[acabtp]

Maxing out the memory (RAM) on your Dell Mini is easy, cheap, and effective. Do it today!

Frequently Asked Questions
I thought the max was 1 gb? Why doesn't Dell offer it with more? - In order to ship the Mini with Windows XP instead of Windows Vista, there are some hardware specs that the Mini needs to be below, one of which is a maximum installed memory of 1 gb. This is just a restriction at the time of sale... the Mini hardware and the version of XP Home preinstalled on the Mini both work just fine with more than 1 gb RAM.

Will this void my warranty? - No, as long as you are careful and do not break anything.

What kind of memory can I use? - Any DDR2 SODIMM (laptop memory chip) that runs at 533 MHz (DDR2-4200) or faster. 2 gb chips are big and cheap, so it is the only size that makes sense to buy for now.

Where did you get your memory? How much did it cost? - You can get it anywhere, DDR2 SODIMM chips are standardized, and it is not specific to the Mini. Expect to pay between $30 (online) and $50 (brick and mortar).
Buy the memory from Crucial for just $28 USD or £22 for Europe/UK


Can I use a RAM chip with tighter timings? - Yes, you can. As long as the memory you are using has its performance timing value stored in the SPD, the Mini will use them. You cannot however specify the memory timings manually in the BIOS; they must be stored in the chip's SPD.

Does the Mini support RAM speeds greater than 533 MHz? - No.

On to the installation...

Swapping out the RAM
Start by turning the Mini over and removing the two screws indicated by the red circles.



Use your finger to gently pry the module cover up at this area and pop it out

and remove it


Gently pull the two metal tabs indicated by the circles to the sides, away from the center of the memory chip.

The chip will pop up to about a 25° angle and you can remove it.


Insert the new chip into the socket, making sure it is fully seated. Note that you cannot see the gold contacts at the bottom of the chip when it is fully inserted in the socket.



Gently press down on the chip until the two metal tabs you moved before lock into place on the new chip. This does not take much effort at all (one finger) so if there is any resistance, make sure you have the chip seated properly.



Replace the module cover, starting with the edge closest to the front of the laptop. Gently bend it like so to help the side clips snap back into place.



Once the cover is snapped back on, just replace the two screws you removed at the start and power the unit back up! No configuration steps are necessary, and you should see your newly installed memory available in your OS.

[Mini Me]

Originally Posted by stonely0

also, can i remove the annoying defualt Video Chat programme from DELL? it's quite annoying waiting for the mini 9 to boot up and waiting for this Dell video software to be ready in bootup running in background. Will removing this Video Chat software rendered my built in camera useless?

You can set the program so that it doesn't run on startup. That way you can keep it around in the event you ever want to use it, and it won't affect your boot time.

[jefito]

Originally Posted by stonely0

Dear all, stumble on to this site while searching for Mini 9 (8GB SSD version with built in HSDPA) user group and am i glad that u guys are here. Cheers.

I got my mini 9 free with tie up contract from my mobile broadband provider and am very happy with it especially the built in HSDPA modem that makes searching for hotspot a history. Now i can gladly go online in anywhere i want except on the train going underground. So far i have to say mini 9 is a great companion but i'm getting use to using a slow system now... especially the lag when i open up too much tab on IE7 with MSN on video chat and Outlook in brackground...

I keep on getting Virtual memory too low pop up error. may i ask will upgrading to 2GB ram eliminate this annoying error?

I have my page file set as defualt at 200MB, running Win XP Home Edition...

OK, so you are getting virtual memory low warnings. That means that you are probably running too many programs (or programs that are using up large amounts of memory) for your system (by the way, you can use Task Manager to find out who the memory hogs are). So you have, what, 512MB of RAM, plus a 200MB pagefile, so your virtual memory space is roughly 712MB. Here are some options:

• You definitely should look at cleaning out running programs that you don't need.[/*:19mk1jmp]
• You could, and probably should, change your computing habits to stop using so many programs all at once. Cost is free.[/*:19mk1jmp]
• You can upgrade your RAM size to either 1GB or 2GB. Memory is pretty cheap, so cost is minimal. Downsides: if you use hibernation, then you will lose the same amount of SSD space as you have RAM. Upgrading to 2GB on a system with 8GB SSD doesn't sound that great an option; you would be giving up 1/4 of your drive spave just for hibernation (and you'd be making hibernation slower as well). I suppose that you could upgrade your SSD size as well... [/*:19mk1jmp]
• You could increase the size of your page file. Your system will be slower, but you shouldn't get the low virtual memory warnings any more.[/*:19mk1jmp]

~jeff

[dayene]

re-read the whole thread again... so practically i can put 2gb ram on the ubuntu and i can boot up xp from a sdhc card or usb (whatever works) so i don't need to replace ubuntu out for warranty purposes? i'm a bit scared of replacing ubuntu and not able to put it back so i want to leave it as is. sounds good?

[cheapdude]

I just put in a 2GB 4-4-4 Gskill and it seems to be running pretty warm.
With the default 1GB Nanya, I never really felt the mini was getting hot, but with the Gskill I feel it's definitely warmer.
Anyone noticed this?

[stonely0]

Upgraded mine last night. Encounter some problem... I bought a Kingston 2GB DDR2 but after installing the RAM i have bootup problem. The mini keeps on re-booting at XP and then blue screen with lots of warning. tried a few time but still can't solve then i re-inserted the mini original 1GB and it works fine. I figure it's a faulty RAM so i went down to the shop and ask for replacement. They ran out of Kingston and offer me a Cosair for replacement. after the swap it works fine.

Performance wise i see minimal improvement. I can only say it runs much smoother and more responsive but then that's after i turn off indexing, turn off paging, turn off hibernating and disable a few startup apps. so i can't really tell the improvement comes from the RAM upgrade.

It may be all in the head i guess

[jdizzle]

Originally Posted by stonely0

Upgraded mine last night. Encounter some problem... I bought a Kingston 2GB DDR2 but after installing the RAM i have bootup prob....

Completely off topic, but my stoner buddy and I got a chuckle from this. We work with this guy Ram from Kingston, Jamaica. We're pretty sure his os isn't booting either....sorry

[Matt151B]

Originally Posted by cheapdude

I just put in a 2GB 4-4-4 Gskill and it seems to be running pretty warm.
With the default 1GB Nanya, I never really felt the mini was getting hot, but with the Gskill I feel it's definitely warmer.
Anyone noticed this?

My GSkill is in the mail, same kit as you...

[philipdistefano]

Originally Posted by Matt151B

My GSkill is in the mail, same kit as you...

You guys keep us updated on that issue. I'm interested in the same memory when I order my Mini 9.

-Philip

[metalzo]

My 2 GB gskill 4-4-4 from newegg is running fine.

[timfitz]

I just ordered my 2gb upgrade after viewing the great how to. only one question . Does one need to take out the battery when you start or is it just as simple as the photos show ?
Thanks timfitz