getting a memory chip replacement for Gateway 450ROG Model notebook

The manual http://support.gateway.com/s/Manuals/Mobile/9528975.pdf
mentions to use only memory modules designed for Gateway 450ROG or
450RGH on pgae 87

From the components for this model
(http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...501353nv.shtml) at
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...1353cl63.shtml
I chose 5000639 - 512 MB DDR SODIMM Memory Module
(http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...000639tc.shtml)

The main view is
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...000639mv.shtml
and specifications are
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...00639sp2.shtml


Looked at http://shop.gateway.com/?rdr=v1878&cmpid=topnav_shop but since
the notebook
is old(5+ years) I cannot find any components for this notebook model.

Did a quick search for PC-2100 CL2.5 200-pin DDR SO-DIMM and found
http://www.walmart.com/ip/16GB-SDHC-...for-45/3301010
http://www.memorydepot.com/details.a...6X64SC25%2F256

3. I plan to get 2 512MB modules as I think the model can support 1GB RAM.

1. Would getting a RAM chip from above links be OK?

2. Can I ask for PC-2100 CL2.5 200-pin DDR SO-DIMM chip at any vendor
like Dell, HP, Crucial or I need to be aware of other things so that the
memory is compatible with this notebook?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

On 1/24/2011 1:33 PM, Joel wrote:
wrote:


The manual http://support.gateway.com/s/Manuals/Mobile/9528975.pdf
mentions to use only memory modules designed for Gateway 450ROG or
450RGH on pgae 87

From the components for this model
(http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...501353nv.shtml) at
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...1353cl63.shtml
I chose 5000639 - 512 MB DDR SODIMM Memory Module
(http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...000639tc.shtml)

The main view is
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...000639mv.shtml
and specifications are
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...00639sp2.shtml


Looked at http://shop.gateway.com/?rdr=v1878&cmpid=topnav_shop but since
the notebook
is old(5+ years) I cannot find any components for this notebook model.

Did a quick search for PC-2100 CL2.5 200-pin DDR SO-DIMM and found
http://www.walmart.com/ip/16GB-SDHC-...for-45/3301010
http://www.memorydepot.com/details.a...6X64SC25%2F256

3. I plan to get 2 512MB modules as I think the model can support 1GB RAM.

1. Would getting a RAM chip from above links be OK?

2. Can I ask for PC-2100 CL2.5 200-pin DDR SO-DIMM chip at any vendor
like Dell, HP, Crucial or I need to be aware of other things so that the
memory is compatible with this notebook?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Why wasting a very valuable memory slot. I don't think it will make much
or any different from where you may get you RAM, but

1. 1GB memory isn't a good idea

According to
http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...l=450%20Series
maximum memory that model of notebook can take is 1GB


2. Wasting a valuable memory slot by using 2 smaller size ain't good idea
either.

*If* the notebook is new and a fast model that you plan to keep it for
long time, then I would suggest to add (2) 2GB for total = 4GB. If the
notebook only support up to 2GB then by (2) 1GB instead of (2) 512M

So, we can get only two 512MB.

Thanks for your time.

g wrote:
On 1/24/2011 1:33 PM, Joel wrote:
wrote:


The manual http://support.gateway.com/s/Manuals/Mobile/9528975.pdf
mentions to use only memory modules designed for Gateway 450ROG or
450RGH on pgae 87

From the components for this model
(http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...501353nv.shtml) at
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...1353cl63.shtml
I chose 5000639 - 512 MB DDR SODIMM Memory Module
(http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...000639tc.shtml)

The main view is
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...000639mv.shtml
and specifications are
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...00639sp2.shtml


Looked at http://shop.gateway.com/?rdr=v1878&cmpid=topnav_shop but since
the notebook
is old(5+ years) I cannot find any components for this notebook model.

Did a quick search for PC-2100 CL2.5 200-pin DDR SO-DIMM and found
http://www.walmart.com/ip/16GB-SDHC-...for-45/3301010
http://www.memorydepot.com/details.a...6X64SC25%2F256

3. I plan to get 2 512MB modules as I think the model can support 1GB
RAM.

1. Would getting a RAM chip from above links be OK?

2. Can I ask for PC-2100 CL2.5 200-pin DDR SO-DIMM chip at any vendor
like Dell, HP, Crucial or I need to be aware of other things so that the
memory is compatible with this notebook?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Why wasting a very valuable memory slot. I don't think it will make much
or any different from where you may get you RAM, but

1. 1GB memory isn't a good idea

According to
http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...l=450%20Series
maximum memory that model of notebook can take is 1GB


2. Wasting a valuable memory slot by using 2 smaller size ain't good idea
either.

*If* the notebook is new and a fast model that you plan to keep it for
long time, then I would suggest to add (2) 2GB for total = 4GB. If the
notebook only support up to 2GB then by (2) 1GB instead of (2) 512M

So, we can get only two 512MB.

Thanks for your time.

Have you thought of using Ebay to buy your DDR memory? You could get
it for a lot less than the links you listed. Keep in mind that you can
use PC2700 in place of PC2100 SODIMM.

Ken wrote:
g wrote:
On 1/24/2011 1:33 PM, Joel wrote:
wrote:


The manual http://support.gateway.com/s/Manuals/Mobile/9528975.pdf
mentions to use only memory modules designed for Gateway 450ROG or
450RGH on pgae 87

From the components for this model
(http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...501353nv.shtml) at
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...1353cl63.shtml
I chose 5000639 - 512 MB DDR SODIMM Memory Module
(http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...000639tc.shtml)

The main view is
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...000639mv.shtml
and specifications are
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...00639sp2.shtml


Looked at http://shop.gateway.com/?rdr=v1878&cmpid=topnav_shop but
since
the notebook
is old(5+ years) I cannot find any components for this notebook model.

Did a quick search for PC-2100 CL2.5 200-pin DDR SO-DIMM and found
http://www.walmart.com/ip/16GB-SDHC-...for-45/3301010
http://www.memorydepot.com/details.a...6X64SC25%2F256

3. I plan to get 2 512MB modules as I think the model can support 1GB
RAM.

1. Would getting a RAM chip from above links be OK?

2. Can I ask for PC-2100 CL2.5 200-pin DDR SO-DIMM chip at any vendor
like Dell, HP, Crucial or I need to be aware of other things so that
the
memory is compatible with this notebook?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Why wasting a very valuable memory slot. I don't think it will make much
or any different from where you may get you RAM, but

1. 1GB memory isn't a good idea

According to
http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...l=450%20Series
maximum memory that model of notebook can take is 1GB


2. Wasting a valuable memory slot by using 2 smaller size ain't good
idea
either.

*If* the notebook is new and a fast model that you plan to keep it for
long time, then I would suggest to add (2) 2GB for total = 4GB. If the
notebook only support up to 2GB then by (2) 1GB instead of (2) 512M

So, we can get only two 512MB.

Thanks for your time.

Have you thought of using Ebay to buy your DDR memory? You could
get it for a lot less than the links you listed. Keep in mind that you
can use PC2700 in place of PC2100 SODIMM.

At the price Crucial is charging, it probably isn't a big deal.

I looked up the 855PM chipset, and it'll actually take 2x1GB SODIMM.

(See Section 5.2.1 page 148)
http://www.intel.com/Assets/PDF/datasheet/252613.pdf

But according to this, it's a Gateway BIOS issue.

http://www.memory-up.com/memory_Find...=1418&system=1

"Although generally Intel 855PM supports 2GB total system memory.
450ROG will only recognize 512MB modules due to the Gateway firmware
limitation."

2x512MB = 1GB total, would still be an improvement, over the 256MB the machine might
have shipped with.

*******

When the new memory arrives. prepare memtest86+ boot media, and run a
couple passes of the test. If no errors are reported, press esc and
reboot the machine, and then allow Windows to boot. You should never
choose to boot Windows, if the memory shows errors, because it can
result in corruption to things like the registry.

(Scroll half way down, to find the download files. The current version
will even test machines with more than 4GB installed.)

http://www.memtest.org/

Even if a user takes extra care, by testing the memory before
booting Windows, it's still possible for Windows to get corrupted.
I delivered this advice to one person, only to have them report
later that Windows had trouble, even though memtest86+ was passing.
Passing memtest86+ is not a guarantee the RAM is good, it's
merely the first testing step. Memtest86+ is good at detecting
"stuck-at" faults, and I wouldn't expect it to miss one of those.
Transient faults, not so much.

You can boot a Linux LiveCD, as a way of protecting Windows
from the bad memory, and then run more tests from there. But
that is only convenient, if you happen to have a Linux CD already.

As an example of a test you could run from Linux, the Linux
version of Prime95 and it's "stress test", would be one way to test.
Prime95 cannot test the memory which holds the OS, and doesn't
have as large a test coverage as memtest86+. But it's more
stressful. I generally accept 4 hours, error free, as a minimum
amount of testing with this (or an overnight run, as that can
be a bit longer).

http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft/

Paul

On 1/24/2011 3:47 PM, Ken wrote:
g wrote:
On 1/24/2011 1:33 PM, Joel wrote:
wrote:


The manual http://support.gateway.com/s/Manuals/Mobile/9528975.pdf
mentions to use only memory modules designed for Gateway 450ROG or
450RGH on pgae 87

From the components for this model
(http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...501353nv.shtml) at
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...1353cl63.shtml
I chose 5000639 - 512 MB DDR SODIMM Memory Module
(http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...000639tc.shtml)

The main view is
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...000639mv.shtml
and specifications are
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...00639sp2.shtml


Looked at http://shop.gateway.com/?rdr=v1878&cmpid=topnav_shop but
since
the notebook
is old(5+ years) I cannot find any components for this notebook model.

Did a quick search for PC-2100 CL2.5 200-pin DDR SO-DIMM and found
http://www.walmart.com/ip/16GB-SDHC-...for-45/3301010
http://www.memorydepot.com/details.a...6X64SC25%2F256

3. I plan to get 2 512MB modules as I think the model can support 1GB
RAM.

1. Would getting a RAM chip from above links be OK?

2. Can I ask for PC-2100 CL2.5 200-pin DDR SO-DIMM chip at any vendor
like Dell, HP, Crucial or I need to be aware of other things so that
the
memory is compatible with this notebook?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Why wasting a very valuable memory slot. I don't think it will make much
or any different from where you may get you RAM, but

1. 1GB memory isn't a good idea

According to
http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...l=450%20Series
maximum memory that model of notebook can take is 1GB


2. Wasting a valuable memory slot by using 2 smaller size ain't good
idea
either.

*If* the notebook is new and a fast model that you plan to keep it for
long time, then I would suggest to add (2) 2GB for total = 4GB. If the
notebook only support up to 2GB then by (2) 1GB instead of (2) 512M

So, we can get only two 512MB.

Thanks for your time.

Have you thought of using Ebay to buy your DDR memory? You could get it
for a lot less than the links you listed.

Yes, I see some on ebay for about 20$

Keep in mind that you can use
PC2700 in place of PC2100 SODIMM.

Yes, it would benefit(due to higher data rate, quicker cycle time,
faster memory click, Input/Output bus clock, more peak transfer rate)
and since it is listed on crucial site it should be compatible with the
notebook.

Thanks for your suggestion.

In article , Joel wrote:
g wrote:


The manual http://support.gateway.com/s/Manuals/Mobile/9528975.pdf
mentions to use only memory modules designed for Gateway 450ROG or
450RGH on pgae 87

From the components for this model
(http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...501353nv.shtml) at
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...1353cl63.shtml
I chose 5000639 - 512 MB DDR SODIMM Memory Module
(http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...000639tc.shtml)

The main view is
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...000639mv.shtml
and specifications are
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...00639sp2.shtml


Looked at http://shop.gateway.com/?rdr=v1878&cmpid=topnav_shop but since
the notebook
is old(5+ years) I cannot find any components for this notebook model.

Did a quick search for PC-2100 CL2.5 200-pin DDR SO-DIMM and found
http://www.walmart.com/ip/16GB-SDHC-...for-45/3301010
http://www.memorydepot.com/details.a...6X64SC25%2F256

3. I plan to get 2 512MB modules as I think the model can support 1GB RAM.

1. Would getting a RAM chip from above links be OK?

2. Can I ask for PC-2100 CL2.5 200-pin DDR SO-DIMM chip at any vendor
like Dell, HP, Crucial or I need to be aware of other things so that the
memory is compatible with this notebook?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Why wasting a very valuable memory slot. I don't think it will make
much
or any different from where you may get you RAM, but

1. 1GB memory isn't a good idea

2. Wasting a valuable memory slot by using 2 smaller size ain't good idea
either.

Because the OP stated in his original post that there was only capable of 1GB
system memory


http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/...1353sp66.shtml

•Two 200–pin industrial standard DDR-SODIMM sockets
•Accepts two PC–2100 SDRAM memory modules
•1,024–MB maximum system memory
•No on–board memory

On 1/24/2011 4:58 PM, Paul wrote:

Have you thought of using Ebay to buy your DDR memory? You could get
it for a lot less than the links you listed. Keep in mind that you can
use PC2700 in place of PC2100 SODIMM.

At the price Crucial is charging, it probably isn't a big deal.

I looked up the 855PM chipset, and it'll actually take 2x1GB SODIMM.

(See Section 5.2.1 page 148)
http://www.intel.com/Assets/PDF/datasheet/252613.pdf

But according to this, it's a Gateway BIOS issue.

http://www.memory-up.com/memory_Find...=1418&system=1


"Although generally Intel 855PM supports 2GB total system memory.
450ROG will only recognize 512MB modules due to the Gateway firmware
limitation."

2x512MB = 1GB total, would still be an improvement, over the 256MB the
machine might
have shipped with.

Thanks for clarifying. The machine shipped with one 512MB stick.

*******

When the new memory arrives. prepare memtest86+ boot media, and run a
couple passes of the test. If no errors are reported, press esc and
reboot the machine, and then allow Windows to boot. You should never
choose to boot Windows, if the memory shows errors, because it can
result in corruption to things like the registry.

(Scroll half way down, to find the download files. The current version
will even test machines with more than 4GB installed.)

http://www.memtest.org/

Even if a user takes extra care, by testing the memory before
booting Windows, it's still possible for Windows to get corrupted.
I delivered this advice to one person, only to have them report
later that Windows had trouble, even though memtest86+ was passing.
Passing memtest86+ is not a guarantee the RAM is good, it's
merely the first testing step. Memtest86+ is good at detecting
"stuck-at" faults, and I wouldn't expect it to miss one of those.
Transient faults, not so much.

You can boot a Linux LiveCD, as a way of protecting Windows
from the bad memory, and then run more tests from there. But
that is only convenient, if you happen to have a Linux CD already.

As an example of a test you could run from Linux, the Linux
version of Prime95 and it's "stress test", would be one way to test.
Prime95 cannot test the memory which holds the OS, and doesn't
have as large a test coverage as memtest86+. But it's more
stressful. I generally accept 4 hours, error free, as a minimum
amount of testing with this (or an overnight run, as that can
be a bit longer).

http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft/

Paul

Thanks, this is the part where I am confused. This machine was having
Windows Blue Screen of Death issues(due to some IRQ faults). I tried
reinstalling Windows XP from a CD, but some files could not be copied.
Suspecting the CD drive could be malfunctioning, I used a Ultimate Boot
CD to do some hardware diagnostics. I could not find a test for checking
the CD-ROM in it. Checked the hard disk which was fine, then tried RAM.
Memtest reported errors with RAM and the link
http://hcidesign.com/memtest/support.html
mentions reason for error while running Memtest could be failing RAM,
faulty motherboard, overheating. Unfortunately, I don't have another
notebook(of same model) where I can swap the RAM chip and then try
Memtest on it to determine if the RAM chip is fine or not. Regarding
overheating, the laptop is well ventilated and is not overclocked(its
BIOS setting was not tinkered since it was purchased).

How do I check if the motherboard for this notebook is not failing?

Thanks for your suggestions and time.

g wrote:
On 1/24/2011 4:58 PM, Paul wrote:

Have you thought of using Ebay to buy your DDR memory? You could get
it for a lot less than the links you listed. Keep in mind that you can
use PC2700 in place of PC2100 SODIMM.

At the price Crucial is charging, it probably isn't a big deal.

I looked up the 855PM chipset, and it'll actually take 2x1GB SODIMM.

(See Section 5.2.1 page 148)
http://www.intel.com/Assets/PDF/datasheet/252613.pdf

But according to this, it's a Gateway BIOS issue.

http://www.memory-up.com/memory_Find...=1418&system=1



"Although generally Intel 855PM supports 2GB total system memory.
450ROG will only recognize 512MB modules due to the Gateway firmware
limitation."

2x512MB = 1GB total, would still be an improvement, over the 256MB the
machine might
have shipped with.

Thanks for clarifying. The machine shipped with one 512MB stick.

*******

When the new memory arrives. prepare memtest86+ boot media, and run a
couple passes of the test. If no errors are reported, press esc and
reboot the machine, and then allow Windows to boot. You should never
choose to boot Windows, if the memory shows errors, because it can
result in corruption to things like the registry.

(Scroll half way down, to find the download files. The current version
will even test machines with more than 4GB installed.)

http://www.memtest.org/

Even if a user takes extra care, by testing the memory before
booting Windows, it's still possible for Windows to get corrupted.
I delivered this advice to one person, only to have them report
later that Windows had trouble, even though memtest86+ was passing.
Passing memtest86+ is not a guarantee the RAM is good, it's
merely the first testing step. Memtest86+ is good at detecting
"stuck-at" faults, and I wouldn't expect it to miss one of those.
Transient faults, not so much.

You can boot a Linux LiveCD, as a way of protecting Windows
from the bad memory, and then run more tests from there. But
that is only convenient, if you happen to have a Linux CD already.

As an example of a test you could run from Linux, the Linux
version of Prime95 and it's "stress test", would be one way to test.
Prime95 cannot test the memory which holds the OS, and doesn't
have as large a test coverage as memtest86+. But it's more
stressful. I generally accept 4 hours, error free, as a minimum
amount of testing with this (or an overnight run, as that can
be a bit longer).

http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft/

Paul

Thanks, this is the part where I am confused. This machine was having
Windows Blue Screen of Death issues(due to some IRQ faults). I tried
reinstalling Windows XP from a CD, but some files could not be copied.
Suspecting the CD drive could be malfunctioning, I used a Ultimate Boot
CD to do some hardware diagnostics. I could not find a test for checking
the CD-ROM in it. Checked the hard disk which was fine, then tried RAM.
Memtest reported errors with RAM and the link
http://hcidesign.com/memtest/support.html
mentions reason for error while running Memtest could be failing RAM,
faulty motherboard, overheating. Unfortunately, I don't have another
notebook(of same model) where I can swap the RAM chip and then try
Memtest on it to determine if the RAM chip is fine or not. Regarding
overheating, the laptop is well ventilated and is not overclocked(its
BIOS setting was not tinkered since it was purchased).

How do I check if the motherboard for this notebook is not failing?

Thanks for your suggestions and time.

When I was using some of the links you posted earlier, one thing I
noticed is there is a BIOS update available. It addresses errors
seen when doing a memory test. (As you'd expect, there isn't any technical
info, to help you understand exactly what they fixed. On my computers
here, I only flash update them, if there is no choice. I wouldn't be nearly
as bothered about flashing, if there was a fallback strategy in case
the device gets "bricked". Repairing a laptop, doesn't sound like
a lot of fun.)

An earlier version of memory test, used to have an issue with a
particular BIOS setting for USB.

"Memtest freezes or my system reboots when running memtest.

Check that you have USB legacy support disabled in your BIOS setup.
Some BIOS’s had a bug in them which causes memtest to write over
the memory area used by the USB legacy support resulting in
freezes or reboots."

Memtest works, by getting "reserved memory" information from the BIOS.
That allows memtest to maximize the test coverage, by only refusing
to test area which are in use by the BIOS. If a mistake is made there,
then the result can be either false errors are reported, or if
the problem is in a memory area memtest is using to store its
executable code, the program can crash or freeze.

There are a few things you can try for test procedures.

1) Test each SODIMM individually. It makes it easier to compare
them. Say one module passes, the other fails, when tested by
themselves. That tells you, one module is inferior to the other.
If they both exhibit the same symptoms, it could be a BIOS problem,
a hardware design problem, a bad memory slot. You could try the
other slot, and retest the modules one at a time. That would give
a total of four test results, to compare and contrast.

2) When you test two SODIMMs, try swapping them. That allows the
low areas on the first SODIMM, to be moved to the middle of the
address space, when the SODIMMs are swapped. That improves test
coverage, while maintaining the same bus loading (still uses the two
modules). That works, when the slots are in a "single channel"
configuration.

If your computer has dual channel memory, swapping the SODIMMs would
not nearly be as useful, as the relative address of each module remains
the same. But when single channel configurations are available, the
swapping technique improves the percentage of RAM that gets tested.

Since your 855PM is single channel, swapping slots for the two modules,
would be a good additional test case.

On desktop systems, when the error rate is small (one error detected in
Test #5), you can bump up the Vdimm voltage to make the error go away.
Another option that sometimes helps, is to set tRAS one unit higher.
Laptops don't offer the same luxuries. If errors are present, you
pretty well have to send the modules back. My current laptop, has a
grand total of *one* adjustment in the BIOS -- big deal... You can't
fix too many problems with that... I was quite disappointed when I went
into the BIOS and had a look. My desktops have a "metric ton" of settings.
So many of them, I don't know what all of them do.

HTH,
Paul

On 1/24/2011 5:54 PM, Paul wrote:
g wrote:

Thanks, this is the part where I am confused. This machine was having
Windows Blue Screen of Death issues(due to some IRQ faults). I tried
reinstalling Windows XP from a CD, but some files could not be copied.
Suspecting the CD drive could be malfunctioning, I used a Ultimate
Boot CD to do some hardware diagnostics. I could not find a test for
checking the CD-ROM in it. Checked the hard disk which was fine, then
tried RAM. Memtest reported errors with RAM and the link
http://hcidesign.com/memtest/support.html
mentions reason for error while running Memtest could be failing RAM,
faulty motherboard, overheating. Unfortunately, I don't have another
notebook(of same model) where I can swap the RAM chip and then try
Memtest on it to determine if the RAM chip is fine or not. Regarding
overheating, the laptop is well ventilated and is not overclocked(its
BIOS setting was not tinkered since it was purchased).

How do I check if the motherboard for this notebook is not failing?

Thanks for your suggestions and time.

When I was using some of the links you posted earlier, one thing I
noticed is there is a BIOS update available. It addresses errors
seen when doing a memory test. (As you'd expect, there isn't any technical
info, to help you understand exactly what they fixed. On my computers
here, I only flash update them, if there is no choice. I wouldn't be nearly
as bothered about flashing, if there was a fallback strategy in case
the device gets "bricked".

You mean flashing the BIOS could "fry" the motherboard?

An earlier version of memory test, used to have an issue with a
particular BIOS setting for USB.

"Memtest freezes or my system reboots when running memtest.

In my case memtest reports "Error when copying from address ABC to DEF".
I ran memtest from Ultimate Boot CD. The machine did not freeze or
reboot. I click OK, memtest continues testing then reports another
similar error.

Check that you have USB legacy support disabled in your BIOS setup.
Some BIOS’s had a bug in them which causes memtest to write over
the memory area used by the USB legacy support resulting in
freezes or reboots."

Thanks, will have to scout the BIOS settings for this.

Memtest works, by getting "reserved memory" information from the BIOS.
That allows memtest to maximize the test coverage, by only refusing
to test area which are in use by the BIOS. If a mistake is made there,
then the result can be either false errors are reported, or if
the problem is in a memory area memtest is using to store its
executable code, the program can crash or freeze.

There are a few things you can try for test procedures.

1) Test each SODIMM individually. It makes it easier to compare
them. Say one module passes, the other fails, when tested by
themselves. That tells you, one module is inferior to the other.
If they both exhibit the same symptoms, it could be a BIOS problem,
a hardware design problem, a bad memory slot. You could try the
other slot, and retest the modules one at a time. That would give
a total of four test results, to compare and contrast.

2) When you test two SODIMMs, try swapping them. That allows the
low areas on the first SODIMM, to be moved to the middle of the
address space, when the SODIMMs are swapped. That improves test
coverage, while maintaining the same bus loading (still uses the two
modules). That works, when the slots are in a "single channel"
configuration.

Thanks, I haven't opened it to verify, but the BIOS says 512MB in slot 1
so I believe I have a single RAM module of 512MB.

If your computer has dual channel memory, swapping the SODIMMs would
not nearly be as useful, as the relative address of each module remains
the same. But when single channel configurations are available, the
swapping technique improves the percentage of RAM that gets tested.

Since your 855PM is single channel, swapping slots for the two modules,
would be a good additional test case.

On desktop systems, when the error rate is small (one error detected in
Test #5), you can bump up the Vdimm voltage to make the error go away.

Just curious, how does bumping up Vdimm voltage makes the error go away?

Another option that sometimes helps, is to set tRAS one unit higher.

Same, why does this help?

Laptops don't offer the same luxuries. If errors are present, you
pretty well have to send the modules back. My current laptop, has a
grand total of *one* adjustment in the BIOS -- big deal... You can't
fix too many problems with that... I was quite disappointed when I went
into the BIOS and had a look. My desktops have a "metric ton" of settings.
So many of them, I don't know what all of them do.

HTH,
Paul

Are there any tools for checking motherboard for this notebook model?

Yes, it does. Thanks a lot for your suggestions and time.

g wrote:

Test #5), you can bump up the Vdimm voltage to make the error go away.

Just curious, how does bumping up Vdimm voltage makes the error go away?

CMOS gets faster with voltage, and slower with temperature. Increasing
the voltage sometimes corrects a timing failure. This is also where
enthusiast memory products come from - they're a byproduct of screening
(picking the best parts), then applying more than the normal voltage
to get as much speed as possible from them.

But you don't have to abuse a memory, to make it work. Sometimes, one
more unit in the BIOS (like changing from 2.6V to 2.7V), is sufficient
to make a marginal memory work. And that holds up, until some hot
summer's day, your AC has failed, you're sweating gumdrops, and you
notice the memory is making errors again. As long as it stays cool,
it'll probably remain fine.

You don't have to accept bad memory. Some companies have excellent
warranty and retail support for what they sell. Something you might
not get, with an Ebay purchase. (I stopped purchasing cheesy memory,
after a couple lots of it failed around the 1.5 year mark. One lot
was from a local computer store, that went into bankrupcy. As for
"what is cheesy", check the reviews on Newegg, as even branded
memory can be bad stuff. If enough people see failures, it shows
up in the reviews, and really stands out.)


Another option that sometimes helps, is to set tRAS one unit higher.

Same, why does this help?

A lot of the modern advice, is ad-hoc, and based on experiments. tRAS
in particular is selected, because it has little effect on overall
memory performance (the memory doesn't become that much slower), but
at the same time, the memory seems to take a bit more clock as a result.
So if the memory was marginal at the current clock speed, the timing
change in the BIOS, by bumping that by one tick, may be enough to
fix it. You can also modify CAS, and get an improvement too, but
there, you might lose 1% of overall computer performance.


Are there any tools for checking motherboard for this notebook model?

I've seen, on occasion, hardware test software you can buy. But most
of that, is made up tests that will have little relevance to the real world.
(And yes, I've bought some of that software, in particular because of
an adjustment function it had. And most of the tests in there were
contrived - added to the software to make it look like "$39.95 worth".)

For PCs, things like memory testers, or "stress test programs", are
a good way to get some idea how stable a computer is. Anything more than
that, probably isn't worth buying software for. For example, you can
download HDTune, and use the SMART tab, to monitor how healthy your
hard drive is (how close to death). And there are a number of programs
that will give you access to that info. If you were to buy some software,
about the only improvement it might have, is "balloon help" to explain
how to interpret the numbers.

Paul