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Re: Adding memory to presario CQ50-215NR (2637 Views)
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Peter_Tosh Student
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Peter_Tosh
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Registered: ‎12-05-2008
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Adding memory to presario CQ50-215NR

‎12-05-2008 08:42 AM

I've got a CQ50-215NR with 2GB RAM, AMD QL-60, and Vista 32bit installed. I would like to up the memory to 4GB, but I have a few questions. I talked to someone at HP via the online chat, and they said I can upgrade to 4GB, but I would need to switch to Vista 64 bit. Why is that?  Could I just add the additional memory and keep my current OS?

Also, will any DDR2 SDRAM work? I've been looking at either Crucial or Kingston sticks.

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Regents Professor Regents Professor
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Huffer
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Registered: ‎11-12-2008
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Re: Adding memory to presario CQ50-215NR

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‎12-05-2008 11:15 AM - edited ‎12-05-2008 11:17 AM

You can put in 4 gigs and the motherboard and BIOS will see it but Windows will report only 3 or 3.25 gigs. This is just a mathematical thing about 32 bit operating systems, whether Windows or Linux or any other. They cannot address more memory than that. If you run a 64 bit OS, you can address silly big amounts of memory, 4 gigs and way beyond that.

 

 

You need DDR2-667 and you are on the right track looking at kingston and crucial. If you buy the sticks they recommend for your model they will guarantee it will work and give you lifetime warranty protection. In my honest opinion, anything above 2 gigs starts to run up against the law of diminishing returns, but if you have Vista you will see some improvement.

 

 

With the cost of memory so low, it actually makes sense to get 4 gigs with identical modules. That way you get the speed boost of dual channel memory. So with 2 identical 2 gig sticks you will have a faster system than with a 2 gig and a 1 gig even though Windows 32 bit will show 3 gigs available memory in either configuration. I hope that makes sense.

Message Edited by Huffer on 12-05-2008 02:17 PM
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