RAM for Gateway T-Series laptop - confused on FSB

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VictorVictor5

VictorVictor5

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Mar 3, 2012
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Greetings Tom's -

It's been a while. A friend bought me an old Gateway T-Series Laptop (I think T-1424, but it's worn off on the bottom case and all it says is W350A as a model number).

Anywho he's got 3 GB RAM on board stock. I'm pretty sure I can expand it to 4 GB at 667 MHz FSB, but then I ironically saw this post on Tom's and now I'm a bit miffed.

Can I expand it to 8 GB @ 800 MHz FSB?

Link:http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1825705/mhz-ram-laptop.html


Anything you need me to check on the laptop please let me know.

Thanks!
VV5
 
Solution
K
In my opinion it is not worth to spend the money to buy expensive DDR2 RAM. DDR3 replaced DDR2 for its low cost per GB. DDR4 replaced DDR3 for its high GB per stick and higher MHz.

If you want to max out your old laptop for some reason, get these:

2x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM CL6 US$30 total
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0026SD96G/ref=psdcmw_172500_t1_B001342KM8
High end DDR2, highest end supported by your laptop.

Turion 64 x2 Ultra TL 68
2.4 GHz
https://www.amazon.com/AMD-Turion-Dual-core-2-4GHz-Processor/dp/B002M7UJJG
The highest end Turion CPU made by AMD.

According to AMD your CPU is a socket S1 (PGA 638) Turion X2 TL60 Ultra, FSB up to 800 Mhz DDR2, anything above is Overclocking.
RAM 4/8GB compatibility is based on manufacturers...
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Eximo

Eximo

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Only if that is your exact model of laptop. If you can't make a determination one way or the other it will be difficult to tell. I looked up several T1400 series laptops and the only W300 series I could find. All seemed to indicate a 4GB limit. At the time most desktops were limited to 4x2GB configurations as well, so it would make sense to have a 2x2GB limit.


Windows 10 is available as a 32bit operating system. If the computer has only been upgraded from Vista up through 10, or starting at Windows 7, it could still be 32bit. Many systems that shipped with 3GB of ram were only provided with 32bit OS. It wasn't until 4GB became the standard minimum that nearly all computers were shipped with a 64bit OS.

Simple enough to find out everything you need to know.

CPU-Z can get you the fine details on your motherboard, or by getting into the BIOS.

Simply right click on the start menu, click System. Or get to System from the Control Panel. The line 'System Type:' will indicate if it is a 32bit or 64bit OS.
 
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VictorVictor5

VictorVictor5

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It's definitely a 64-bit OS (Win10 Pro).

Processor: AMD Turion 64 x 2 Mobile TL-60, 2.0 GHz
BIOS: Per CPU-Z, it says it's Gateway v90.03.
Also per CPU-Z, it says this model is a T-1631.

Maybe the BIOS can be flashed for >4GB RAM? And, can the processor be beefed up past 2.0 GHz? It's really easy to get to on this laptop so it might be a relatively cheap upgrade.

Thanks!
VV5
 
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Eximo

Eximo

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Still shows a 4GB limit. Even if you can track down BIOS updates for that system it can't increase the physical memory addresses available.

I didn't see any other versions of that system with a different CPU, so I am guessing it is soldered on.

Honestly there is only so much you should do to an old laptop before it makes more sense to invest the money into a newer one.

I would not waste the money on a memory stick to go from 3GB to 4GB unless I was always hitting that limit (even then a moderately priced 8GB laptop should be fairly easy to come by, even used)

Drive replacement is a good idea for an old machine, just to ensure data integrity. I imagine parts are hard to come by for a defunct product line, so fans and batteries might start to become a problem.
 
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K

kgt1182

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In my opinion it is not worth to spend the money to buy expensive DDR2 RAM. DDR3 replaced DDR2 for its low cost per GB. DDR4 replaced DDR3 for its high GB per stick and higher MHz.

If you want to max out your old laptop for some reason, get these:

2x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM CL6 US$30 total
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0026SD96G/ref=psdcmw_172500_t1_B001342KM8
High end DDR2, highest end supported by your laptop.

Turion 64 x2 Ultra TL 68
2.4 GHz
https://www.amazon.com/AMD-Turion-Dual-core-2-4GHz-Processor/dp/B002M7UJJG
The highest end Turion CPU made by AMD.

According to AMD your CPU is a socket S1 (PGA 638) Turion X2 TL60 Ultra, FSB up to 800 Mhz DDR2, anything above is Overclocking.
RAM 4/8GB compatibility is based on manufacturers motherboards.


According to Wikipedia your CPU supports DDR2 667 maximum at 8GB maximum.

According to Archmemory your system supports up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM.
https://www.archmemory.com/memory.cfm/Gateway-RAM-T-Series-Notebook-Gateway-T-1424u-Notebook-181423
 
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Solution
VictorVictor5

VictorVictor5

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Mar 3, 2012
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So it is confirmed that 8 GB RAM does work at DDR2 800 MHz FSB.

And hey - my friend's paying for the parts so while I tend to agree, they want to max it out for some reason.

And thanks for the heads up about the TL-68. That's on order too.

VV5
 
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