512MB RAM is actually 256MB

Well, the ram is labled incorrectly. You are going to have to send the ram back and get a 512 stick.

What's that "Reversed" in there?

Are you sure you got the right kind of RAM? It might be a 512MB but for a different type of machine.

More likely it's bad RAM. Either way, send it back.

some ram chips say their size either on the chips themselves and/or the pcb. So a ram stick might have 8 chips that all say (in very small type) "256m" or something like that. That would be a 256 megabyte stick. 256m is megabits, times 8 chips, devided by 8 bits per byte.

I'd be pissed...one of the first things I did when I got my PowerBook upon firing it up, I checked the system profiler to make sure I had the single DIMM 512 megs RAM and the 5400 RPM HD like I ordered BTO from Apple. Not that I think they'd screw it up, but I had a friend who got a custom Gateway and they put the wrong HD (40 gig instead of a 60 gig) and split the RAM instead of having it all in one slot. Things like that just make me worry a bit whenever I order something online until I can finally check.

I installed new 512MB chips in about 40 computers over the summer. One of them registered as being only a 256MB chip. If you'll notice, a 256 has data chips on one side of the chip whereas the %!@MB has data chips on both sides. When a 512MB chip registers as only 256MB this means that it has a defective bridge and that the back side does not register. You'll have to send it back for a replacement. Due to the sensitive nature of RAM chips about 2% are faulty. You'll likely have to pay shipping charges, but they should give you a new chip for free.

lol

that's all I can say

Well, I can also say that I need to lay off the caffiene (SP?) and just sleep more


Actually it's a secret code, and in time it will reveal my plan to take over the world and destroy Microsoft totally and entirely!!!

BTW "reversed" is normal in a PB - it just refers to the layout of the RAM slots.