DIMM 1 vrs DIMM 2 RAM

[Saragon]

My laptop specs say that the memory cards are DIMM 2. It has 4 GB of RAM (2) 2GB cards. However, I looked under the cover and the bottom card is DIMM 2 and the top card is DIMM 1. I'm sure they are the original cards from Dell.

So is that OK to have a mix like that?

Also, are both cards required, or will it run on 1? It won't start up right now, and I get two beeps after after about 20 seconds. So I'm wondering if one card could be bad. I tried starting with one card only in the bottom slot and then the top, but it still would not start up. I switched them around, but still the same results. It seems unlikely that both cards would suddenly go bad.

 

[itzdanielp]

Yes, it is ok for them to be mixed like that.

Also, yes you can boot with just 1 stick. That is usually the best troubleshooting tool.

 

[Saragon]

Thanks for answering. My question was actually a dumb one. I learned since then that I was confused about the difference between a DDR1 and DDR2 card, not DIMM 1 and DIMM 2. Oh well, I did end up just trying two different cards, but it still wouldn't complete POST. So I don't what to try next. I've tried replacing both RAM cards and a replacement motherboard, but it's still exactly the same. Maybe I should just concede it as being dead.

 

[itzdanielp]

DDR1 is not compatible with DDR2, in fact they have different slots, so they shouldn't even fit in the same slots.

If you mix them, it could cause a lot of problems, due to voltage differences.