[SOLVED] RAM upgrade

[neilcaff]

Hi,

I'll start by saying I'm not too familiar with hardware specs, so I'm sorry if I mislabel something. I'm looking to upgrade my RAM on my Lenovo Ideapad Z400 laptop. Its pre-installed RAM are 2GB and 4GB DDR3 PC3-12800. Budget is kind of an issue, so I was wondering if I could replace the 2GB with an 8GB one? If so, it has to be DDR3 PC3-12800 too, right? I checked the cpu-z program, and it says 800MHz. I used the Crucial website to look for compatible components and its recommendation was a 1600MHz. Will that not work? Also, its recommendation has a voltage of 1.35V, but in cpu-z program, my current ones are at 1.5V. Do I need to find one that has 1.5V or will the 1.35V work okay?

Thank you.

EDIT: Can I just add another question.. I noticed in the cpu-z program, Memory Slot #1 has a Single label on Ranks, while Slot #2 is Dual. What does this mean and does this affect the kind of RAM I should purchase as replacement?

 

[taeioum]

Hey man,

The 800MHz shown by CPU-Z is doubled, as DDR stands for Double Data Rate. So technically, you've got 1600MHz RAM. It's hard to say if mixing voltages will cause problems such as incompatibility or damage of some kind. It's currently also unsure whether the timings on the RAM sticks are the same, and if they differ, what's done with them. Usually the faster speed/timing is lowered to match the lower one.

If you really want to be safe, buy two sticks of RAM that come as a kit. That's the only way you'll know for sure it'll work as advertised.

And your extra question: The "rank" information simply means if the RAM stick has memory modules on one or both sides, in this case it's useless information.

 

[neilcaff]

Hey man,

The 800MHz shown by CPU-Z is doubled, as DDR stands for Double Data Rate. So technically, you've got 1600MHz RAM. It's hard to say if mixing voltages will cause problems such as incompatibility or damage of some kind. It's currently also unsure whether the timings on the RAM sticks are the same, and if they differ, what's done with them. Usually the faster speed/timing is lowered to match the lower one.

If you really want to be safe, buy two sticks of RAM that come as a kit. That's the only way you'll know for sure it'll work as advertised.

And your extra question: The "rank" information simply means if the RAM stick has memory modules on one or both sides, in this case it's useless information.

Thank you for the info and reply. If I go for 2 sticks of this 4GB RAM, it would be safer? Except I'm not sure if to get the 1.35V or 1.5V one. Is it safer to get the 1.5V one since my current ones are at that voltage?

 

[TommyTwoTone66]

Thank you for the info and reply. If I go for 2 sticks of this 4GB RAM, it would be safer? Except I'm not sure if to get the 1.35V or 1.5V one. Is it safer to get the 1.5V one since my current ones are at that voltage?

Yes. If your current RAM is 1.5V then your new RAM should be 1.5V.

Personally I would get a single 8GB and keep your 4GB. If 12GB then turns out to be unstable in that configuration (rare but possible) then throw out the 4GB and use a single stick of 8GB. Dual channel RAM doesn’t really matter. Matched modules only matter very rarely.

Then, at a later date you can add another 8GB stick and go to 16GB.

 

[neilcaff]

Yes. If your current RAM is 1.5V then your new RAM should be 1.5V.

Personally I would get a single 8GB and keep your 4GB. If 12GB then turns out to be unstable in that configuration (rare but possible) then throw out the 4GB and use a single stick of 8GB. Dual channel RAM doesn’t really matter. Matched modules only matter very rarely.

Then, at a later date you can add another 8GB stick and go to 16GB.

That's a great suggestion. Thank you both for the help!

 

[neilcaff]

Hi, can I follow up on this post about an update? I got a new 8GB RAM a few days ago, replaced the 2GB with it, so I was running it with the 4GB stick. It was fine for a day, then Windows started crashing the following day. I put back the 2GB and 4GB sticks, ran the Lenovo memory test and it passed. I opened up my laptop again, took the two out and placed the 8GB stick alone. I ran the same memory test and it failed. I was very careful to purchase the correct RAM specs, it’s the same ones as the original two sticks, only a different brand. Does this mean the new RAM I received is faulty or is it a compatibility issue with my laptop? I’m asking because my merchant is telling me it’s not compatible with my laptop and I couldn’t get a refund because the fault is on my end. Thank you for your time.

 

[TommyTwoTone66]

Sounds like faulty RAM. Was it suspiciously cheap?

 

[neilcaff]

Sounds like faulty RAM. Was it suspiciously cheap?

No, it was pretty standard, just the same price as other shops I checked out. Could the voltage be a factor? I went for 1.5 since my current sticks are 1.5V, I checked with cpu-z.

https://imgur.com/a/NZgApOY

View: https://imgur.com/a/NZgApOY
Or should I have gone for 1.35v?