[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.

[Zardoz]

Originally Posted by Torokun

Please forgive me if this question has been answered already... I just didn't want to go through 18 pages of posts...

According to the first post...

So... what's the point of getting faster RAM?

Those of you who got faster one, do you even recognize the difference?

for me it was availability and price.

[attesan997]

Originally Posted by Torokun

Please forgive me if this question has been answered already... I just didn't want to go through 18 pages of posts...

According to the first post...

So... what's the point of getting faster RAM?

Those of you who got faster one, do you even recognize the difference?

That's just it, there isnt a difference. The only thing you MAY notice is ram running cooler because of the chance its made using a smaller process. If the motherboard has a max memory speed supported then logically there wouldnt be a speed increase above that max speed.

[mrmota]

Originally Posted by Zardoz

I have some info on ram that works and does not work.

Patriot Memory DDR2 SODIMM 533 or 800 MHz will not work.
both stick only showed 1GB of memory and it was running at 333 MHz MP memory diags only showed 1GB as well[*]

Corsair Value Select DDR2 SODIMM 776/800 MHz works fine
can see full memory and tested in MP memory diags fine.[*]

I was able to get the corsair 667 for $35 at a B&M and has a $10 MIR so for 25 at a B&M not bad.

I also found that Patriot makes a 32 and 64GB PCIe-SSD card was 199 at the same B&M but did not want to risk it as Patriot seems to have a lot of issues with dells in general.

I think we may have shopped at the same store. I bought the corsair myself at Fry's at the quoted price you stated.

I'd recommend to you and all to stay away from the Patriot Drives.

Patriots read/write as follows.

Sequential Read: up to 40MB/s
Sequential Write: up to 15MB/s

I am looking into this one. It's 219 so for the extra 19 the increase in speed is paid off. Also look at the link below for installtion. This drive unlike the Patriots have a mini USB on it so you can reload the new drives in probably 15 minutes.

http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/Produc ... ifications

Runcore read/write as follows.

Sequential Read Speed up to 78MB/s
Sequential Write Speed up to 44MB/s

I've been finiding out that Patriots is not that good at this time. Well happy hunting..

[somms]

AFAIK, current generation Patriot SSD drives are an incompatible form factor for the Mini...

[Dennis]

I just want to check, is that UK Crucial link that's in the first post still valid and good memory to use?

[strider_mt2k]

Man, almost 20 pages devoted to sticking a 2GB RAM chip into the Mini 9. :shock:

Is there possibly anything more to say on this subject that hasn't been covered a few times over folks?

I'm going to lock this one and leave it as a sticky for reference purposes.

If anyone thinks we need this thread open to flay still more skin off of the subject just PM me and we can discuss it.