Downclocked Memory on New Gateway Laptop 4530GZ

[kemperr]

I recently bought a new Gateway 4530GZ Laptop.

I've realized that despite the fact it has PC2700 (DDR333) its running it at 266Mhz(PC2100 speeds). (2 dimms-so running 2x133 insteade of 2x166)

I've used CPU-Z and Sandra to detect and verify this. The memory is running at 266mhz, and the bios appears to give me no way to select the speed.

I just spoke with Gateway customer service and the customer service manager at Gateway. The customer service manager (Chris Gallaway) basically told me that he doesn't think it's unusual for a system to clock down its memory, and that just because a computer has a certain speed memory in it doesn't mean that it is necessarily intended or designed to run at that speed. The computer will run, he explained, at the speed at which the weakest part of the system will allow it to go. So basically, he suggested that this is just the way this system is designed, and not to expect that there is anyway to fix it.

Certainly, if the speed of front side bus (FSB) is slower than the speed of the memory, the memory will clock down. Perhaps this is the problem here. It just strikes me as strange that it was designed that way. I suppose you get what you pay for.

What does this say about the overall speed and robustness of this model? Are most other laptops running their memory at full speed, at least when plugged in? If I want a fast machine, would I therefore be better off going with another system? Is this an unusual or usual situation? Most importantly, do you think that Gateway is at all misrepresenting this machine by indicating that it has PC2700 RAM?

I explicitly asked several times that the Gateway engineering department look into the issue and get back to me. The manager flatly refused that as a possiblity. The original customer service rep. suggested that I could send my machine in to have them take a look at it, which of course is the point I asked for the manager.

I am thinking of returning this computer (if I can) because of this issue. I do want a speedy machine, as I will be running some calculations on it for work. Any advice here before I do anything rash would be apprecitaed.

That being said, I am enjoying it overall and I did get a good deal on it --$800 after rebate for a Pentium M 1.6 Dothan w/ 512MB RAM, DVD-RW, 15" glossy (very reflective) screen, great wi-fi and battery life, 4 USB ports, firewire, etc. It came with a 60gb 4200rpm drive, but I was planning to upgrade to a 7200rpm drive.

Thanks for your help,
Josh

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by kemperr Certainly, if the speed of front side bus (FSB) is slower than the speed of the memory, the memory will clock down. Perhaps this is the problem here. It just strikes me as strange that it was designed that way. I suppose you get what you pay for.

This is exactly the case here. Just because PC2700 is faster then PC2100 it doesn't mean that companies can get the memory cheaper. The companies get whatever RAM costs them less and use that, even if it means not using the RAM to its fullest capabilities.

Now if they advertised PC2700 RAM in the advertisement I would say that is kind of misleading. They should have made a note on the actually running frequency of the RAM.

[kemperr]

No, it didn't advertise the RAM speed.

Would I see a noticable performance difference between this machine and a similar machine clocking at the higher speed? Is it something I should be concerned with?

If I want to increase my memory, I wouldn't lose a thing if I replaced this pc2700 RAM with pc2100 RAM, right?

I should add that this model has 400 MhZ FSB and 2MB L2 Cache.

Thanks!
Josh

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

Your processor runs on a fsb of 400Mhz. It is absolutly normal for the faster ram to clock down to the processor speed. It ran on the next fsb up (which for Intel is 533MHz, and AMD is 333MHz.) The only way to make the ram run at that speed is to have a processor which runs at that speed. Just because the ram is clocking down, the performance would be the same.

[Pounder]

the motherboard would also have to be capable of that speed

[Panama Red]

What you are seeing is more likely a result of economics than of system speed limitations. Right now it costs more to purchase PC2100 ram than PC2700. Since 2700 will downclock to match the speed of the 400 fsb processor, it's CHEAPER for Dell to do it that way. There is no performance reason. I'm stocking PC3200/DDR400 memory for system upgrades for my customers because it is less expensive and most times will be backward compatible with PC2100 or PC2700. Just makes me more competitive.

[kemperr]

So, the consensus is.. this is a nice speedy machine, I take it, as far as laptops go in the general price range. (And for me not to worry about the clock speed of the memory."

[Panama Red]

Bingo! If you're happy with the price and performance, forget about the diagnostic programs that reveal speeds and temps. They'll only have you spending time trying to fix something that isn't broken.

[mb26]

all laptops run on low FSBs and therefore have low speed memory- ur not losing out. running at a lower speed produces less heat, which is always very important with laptops.
its not (strickty) false advertising, as it *is* pc2700 ram if there was a laptop which used pc2700 ram then u could put it in there and have ur full speed, therefore its (very marginally) better than to have PC2100 ram.. i'm guessing with the bios of laptops its not possible to set it to run a-sync?.
if your CPU FSB is 400mhz, and your ram is running at pc2100 speed then it is already A-sync.. pc2100 would be 133mhz (ie 533 in intel FSB talk).

'If I want to increase my memory, I wouldn't lose a thing if I replaced this pc2700 RAM with pc2100 RAM, right?' nope, or PC1600 ram if u can find it! wont be any cheaper mind.

'It came with a 60gb 4200rpm drive, but I was planning to upgrade to a 7200rpm drive.' would give u some more performance (do u need it anyway?), but note also it will shorten the battery life and make it noisier (which u *will* notice as that P-M system should run fanless most of the time) and vibrate more. and 7200rpm laptop drives are disproportionately expensive compared to 5400rpm drives. toshiba do a nice one with 16mb cache

and yes, being happy with it makes things a hell of a lot easier

[kemperr]

Thanks for your input! Your advice is much appreciated!

[kemperr]

Just to update anyone interested on this machine, I have had some problems with it, but most could be windows XP related, so I won't go into them.
Physically, one of the hinges has started to fracture. This hasn't affected the operation of the hinge yet. This is an obvious manufacture defect, as I have put no extroidinary stress on the hinge. In order to get this fixed, it has to be sent to Gateway, meaning I'd be without the computer for 2 weeks or so. Since it has a 1 year warranty, I will send it in near the end of the year in case anything else starts to go wrong by that time.