Confused about if laptop will support 512MB stick of sdram
I am reading the data book on the CPU , that has all the information about the cpu, I was trying to figure out what type of ram it takes, its confusing. If you look at page 124 ( actual number written on page) shows as in the manual it says about DIMM1 and DIMM0 supporting 512MB , about Codes that the memory controller registers , says code 111 selects a 512MB DIMM. Than if you go to page 118, it takes about the DRAM configurations , it says about the organization of the ram chips per DIMM , not sure if its per DIMM or per side of the DIMM , says about chip size multiplied by how many chips, when you multiply , it comes up a max of 256MB on that list . I did try a PC133 512MB stick and it didn't work at all. I am wondering if it only supports pc100. The 512MB stick was 4 ram chips per side so 8 64MB chips. I am wondering if the list is per side of the DIMM, but it could be per whole DIMM. I have the PDF of the data book below
http://datasheets.chipdb.org/Cyrix/MediaGX/gxmdb_v20.pdf
http://datasheets.chipdb.org/Cyrix/MediaGX/gxmdb_v20.pdf
Comments
You already have your answer for max memory in your service manual (64 mb). The only way to find out if it will support larger memory sticks is to try them. The PC133 512mb didn't work, so not much chance that a PC100 512mb will work. You have heresay info that the 256mb chip works, so buy one and try it. I don't think you are going to find documentation to support using larger that 64mb sticks.
The processor is a cyrix mediagxm which is a SOC, which includes everything on the chip , and that is the manual for the cpu like you said, since the CPU is a SOC it should include the architecture and the chipset , which it is separate but only supports 2 Cyrix chipsets , which is in the CPU manual as well. Which means it should support up to what it says in the cpu manual , it says in the manual it supports I believe 512MB so it indeed should support that , if everything is integrated on the cpu which it is a SOC, but the chipset is separate which there are only 2 chipsets available , which the only difference is what you want the computer to have like UDMA , or just PIO, and if you want video acceleration. What I also found out online is this is about page 118 , that is actually the RAM chip configuration , that is actually about what type of ram chips work with it. Internally the ram chip can be set up differently , for example an 64Mx4 chip is a 32 megabyte chip , internally the ram is separated into 4 groups of 64 megabit memory. 4x64 = 256 megabits which = 32 megabyte, So that section of that manual shows what types of memory it supports. If you have a module that has ram that isn't on the list then it doesn't work . Also you have to take the bios into consideration, if 512MB will work. The laptop I have only has 1 slot for memory, for it to support 512MB of ram, I would have to find a single stick that has 16 , 32MB ram chips that support a ram chip configuration which is on page 118 , and fits into the laptop, Some ram height won't fit in that laptop , I had to find that out the hardway.