Laptop memory questions

[Bullett]

I want to buy some RAM for my Lenovo Thinkpad T61. It "takes" PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM. I currently have 1GB with a free slot, and am considering purchasing two 2GB modules.

 

As I shop for memory, I see references indicating that depending upon which version of Vista I am running, the computer will use either only 3 GB or some amount up to 4GB. However, I am running XP Professional.

 

Also some of the memory finder programs suggest PC2-5400 instead of PC2-5300. ?????? Will the 5400 be "better" or just "different"? (I did this punctuation for you Killer)

 

1. If I add 4GB memory, will my computer actually be able to use it all?

 

2. I believe my processor is Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T8300 (2.4GHz 800MHz 3MBL2)

 

3. Any thoughts about brands of RAM? It looks like I can get two 2MB modules beginning at about $80.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ESokoloff]

"better" or just "different"? (I did this punctuation for you Killer)

 

Should not the ) be after the not before the (IL???GH)

[Bullett]

No . . . since the big grin applies to both "the 'better' or just 'different'?" and the "(I did this punctuation for you Killer)".

 

Gosh, the people on this forum. Some kinda punctuation po-lice.

 

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Hi, Eric!

 

 

[chrisolson]

XP will probably will only address 3 to 3.5 gig but since you should get matched modules and the cost isn't that much these days go for 4. I've had good luck HERE for various PCs and an older Thinkpad. Their "memory finder" seems to match manufacturer specs exactly.

[bakerzdosen]

Sharon,

 

Short version: Get this.

 

Long version:

 

The difference between PC2-5300 and PC2-5400 is negligible. If your motherboard on your laptop wants DDR2-667 (aka pc2-5300) RAM, it'll set the RAM to that speed if it's faster. The main thing is that it needs to be at least that fast (running at 667 MHz.) So, you could get faster RAM like DDR2 800, but unless you were planning on upgrading to a faster motherboard (I'm not aware of any out at the moment) that requires DDR2-800, it's pointless to do so.

 

The point is, RAM is somewhat of a commodity at this point. There are faster and slower types, but if they meet the specs, the differences are tiny - especially for laptops. The important thing is to buy from a place you trust and to get a manufacturer who will stand behind their product if something does go wrong (and ALL manufacturers have failures from time to time.)

 

Personally, I've had good success with g.skill, and so we bought a bunch at work. They've all worked out well, which is more than I can say for the Crucial RAM (from supposedly one of the better manufacturers - Micron).

 

As to getting 2GB or 4GB and only using part... get 4. If you decide to downgrade to Vista or get another 64-bit OS, you'll already have 4gb. The difference is tiny at this point.

[Bullett]

Thanks, Matt. I really appreciate your help.

 

 

[velomoto]

One other minor point to add to the above posts - when trying to decide between different brands/models of DDR2, compare the internal performance which shown with the "CL" or CAS Latency of the DDR. For DDR2 in the performance range you're looking at there are some with a CL=4 and others with CL=5. You can go here to read more: Linky: CAS Latency

 

- or just look to see which models are faster. BTW, the SKIL DDR at the above Newegg.com link has a CL=5, Kingston (and I'm sure others as well) has similar speed DDR2 with CL=4.

 

BTW, if you're planning to downgrade to Vista, definitely get as much memory as possible.

[bakerzdosen]

Well, I specifically left out any discussion of memory timings, but since you brought it up:

 

While it's true that memory with tighter timings is technically faster, it's not true that the user will experience any difference in real world performance by purchasing RAM with those tighter timings. This is more pronounced today with DDR2 RAM and faster RAM speeds. (Delays are expressed in terms of clock cycles, and the more frequent each cycle occurs, the less important delaying by one or two cycles will be.) Most tests (I say "most" but in reality it's every one I've ever seen) show that running DDR2 (and DDR for that matter) at a faster CAS latency will at best provide a 2-3% increase in performance in pure synthetic benchmarks. In using her laptop day to day, a 3% increase in performance wouldn't be noticeable at all - assuming her system would show that increase to it's fullest, which is very doubtful - even though she has a 45nm Penryn t8300.

 

Yes, all things being equal, the RAM with the lower latency (in addition to the other 3 timings) is typically faster. But it's not worth more than $5-$10 IMHO to get CL4 RAM.

 

The CL4 Kingston is a full $35 more.