Replaced memory - computer running more slowly, barely usable!

[stooplady]

Hi,

Thanks in advance for your help and for excusing my ignorance on technological matters.

I recently bought a brand-new laptop, a Lenovo Thinkpad E450 (full specs pasted below). When I bought it, I only got 4GB of RAM because I had heard it was cheaper to buy RAM on my own and install it rather than get it directly from the manufacturer. So I simultaneously bought 16gb of Pareema RAM, which I thought would be compatible (tech specs below).

After installing the new RAM (removed the 4gb stick, replaced with two 8gb sticks), the computer became practically unusable. It started up fine but had trouble handling multiple programs open at once or even multiple tabs in Chrome. I had simultaneously bought a second set of this RAM upgrade for a coworker and tried swapping in his sticks (thinking mine might be defective) but same problem.

I'm guessing this is a compatibility issue or something to do with my laptop's settings. When I had the RAM installed (I've since switched back to what came with the computer - not as fast as I had hoped but at least usable) I did see that the full 16GB was recognized. I also tried upgrading my BIOS (?) based on suggestions I saw in forums like this one, but it didn't seem to do anything.

Any suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated. Even if I just stupidly bought the wrong type of RAM that would be helpful to know (bonus points if you could suggest the correct type!) Thanks everyone.

Samantha

Memory specs:
Model
Brand
Pareema
Model
MD316D81610S2

Details
Capacity
16GB (2 x 8G)
Type
204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM
Speed
DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800)
Cas Latency
10
Timing
10-10-10
Voltage
1.35V
ECC
No
Buffered/Registered
Unbuffered

Laptop specs:
ITC - Asset Tag Service NONE
Battery 6cell 47Wh
ITC - Imaging Service 4 NONE
ITC - Imaging Service 5 NONE
ITC - Imaging Service 6 NONE
ITC - Project Type NONE
ITC - Who Created The Image NONE
Camera 720p HD Camera with MIC
Shipping Country USA
AC Adapter and Power Cord 45W AC Adpt US (2pin)
Publication Language Pub; US English
Total memory 4GB DDR3L_1600 SoDIMM
Microsoft Office NONE
Pointing device No Fingerprint Reader 3+2BCP
Preload Language W8.1W7P64DG English
Preload OS Win8.1 P64 to Win7 P64 DG
Preload Type Standard Image
Recovery Media RM_Coupon Worldwide
Reserved Char #1 C07 NONE
Reserved Char #2 C07 NONE
Adobe Acrobat NONE
Adobe Elements NONE
Adobe Lightroom NONE
Assistant Voice Recognition NONE
Google chrome browser NONE
Language Interface Packs NONE
Accessible Optimized Preload NONE
Software Application NONE
Security Chip 2 Discrete TPM
Display Panel 14W HD Antiglare,Black
ITC - Vpro Provisioning (VPRO) NONE
Selectable Warranty 1 Year Depot or Carry-in
WiFi wireless LAN adapters Intel 3160AC+BT 1x1
System Unit Intel Gfx i3-5005U
ITC - Enhanced Service NONE
Keyboard Language KYB US English
Keyboard Patch NONE
ITC - Solution using SmartImg NONE
ITC - Imaging Service 1 NONE
Hard drive 500GB HDD 7200rpm
ITC - Harddrive Encryption NONE
ITC - Imaging Service 2 NONE
ITC - Imaging Service 3 NONE
Processor Intel Core i3-5005U on MB
ITC - Customization (BIOS) NONE

 

[Tradesman1]

Prob not compatible, looked at the specs for the laptop and doesn't tell you much - what was the voltage on the old stick? Also possible one of the sticks are bad. Could be a lot of things, think I'd contact Lenovo and see if they have a list of compatible DRAM. Most laptops have a locked BIOS so you can't experiment with voltage/timings changes which would be the approach on a desktop rig