KVR800D2N6/G dc5800

[Pochonglos]

Hi,

I have some memory sitting around home which would fit nicely into my HP Compaq dc5800. They are Kingston pieces, ref. KVR800D2N6/2G. I specifically have 4 which would bring the machine up to 8 GB. 

My concern is that Kingston says on its website that these models need specific memory. Namely, KTH-XW4400C.

Would my RAM be compatible, and if so, how would performance differ from the Kingston recommended ones?

Help much appreciated.

Carlos.

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi, Carlos:

I think they will work just fine, looking at the specs.

Try two and see what happens.

Worst case scenario is you get the 5 beep memory error.

Put one in slot 1 (black slot) and one in slot 3.

You need to have matching memory sizes in slots 1 and 3 and 2 and 4.

[Pochonglos]

Ok, I'll try that.

Could you clarify if there will be a lower performance?

I too noticed the specs are different but then, why are there specific HP memories?

Thanks

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Your memory is DDR2 800 MHz which is the maximum speed the PC can run the memory at.

The memory you have is probably generic memory for any PC.

As long as it is low density, it meets all of the other specs.  Normally low density memory will have 8 black memory chips on each side of the memory circuit board and it appears from the illustrations I have seen that it does.

Should be the best free upgrade you ever did if it works.

[Pochonglos]

Thanks for all the useful info. Really appreciate it.

I'll let you know how it goes as soon as I know for feedback purpose. 

One last question if you don't mind. Does 8GB really make sense by today's standards. I mean, it's an old machine and the cpu is probably stressing so 8 might be overkill. Just thinking, cuz I've got a friend who would appreciate the extra 4 Gb. 😉

When I check tasks, RAM is the problem at th mo cuz it has only got 2 GB, split 1 x 1gb and 2 x 512. So the memory is probably in flex mode and the system is accesing the hard drive too much. However, even if the cpu usage is lower than ram, it still increases quickly when i run stuff simultaneously. So, wondering if 4gb is enough? Won't hurt to put 8 but might stress cpu. Trying to find the right balance here.

Again, opinions much appreciated.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

The memory is running in DDR mode if you have 1 x 512 x1 x 512.

Yes, it will make a considerable difference when running a 64 bit operating system.

64 bit operating systems need more memory and disk space to run than a 32 bit operating system does.

Not double, but more.

Therefore, going from 3 GB to 8 GB on a 64 bit OS will be very good.

[Pochonglos]

Hi again,

Seeing as this machine could still be useful, decide to go for broke on this one.

Just purchased a Q6700 on Ebay. I'll be putting the thing together in a week or so and will give final feedback. I'm hoping this upgrade will bring the machine into moder times and keep it running for a couple of years. Or maybe more, who knows 😉

Btw, any tips on the cpu upgrade?

-drivers?

-bios?

-fans?

-thermal dissipator? Is that the name? The thing that goes on top of the microprocessor. :s

In theory this should be an easy upgrade, a simple swap and restart, right?

Oh, running Windows Home Premium. I believe it manages +3Gb?

Thanks for all the help, it's been very resourceful.

Cheers.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime. 

Glad to have been of assistance.

The only question I can answer with any knowledge is that Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit can address up to 16 GB of physical memory.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366778(v=vs.85).aspx

As far as I know there is only one heat sink offered in that model and that is the one you have on there now.

I don't upgrade processors in PC's, as I usually get a PC with one of the best processors offered in the model, and if it gets too outdated for me, I just get a newer PC.

In theory, it should just be a direct swap.

I recommend you do a search on how to properly clean the processor heat spreader and heat sink and how to apply the new application of thermal grease you will need to apply.

Poor cleaning/application of the thermal compound will cause the processor to overheat.

It wouldn't hurt to update the BIOS but I recommend you update it from within the BIOS menu and not in Windows.

You can see this related post for how to do that on your model.

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Operating-Systems-Software-Recovery/Need-Help-Updating-Bios-dc7...

[Pochonglos]

Fantastic advice. Will follow. Really looking forward to se what comes out of this. Wish it was as easy with humans. 

Cyborg days will come, I'm sure, though I may not get to see them. 😉

Thanks again. Will get back to the forum as soon as I have some feedback.

Ps. Heat sink's the name, is it? LOL

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Yes, the heat sink is the thing on top of the processor that disspates the heat.

If you look at the parts and service map for your model I see only one model heat sink listed (item 4 on page 2).

http://h20566.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?sp4ts.oid=3658081&docId=emr_na-c01362760&docLocale...

Looking forward to your reply with all good news!