Acer Aspire One RAM upgrade

Re: Ram upgrade

My SSD Aspire One came with Hynix 1Rx16 PC2-5300S-555-12 (total 1Gb ram!).

I swapped it out for a Corsair double sided DDR2 Value Select 667 Mhz.
The Corsair value select 1Gb works like a charm

I believe the product number for my Corsair 1Gb is VS1GSDS667D2/EU G

Ps. I also tried a 2Gb Corsair one, but no luck there.. (would not post)

 

Re: Ram upgrade

Reminder that we have a separate sticky for posting experiences with specific RAM models.

 

Re: Ram upgrade

OK, just upgraded a 120gb 512mb linux model to 1Gb by adding a 512mb SODIMM (533mhz)

It was a nightmare! Took over an hour, and had me sweating at a few stages. I can't believe this slot is not made accessible from the base, there is one removeable panel that has nothing to access inside!

The hard disk models are a little more fiddly even than the ssd (8gb) ones, since you have to fiddle the board around a bit to get the hard disk out.
Also, take care not to put the three screws from under the battery back into the front three holes (below the touchpad) like I did, they don't quite fit and may ruin the thread on the screws, and they are tricky to get back out (I had to use some super glue on the end of the screwdriver in the end!). I removed 18 screws in total (yes, 18) so ensure you have a good system for remembering where to put each of them back.

When removing the keyboard and touchpad cables lift up the black cover/hinge on the socket first.

Insert the sodimm at a 45 degree angle and then push down to make the holding clips snap closed.

When lifting out the keyboard my Del key fell off, luckily it just snaps back into place.

Phew, I'm glad that's done, I will not be opening this unit up again any time soon, and I would recommend just paying the extra for 1gb ram in the first place, the money saved is not worth the risk/effort involved imho.

 

Re: Ram upgrade

Just finished upgrading mine, just thought I'd share a couple of points. Everything went well, took about 40 mins to complete. Heart missed a beat when on first boot up when it paused on the Aspire One blue screen for a while then rebooted again, I think this was just the system reconfiguring for the new memory, then it booted up just fine.

I've done this sort of thing quite a lot, here's a couple of things I do to help these things go smoothly:

1. I always work on a cloth, usually laying out a microfiber duster so when you turn the device over on your desk it does not scratch the lid.

2. Have plenty of space around you and carefully lay the screws out on a clear area in the pattern you remove them. This is the fastest way I know to make sure the screws go back in exactly the same place. Use a separate area for each stage.

3. Read the posts of people that have done it before and study any pictures. Many units, not the AA1 though, use special screws. Make sure you have the right tools before you start.

4. Try not to touch the circuitry more than necessary. If you live in an area where you get static shocks from the door knobs, or from your pet, make sure you are grounded. Handle circuit boards from the edges. It doesn't take much to zap an electronic component and even less to shorten its life.

5. If you intend doing this sort of thing a few times spend a couple of bucks and get a pair of plastic levers made for opening iPods. I find these very useful when, say, on the AA1 you need to work around the top of the casing to pop those little catches to separate it from the base. If you use a screwdriver or a knife you're probably going to leave some scratches and other marks.

Just my two cents worth. BTW mine now shows 1536mb rather than the 2gb some others are reporting, as it should. And for those having trouble with the ribbon cables, there is a black bar that goes along the width of the connector that flips up to release the cable. It is on the top so you just slip something between it and the cable and gently flip it up through 90 degrees.

Rickybee
http://www.rickybee.com

 

Re: Ram upgrade

Hello

Boutgth my AA1 yesterday and upgraded. I lost about 5 pounds in sweet and was not sure it the units is working again since its not really an easy upgrade.

First reebot....heart Attack, blue-screen....rebooted again.....but everyting was fine, this is probably the way the BIOS/Linux does the adjustment. Now I am enjoying my AA1 with 1.5GB and still on Linpus (I try hard not to switch to MS)

So far, a great little machine for easy working. Just rethink before you open the box to install more RAM...be sure, you really want it....

good luck

dan

DDR2 PC-4200 SO-DIMM, 200 Pin Crucial Memory 1GB, CR12864AC53R, works so far....

 

Re: Ram upgrade

One further point, the Aspire One looks pretty sexy and sophisticated, but once you have explored its innards to do this upgrade you will not feel the same way, some of the 'magic' will be gone, you will never feel the same way, there is no mystery left, just a plastic shell encasing cheap electronic components.

 

Re: Ram upgrade

Has anyone tried to put a 2GB module in the slot because I remember I had a Sony TXN and it said max ram was 1.5GB but I installed a 2GB module in the slot and it recognized all 2GB

 

Re: Ram upgrade

You can use the tray you make ice cubes with (don't know how you call that in English). Its numerous little compartments will hold the different types of screws used in the One. I've used this method when I've had to open my iBooks, and it's quite convenient.

You can also use a credit card/payphone card or a guitar pick.

 

Re: Ram upgrade

We call it an "ice cube tray". I've never thought of that, good idea though.

 

Re: Ram upgrade

Of course... Come to think of it, I don't even know how you call it in French (my mother tongue)

It prevents the screws from going errant, too.

 

Re: Ram upgrade

no....
I am at the last step which requires two screws on the motherboard to be removed.
but I think I had tried to hard to unscrew one of the screws. It now has a hole on it, but not a "+".

What should I do now?
Can anyone help me?

 

Re: Ram upgrade

My experience (sadly) is that Acer will not honour the warranty if the memory has been upgraded (doesn't matter by whom). Please bear this in mind if you are thinking about this as I'm afraid it could be very costly.

They want to charge me almost 300 euro for repair for a problem that is totally unrelated to the memory upgrade!!! (ie the cost of a new machine).

I want to challenge Acer on this as I am not sure whether this is really company policy. Even their own website specs state that the memory is upgradeable to 1.5GB by addition of a SODIMM. It doesn't make sense to state this if no one is allowed to do the upgrade.

 

Re: Ram upgrade

I just got my AA1 (Linux 8GB SSD) and I was interested to note that when I registered it on the Acer USA site I got back an email that included a link to the Acer store. In the store, if you click on memory, there is a memory locater that allows you to select the Aspire One and then offers you two compatible 1 GB memory upgrades- one PC2-4200 and the other PC2-5300. So I ordered the PC2-5300 one (for $39.99), and in the notes on the order I asked for instructions to install it. I also sent a separate email to tech support explaining that I had ordered the memory upgrade and couldn't find instructions to install it, so could they please supply them?

So...we'll see what happens. I know this is more than I should be spending on a stick of memory for this, but I figure that if there's any question on voiding the warranty down the line from me opening it up to put it in, they won't have a leg to stand on as they sold me the upgrade. I also just wanted to see what will happen

Will update when anything happens.

 

Re: Ram upgrade

has anyone upgraded one of the free slot to a single 2gig stick and is the bios reading 2.5gig of ram avaliable?

 

Re: Ram upgrade

I was wondering if this would work also....I have done the 1gig upgrade and I'm very happy with the results.

 

Re: Ram upgrade

You could have done a bit of research and found out that the slot WON'T take 2GB sticks. Sorry.

 

Re: Ram upgrade

Thank you for answering my question! Sorry if I didn't find the answer I was looking for first off and had to bother YOU :roll:

 

Re: Ram upgrade

Well no problem really, what I meant is that you would have found the answer faster if you had used the "Search" functionnality on this forum. I'm always happy to provide answers when I know them

 

Re: Ram upgrade

The Acer dealer told that me I can upgrade the memory to 1.5GB and forgot to tell me I have to take the unit apart because the Acer engineer forgot to put a memory upgrade trap door under the laptop. When I contacted the Acer Tech Support, I was told by the level-2 support call George (Sept. 2, 2008 7:45PM EST) that there is no Aspire One memory upgrade program in place. He said Acer does not recommend field upgrade (translation – upgrade memory yourself) for Aspire One and I will have to pay for the parts if I damaged the computer while upgrading the memory. When I asked him why Acer did not post this information on their web site and he told me he is not responsible for the company site. He also suggested I should write to Acer America to voice my concerns (translation – complain).

 

Re: Ram upgrade

P.S. I got my Aspire One few days ago and the mouse pad stop working already. This will be my first and last Acer.