dv7 memory exception?

[BobbieD53]

The manual indicates that a dv7 with a Pentium processor can upgrade to 16 GB (2x8) DDR3, 10600, 1333-MHz memory.

My dv7 2157 has an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU P7350 @ 2.0GHZ

Some vendors indicate that 16 GB (2x8) DDR3, 10600, 1333-MHz memory will NOT work with a Core 2 Duo CPU.

Does my dv7 have a unique memory restriction because of this specific CPU? if so, what is the memory limit with this processor?

Great forum - has been an excellent resource for information re: upgrading my dv7... very much appreciated.

Thanks!

Bob

[Edison2107]

Hi,

If originally it brings SODIMM DDR2 memory, it only supports this type of RAM.

http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/HP---Compaq/pavilion-dv7-2157ca

Run:

Crucial System Scanner

[BobbieD53]

Thank-you for the the quick response and valuable information.

Evidently I had the the wrong dv7 manual... now I have the correct one.

I'd also like to put a SSD in the 2nd drive bay, so I have another 2 questions that are not in the manual.

1. Is there a size limit for a SSD in the 2nd drive bay?

2. Does it make a difference if it's a SATA I, II, or III SSD?

Thanks again!

[Edison2107 · Accepted solution]

The limit is set by the hardware, in this case the chipset.

The motherboard has Intel PM45 chipset with ICH9M Southbridge, so the maximum theoretical transfer rate of an SSD or hard drive will be SATA II 3 Gb/s so even if you installed SATA III 6 GB/s would not be used this rate Of transfer.

Manual

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01689926

[BobbieD53]

Thanks again for sharing your expertise - very helpful.

So a SSD's tranfer rate (SATA II or SATA III) limit of 3.0Gb/sec will be no faster than that of the existing  primary drive. (Seagate Momentus 5400.6 ST9500325AS 500GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s)

I was hoping a secondary SSD would be better if dedicated to processing audio software).

Thanks-again!

Bob

[Huffer]

If you are going to get an SSD do not put it in the secondary bay. You want to run the OS from the SSD and use the mechanical drive for storage. Don't confuse maximum transfer speed of the SATA version with the performance you will get with an SSD. Even running under SATA-II storage controller an SSD will allow sustained data transfer 4 or 5 times faster than a mechanical hard drive. Mechanical drive is going to be like 50 mbps and even an SSD running on SATA-II is going to provide transfers of 250-300 Mbps. 

[BobbieD53]

Thank-you for your insight - very encouraging to know that a SSD can improve performance. But...

I've read-up on the process for cloning the (Windows 7) OS from the existing HD to a new SSD. Although it sounds do-able, it appears to be subject to many post-swap problems.

Q: If the audio processing software (Cubase) & associated files (ASIO, Direct X, project & audio files, etc.) are installed only on the secondary (SSD) drive, will that improve audio processing performance? Or will it always be limited by the performance of the native OS on the primary HD?

Thanks-again!

Bob

[Huffer]

Ideally, all would be running from an SSD. I can't speak much to audio processing but for video editing having the large files the software is working upon stored on an SSD speeds the process up a lot even if the software is installed on a slower hard drive. The speedup comes from where the read/write operation is happening so if you are taking a video file stored on the SSD, working on it with software running on the HDD, and writing the edited file to the SSD it all goes much faster than all that happening on a slow HDD.