Dell Mini 9 / Vostro A90 memory cleared up
Dell’s Web site specifies the Dell Mini 9 and the Vostro A90 as having a 533 mhz bus. The build sheet however specifies that they include 1 Gigabyte of 800 mhz RAM (200-pin DDR2 DIMM). When ordering a new 2 Gigabyte stick for my newly acquired A90 netbook, I couldn’t find, or get a clear answer on what speed memory I needed. Here’s what I found out..
The bus on both machines is, indeed, 533 mhz. The RAM that comes with your Dell is (usually) an 800 mhz chip. When you look at either Kingston, or Crucial for memory, they each offer three versions. 533, 667, and 800 mhz. Giddy with excitement as I unwrapped my new Dell from it’s cardboard prison, I ordered one stick of 667 mhz memory before I even realized that the discrepancy between 533 and 800 existed.
THEN, I spent about a week upset because I KNEW I should have bought the faster 800 mhz chip.
As of this afternoon and a LONG delay in receiving said RAM, I’m very happy to report that if you buy a Dell Vostro A90 or it’s more colorful counterpart, the Dell Mini 9, rest assured that both the original 800 megahertz and the new 667 megahertz RAM chips are both seen and supported the same as if they were 533 mhz parts.
In short, don’t worry. It’s all good no matter which speed you choose. Until someone figures out a way to overclock this little beasty, the $5.00 difference between 533 and 800 megahertz chips doesn’t seem to make a bit of difference.
segwayne.com
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Category: Featured Articles, Technology
Tags: 200-pin, DDR2, dell, Dell Mini 9, Hardware, megahertz, memory, mini, Mini 9, ram, upgrading, Vostro A90
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Hi, Not sure that this is true:), but thanks for a post.
Have a nice day
Worker
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Not sure what might be in dispute. I've got a Vostro A90 that's running 667. I've now tried the default 800mhz chip, and a friend's 533 chip with the same result.
Is it possible that an 800mhz 2GB chip would run faster than a 667 2GB chip? Maybe..? Don't know yet. What I do know is that both work without issue and that a 667 2GB chip seems to be faster than an 800 1 gigabyte equivalent, as I'd expect.
All three chips are shown in the BIOS as only being 533 megahertz, which is as fast as the bus will run (sans overclocking).
Good luck with yours.
Wayne
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Amazing little laptop. Good quality build and not cheap looking like the rest. Worth the extra cash. The utility’s that come pre installed are actually useful!
Especially the bluetooth networking. I can easily use bluetooth to tether to my cell phone with this baby. Love it.
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