Help with New Ram

hey everyone. i had some questions i thought you all could help with.

Im running...

dell inspiron e1505 laptop
win xp pro sp3
Core2 cpu t5500 1.66ghz
1g DDR PC2-5200 ram
nvidia gforce go 7300 256mb


Im interested in doing a lot of video editing. nothing to major, mostly standard definition stuff. Ill be using pinnacle studio 11 ultimate. Not my favorite program but its what i can afford right now.

though at this moment, i cant do much without bogging down and having my computer poop on me.

i know i need more ram but im not sure what will be the best kind or type to get. should i be shooting for 4gb (2x 2gb)? Is there a faster type i can get that will still be compatable? and does my processor size have say in how much ram i would want to get?:confused

also, will this video card be enough to handle standard definition video editing?:confused

Baisically, am i just expecting to much out of this machine even if i do give it a giant ram upgrade?:confused

 

I think you are alrady maxed out on your ram. you can check it yourself at the listed links.

http://kingston.com/

http://www.crucial.com/

 

I did a little checking and found this concerning your machine and RAM upgrades. It appears that the maximum RAM your machine can handle is 2 gb. http://www.memorystock.com/memory/DellInspironE1505.html I also checked the Kingston and Crucial sites and your machine isn't even listed on either one. As for trying to go with 4 GBs, if you're running XP 32-bit, that can only recognize 3 to 3.5 gigs. As for the vid card, I would say that you should be pretty safe there, but if you start getting really intensive with the editing, I would advise a more powerful card. Since I don't do any video editing, that is only my opinion and not a certainty. Anyhow, I hope this helps!!

 

Stubby is correct your max ram is 2gb not 1, I was concentrating on your post about upgrading and not the results that that sites gave me.. sorry for the confusion evolutionarytragedy...

 

thanks for the reply guys. what i dont understand is how my computers max ram can be 2gb. what is creating this limit?? If xp os has a limit of 3-3.5gb, where does this 2 gb factor in?

does this mean my computer wont utilize more then 2gb of ram?

 

That is one darn good question, and for which I have no answer! However, I did some checking around and found this that may be of some help http://www.pcguide.com/ref/ram/sizeSystem-c.html That is a very interesting question and one that I never even thought about....until you brought it up. I Googled 'limitations of RAM on motherboards' and that is only one of many articles that popped up. Hope this helps, even a little bit!!

 

Okay, I did some more checking and it appears that there are a few factors that limit the amount of RAM a MB can handle. Two being the BIOS and, to a lesser degree, the CPU. In this instance, the OS doesn't even come into play, because if your MB can't support it (RAM) the OS just has to use what's available. (brilliant deduction, huh?:-D) From what I've read, there aren't even any BIOS upgrades for ANY MB that would permit the adding of higher amounts of RAM. So, I figure that if you need more than 2 gbs of RAM, it looks like a new MB is in your future:cry I checked with 4 different Google sites and they all said basically the same thing.

Actually, that's pretty sneaky for the MB makers to put limitations on the amount of RAM it's product can use, knowing that if you DO need more RAM you'll have to buy a better board. AHHH, free enterprise, ain't it great??:-D

 

What limits the max amount of memory you can use is a combination of BIOS, motherboard chipset, and that pesky CPU.

List of compatible RAM from Crucial:
http://www.crucial.com/store/ListParts.aspx?model=Inspiron E1505

List of compatible RAM from Kingston:
http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/con...l-Inspiron+E1505&distributor=0&submit1=Search

 

I disagree, it's up to the buyer to plan out what he needs, what he thinks he may need and what he is willing/able to pay. A case in point is me, I never dreamt of getting a second video card or would ever need 16GB of RAM but the card came highly recommended so I sprang for the extra $30. So here I am only 6 months later, I have a second video card in there and I'm adding another 4GB of RAM as I'll be moving to Vista64 soon, I just love the expandability.

I realize that most folk don't roll their own and a better mobo could cost quite a bit more in total system cost when pre-built and off the shelf, but if one does build their own, then get more than you think you will need, well, within reason of course. The $30 more I spent up front has more than paid for itself in easy and affordable expansion.

 

Also known as "future proofing"... my gaming monster's motherboard can take quad-cores, and I can expand to another 4GB if necessary. Not to mention what I can do with graphics cards on that thing.

Needless to say, I am in agreement. As a buyer, you have a certain responsibility to know what it is you spend you money on and to do your research. Ultimately only you know what you need and what you are going to use your system for.

And on that note, if you are serious about editing video, you shouldn't be on a laptop

 

Point taken. but my options are currently limited.:cry

which brings up my closing questions:

so is it pointless for me to get more then 2gb or ram on this machine?

should i be throwing out any thoughts about using this laptop for video editing?

 

Yes, it may be pointless as your 32-bit XP can only access about 3.3GB in total minus what your onboard video takes. However, adding a gig of RAM will help but I don't know how much or if it's worth it to you.

Another possible bottleneck is your onboard video, a 7300 is slow by today's standards. You need an expert opinion from a trusted source who is not going to throw the bull at you or try and sell you something that you don't need. I hope they come in here soon..

 

No, adding more RAM is not pointless. It will help with anything you decide to do on the laptop, not just video editing. Going over 2GB in your laptop is pointless though--the motherboard can't go over 1GB per slot, and trying will either not work at all, or cause massive problems.

Augie has already pointed out that the biggest bottleneck for using a laptop for that is the onboard graphics chip, since those tend to be very basic, and very weak, and not capable of much at all. Work with what you have for now, but look into a capable desktop computer as soon as you can.

 

thanks guys,
I guess ill be getting 2x 1gb sticks from crucial. was hoping i would be able to put in more than that, but im glad i posted here as i was about to buy 4gb. 0.0