me to threads like this, and about 90% of answers are: "I'm running Dell Inspiron 1501 with 4GB of Ram" Maybe Crucial/Dell says it only supports up to 2GB because it's default OS is 32 bit? If I were in a situation like this and wanted to upgrade my ram I'd listen to the community as, to me, they are more trusworthy than the manufacturers, Actually what's the risk?You get warranty and money-refund warranty.

 

[mangoh]

If Crucial says it takes 2 GB, then I wouldn't try putting any more in it than that.

Every link I searched on google leads me to threads like this, and about 90% of answers are: "I'm running Dell Inspiron 1501 with 4GB of Ram" Maybe Crucial/Dell says it only supports up to 2GB because it's default OS is 32 bit? If I were in a situation like this and wanted to upgrade my ram I'd listen to the community as, to me, they are more trusworthy than the manufacturers, Actually what's the risk?You get warranty and money-refund warranty.

That's the way I look at it or Dell has failed to test RAM higher than 2GB in some machines for w/e reason? Time saving most likely. Crucial probably just follow the spec that Dell advertises as do many other websites so a lot of reviews say it supports 2GB RAM maximum... Only if Dell had the correct info in the first place...

 

[DeaconFrost]

I disagree just because Crucial says not to put 2GB in it doesn't always mean that you should follow what they say. Most of the time I agree but crucial and so many other sites has it wrong with the max RAM a Dell Inspiron 1501 can support. Also if you take note I did not shout about it first as I only used caps in response to what a previous post had already said. It's not about being lazy but I just wanted some good quality advice without the expense of going into a shop... Afterall I thought that is what SF is for. I don't have time for people who can't be bothered to read the thread, sorry and if you are not willing to help then please leave my thread.?

Now it is you who is missing the point. You kept spouting (different than shouting...doesn't need caps) that you wanted a direct link. First off, most of us go by what Crucial says because they do their own testing. They are the authority on such matters. I'm not going to link you to 4 GB of memory if Crucial says 2 GB is the max. Our job is to give good advice, not suggest risks. Second, you didn't need a direct link because you were given the info needed. As I said before, buying memory is very simple. You have a laptop, so obviously you need laptop memory. Crucial gave you the slots and capacity. You also say the DDR type and speed supported. DDR2-5300. Now you take that info to Newegg or wherever you like to buy your computer products and price compare on the available options. It is really that simple. No need to ask people for direct links when you can easily do that yourself.

Now, as others have said, some communities mention 4 GB working in that laptop. It's possible, I guess, but I still wouldn't put much faith in it considering what Crucial says. There is a chance that your laptop had several revisions for your motherboard, and maybe some work and some don't. You won't hurt anything if try to put 4 GB in, but if you do return, you may be hit with a 15% restocking fee on non-damaged items, depending on where you bought it from.

 

[mangoh]

First off, most of us go by what Crucial says because they do their own testing. They are the authority on such matters. I'm not going to link you to 4 GB of memory if Crucial says 2 GB is the max. Our job is to give good advice, not suggest risks. Second, you didn't need a direct link because you were given the info needed. As I said before, buying memory is very simple. You have a laptop, so obviously you need laptop memory. Crucial gave you the slots and capacity. You also say the DDR type and speed supported. DDR2-5300. Now you take that info to Newegg or wherever you like to buy your computer products and price compare on the available options. It is really that simple. No need to ask people for direct links when you can easily do that yourself.

Now, as others have said, some communities mention 4 GB working in that laptop. It's possible, I guess, but I still wouldn't put much faith in it considering what Crucial says. There is a chance that your laptop had several revisions for your motherboard, and maybe some work and some don't. You won't hurt anything if try to put 4 GB in, but if you do return, you may be hit with a 15% restocking fee on non-damaged items, depending on where you bought it from.

+rep thanks for your help as I now understand what to do... The bit in bold helped me the most.

Much appreciated

 

[DeaconFrost]

Much appreciated

Now you got it. No one was trying to be unhelpful, it's just that by price shopping, you can find a better deal. I can almost always find Crucial memory cheaper than Crucial.com's price...or other brands, like Kingston, Corsair, Patriot...the list goes on. As long as you are armed with the specs...then you can buy anywhere.

 

[indianacarnie]

Much appreciated

Now you got it. No one was trying to be unhelpful, it's just that by price shopping, you can find a better deal. I can almost always find Crucial memory cheaper than Crucial.com's price...or other brands, like Kingston, Corsair, Patriot...the list goes on. As long as you are armed with the specs...then you can buy anywhere.

Exactly! I saved $50.00 by using Crucials tool then buying from TigerDirect. Same manufacturer, same pieces but $50.00 cheaper.

 

[Joan Archer]

I didn't bother going anywhere else when I wanted more RAM for my Notebook. I just did the Crucial scan and it told me I had 2 slots with a 4GB stick in one of them and I could put another 4GB stick into the other slot making a total of 8GB of RAM. As the machine was running Win8 64bit I knew it would use the extra, if it had been a 32 bit machine I would have just left it at the 4GB it came with.

As that 4GB stick was only just over £14 + postage I just ordered from Crucial even though the stick that it came with was Kingston they are both the same spec and work perfectly together.

 

[DeaconFrost]

As that 4GB stick was only just over £14 + postage I just ordered from Crucial even though the stick that it came with was Kingston they are both the same spec and work perfectly together.

Sometimes you can be fortunate and have two different sticks work fine together, and sometimes you can be unfortunate and end up with an unstable system. I don't like taking that risk, but if it works, it works.