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Toshiba Lappy doesn't "like" (2g) PNY memory.

jpnjim

Product of modernmedicine
Toshiba Satellite A215-4807, mid grade 1 year old machine.

Came with 2g, is upgradable to 4g (according to Toshiba & Crucial).
Over the last year, I've had 4 different 1g sticks, and a 512 stick in there, at different times, and all have worked fine.

I just bought a 2g PNY stick (MN2048SDS-667), and it's a non-starter in this machine.

I tested the new memory out by trying it in gf's machine (1.5 year old Acer Aspire 9410-4441), and it works perfectly, and posts at 2g (3g total, with a 1g in the other slot).

I even tried the new 2g PNY by itself (nothing in the other slot) in my Toshiba (incase the BIOS was limiting the machine to 2g max for some reason), and it still doesn't start.



So, have you ever had memory work in one machine, and not another?


I have another 2g PNY in the package, but I don't want to open it up, if it's only gonna work in one of my machines.
 
If it's High Density memory, it may or may not work in some computers. It also may show up as half what it really is. Spend the extra few bucks for low density.
 

BirdOPrey5

Staff member
Administrator
VIP
Even with the 4GB of RAM you're only going to really see 3.something GB... usually between 3.1 and 3.5 depending on how big your video card is... While this doesn't answer your question the last GB (upgrading from a 1GB to 2GB chip) doesn't provide the full affect anyway.
 

jpnjim

Product of modernmedicine
If it's High Density memory, it may or may not work in some computers. It also may show up as half what it really is. Spend the extra few bucks for low density.
I thought the density ussue was just with older machines.
I was thinking all DDR2 memory was High Density. :unsure:

The PNY site doesn't list this exact machine at all (a215 series Toshi Satellite), but it does list the a205 series as taking the memory I bought.
I'll look into it further,
thanks.
 

jpnjim

Product of modernmedicine
Even with the 4GB of RAM you're only going to really see 3.something GB... usually between 3.1 and 3.5 depending on how big your video card is... While this doesn't answer your question the last GB (upgrading from a 1GB to 2GB chip) doesn't provide the full affect anyway.
The rest of the story:

The Toshi came stock with 2g.

While I had my little Acer 'One' netbook disassembled to try a different HDD, I swapped it's 512 card for a 1g out of the Toshi.

(FWIW, you have to completely dissassemble the 'One' down to taking the MB out of the case to swap memory :naw: )
It worked, so I left it in.

So Toshi ended up with 1.5g.

1.5g + Vista = the suck




I bought a 2g card (to replace the temporarily swapped in 512), so Toshi would = 3g
(I wasn't trying for 4g, the other 2g is for a buddy's computer.)

Toshi didn't 'like' the 2g Memory :(

2g does work in GF's lappy, so the memory is good, Toshi just doesn't like it.
 

neevo

Limey Hippo
In answer to your question, yes I 've had a fair few motherboards over the years that dont like particular memory brands. It's usually the cheaper brands that have the compatibility problem.

Only options are to try and return it for a swap, put it in another machien or put it aside and get another stick that will work
 

jpnjim

Product of modernmedicine
Thx Neevo,

I'll probably try the 2g chip I already opened in my buddy's computer.

If it works for him, I'll return the other (unopened) one for something a little higher up on the food chain.

:beerchug:
 

jpnjim

Product of modernmedicine
OK, I got Corsair memory instead.

Works great, thanks to all who posted. :beerchug:





One more question tho.......

The Vista memory rating actually went down with the 3g vs 2g.


2x 1g hynix memory = 5.9 Vista rating for memory operations per second.

1x 1g hynix + 1x 2g Corsair = 4.9 Vista rating for memory O.P.S.



Computer does seem to load software faster with 3g, just wondering why the rating went down :puzzled:
 

BirdOPrey5

Staff member
Administrator
VIP
If the new RAM is slower then the old RAM your system benefits from having more actual RAM but it will only read/write to the RAM at the speed of the slowest chip.
 

jpnjim

Product of modernmedicine
FWIW, the original JUNK PNY memory that wouldn't work in the Toshi, went into GF's (Acer) computer, and worked fine.......



Till yesterday, when it went to BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death).

:naw:

Pulled the memory back out, and all is well.

PNY = JUNK
 

neevo

Limey Hippo
Download memtest86+ from here http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

burn the iso to a cd and boot off it and let it run. Eventually it will give a load of red block, note the number and quote it when you return teh memory (it msut be stil under warranty) and they should swap/refund it.

You could jsut send it back faulty but if you give them teh data they are more likely to do so quickly as you've jsut saved them a job :thup2:

Keep the cd too, it's worth having around as it rules out so many things, if I get windows errors I boot off it and leave it running, if it does 5 loops OK then I assume the memory is fine as the memory will be nice and toasty after 5 loops but sayign that, if there is a memory fault it usually kicks in within a minute of that test!
 
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