[theleech]

I need to upgrade the ram on my laptop. its seriously old and has a maximum manufacturer supported memory of 512 MB, 256 MB in each slot. I want more than this though. Two questions:
1. If I buy a 512 MB ram card is it likely to work? i know if it doesn't I cant complain but is it likely to in the
first place?
2. If not, is it possible to change the maximum supported memory?
The laptop is a sony vaio PCG-GR215SP.
Thanks

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Go to HERE and run the Crucial online scanner.
This will give you the exact memory configuration for your system.
You do not have to buy the memory from there, but write down the information and if you need assistance in purchasing the upgrade memory GTG can assist with suggestions also.

[rshaffer61]

Go to HERE and run the Crucial online scanner.
This will give you the exact memory configuration for your system.
You do not have to buy the memory from there, but write down the information and if you need assistance in purchasing the upgrade memory GTG can assist with suggestions also.

[theleech]

I've already done the crucial scan, thats how i know that it can support 512 MB, 256 in each slot. Im wondering whether theres any chance a larger card would work.

[rshaffer61]

Nope the total capacity is determined by the motherboard in your system. If it is only capable of handling 512 megs total then it is useless to put anymore in because it will not be used and most likely not even recognized.

By my research the laptop is 10 years old and at this point it would be time to seriously consider replacing it. The newer systems now I see come with 2 gigs of memory with the capability of going to 4 gigs total.
Win 7 which would allow the use of newer software along with a sata hd which is faster then the older ide interface drive in your system.

[Neil Jones]

I've already done the crucial scan, thats how i know that it can support 512 MB, 256 in each slot. Im wondering whether theres any chance a larger card would work.

Probably not;
I did have a case a few years ago where Crucial said the board in a particular model would only support so much memory, but I only found that out after the machine was running twice as much memory as Crucial said it would handle.
However that is the exception to the rule, and what I suspect had happened in that particular case was the board wasn't the original board that the machine had gone out with and had been repaired under warranty with a slightly different board. Crucial is very rarely wrong, but of course if manufacturers replace boards under warranty, it's anybody's guess what'll be put in under replacement.

The PCG-GR215SP is ten years old. Realistically it's worth is probably only, if you're lucky, about 10% of what you paid for it originally. It uses the older type of memory which to buy is fast approaching the value of the laptop.

[theleech]

ok, thanks for the reply. I've only just acquired the laptop, im not guna use it for anything too ram heavy, i was just wondering if i could improve it. Ill just get another 256 MB card and stick it in so its running 512.
Thanks again