Upgrading Memory

[gigabyte58]

I have a Pavillion M7760n which I have been very happy with to date, I have found some performance issues with a few games and would like to upgrade the RAM to 8gb, (I have purchased a retail copy of Win7/64 and installed it as a dual boot - works excellent), my problem is I have come to learn that the motherboard in this system will only support 4 gb of RAM regardless of the OS. Is there any update (Flash the bios etc) or work around to allow this motherboard to make use of more than 4gb of RAM?

"Ears Hopin"

[tdb53]

I have a similar question. I have a Pavillion A6600F.  Everything I read on the HP site says max memory is 4GB,  but doesn't address a 64 bit system.  The computer shipped with Vista 64 bit, so I'm thinking maybe there is no reason for the literature to mention a 32 bit OS. However, the motherboard specifications (from the HP web site) state that it will allow 8GB on a 64 bit OS and the memory upgrade manager on the Crucial Memory site says I can use 8 GB. I want to upgrade to Win7 64 bit and increase the RAM to 8GB. Do I believe the HP literature or the motherboard specs and the Crucial web site? I hate to spend the money on 2-4GB sticks only to find it doesn't work.

Also, the upgrade listing on the HP site for my model with Win7 64 bit doesn't even list a BIOS upgrade, do I just assume that the latest BIOS for Vista 64 is the best one for Win7 64?

[uscouncil]

I want to upgrade the memory in my daughter's SR1803WM desktop. I seem to have two options. The HP site says speed supported is PC2-3200. On the motherboard specs it says 

• Single-channel memory architecture

• 2 x 240-pin DIMM sockets support non-ECC 400/533 MHZ DDR2 memory modules

Kingston says This system supports both DDR2-400 (KTH-XW4200/xx) and DDR2-533 (KTH-XW4200AN/xx) memory. When mixed, the memory will default to DDR2-400.

She now has DDR2-400 512MB in one socket. Can I increase the speed and memory by removing the DDR2-400 512MB card and installing a 1GB  DDR2-533 in the one slot without any problems? In th future, could I simply add another DDR2-533 for the other slot?

[pb302]

i have hp a1430n looking to upgrade ram (1g currently) put win 7 onit and would like to increase ram but IM confused on compatibility issues the hp specs seem really strict for this motherboard should i be concerned with this.or should any pc3200 400hz sdram work.

[RAD45]

Ears Hopin... some good news and bad news: the bad news first; your mobo is a dumbed down, ahem HP proprietary,
ASUS P5 model designed to work in a Media Center platform with gaming as a very low priority. The fact that an available proc is a Celeron should be a red flag. SO, no there's no flashing the BIOS to use\ 8 GB of RAM. In fact, you can't adjust (or tweak) any of the settings on the mobo for the cpu or memory.   The good news includes the fact you have a double boot insoite of the fact that's not what the Pav7760 was designed for.  However, if you like the equipment that much, and still want the 8GB memory, I suggest a new ASUS or Gigabyte mobo... but you may find your oem OS could baulk when it discovers major new hardware!  Good luck.

[RAD45]

Hi pb302..  your mobo is an ASUS A8N-LA, which but for a very few tweaks is the same as the one in my Pavilion a1710n. Yes, the RAM specs are somewhat tight. And to avoid trouble, your RAM sticks should match exactly as to density, speed,  and so forth.  You didn't say how far you want to take your RAM upgrade, but the maximum is four- DDR-PC3200  (184-pin) sticks at 1GB each. For best performance, I'd also suggest you invest in a discreet video card (PCI Express x16), so all the mobo RAM goes to apps. I would assume, running W7, you've already made that upgrade.  As for your OS, you didn't say if you installed W7 32 or 64-bit.  IF you're running the Athlon 64 x 2 4800+ proc, the 64-bit OS will work nicely, although you probably won't see a remarkable difference.  Good luck!

[RasterBlaster]

gigabyte58, tdb53,

You are limited by the onboard chipset and physical hardware capabilites. You take the lowest limitation of the two - OS or hardware.  That is, if you installed Windows Ultimate (192 GB max) on a hardware system that is only capable of 2GB, then you are limited to 2 GB.

tdb53,

You are limited to 4GB.

uscouncil,

The HP Agena motherboard specification jives with what you found at Kingston. The best I see is to max it out at 2GB running two 1GB sticks at 533. You should also be aware that if you are using onboard video, this will take up quite a chunk of memory. Installing a graphic card will help immensely - not only would it free up more memory, but it would offload much of the video system processors to the graphics card.

pb302

HP has a few ASUS A8N-LA - yours is Nagami. Specifically...

Dual-channel memory architecture

4 DDR1 DIMM (184-pin) sockets

PC3200/PC2700 DDR1 DIMMs

Non-ECC memory only

Maximum memory: 4 x 1 GB DDR1 DIMMs, 4.0 GB total

I agree with everything RAD45 says... get yourself 4 x 1GB sticks of PC3200 all from the same manufacturer, same part numbers to bring you to the max. However, video card is the single best upgrade you can do to increase your system performance.

[memeepam]

I am so confused, I have an HP Pavilion a1110n desktop and I want to upgrade the memory. I ask at several stores and consulted online and was told to purchase 2-1GB PC3200 184pin memory sticks. I puchased 2 G.Skill 2x1GB PC3200 184 Pin memory sticks with heat shield. After I installed them I start getting problems starting up and getting the dreaded blue screen. I removed them and the blue screen went away. I did more research and the specs on my computer states that I can upgrade to 2GB and the two 184 pin DDR DIMM sockets support unbuffered non-ECC 333/266 MHz DDR SDRAM memory modules.

So my question is should I buy PC3200 or PC2700 and should they be low or high density?

Please Help..

[RAD45]

Hi memeepan..
Ah, the mysteries of memory and the BSOD!  You didn't say if you are running a Pentium4 or Celeron proc --  which would determine <cost-effectiveness> of the memory upgrade.  I would give your new G.Skill sticks another try, making sure you seat them correctly <the notches line up in the dimm slot> and the slots are clear of any debris <dust bunnies or tiny pieces of plastic>.  The specs you've outlined on the G.Skill sticks are fine and I'd stay with the 1 GB-PC 3200. Before trying it again, make sure you've got the latest BIOS installed and there are no issues with out-of-date drivers. Go into the BIOS and make sure everything's 'normal' with the CPU and RAM settings. ALSO make sure you haven't dislodged any of the fan plugs on the mobo! <<a loose cpu fan plug will trigger a BSOD>>. If all checks out, replace your new G.Skill sticks taking your time, double-checking everything!  One other unsolicited piece of advice, since you only have onboard video, I'd look around to see if you can find a PCI video card <<it will be an older card, not a PCI Express>>. Install it and disable the onboard video. You'll unload video duties from the mobo and channel your memory to the OS and apps.  Good luck.

[RasterBlaster]

memeepam,

If your CPU is running at 533MHz , you can use PC2700 or 2100. If it's running at 400 MHz, use 2100.

Always use low density. In general, high density is used for registered memory hardware, like servers, and will perform poorly in home PCs... if at all.