Computer, Ram/memory

Discussion in 'Computer Corner' started by Jiffy, Apr 11, 2021.

  1. Jiffy

    Jiffy The Match is on Fire

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    I've got a HP laptop which only has 4gb memory, how easy is it to put in more memory etc and how do i find out what's the right broad to but in?
    Would like to get it up to 8 or 16 gb and i don't mine having a go my self if it ok to do but i only want to know how to find the right broad to go into laptop please
     
  2. pete

    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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    I put more memory in my desktop, I had at the time, some years ago.

    have you got a label on the lap top stating which type it has.

    Mine says DDR3 L, if you google that lots of stuff comes up.

    How you put it in I dont know, it was simple in a desktop as loads of room inside, thinking a laptop might be more congested.

    Youtube usually has a lot of videos on this kind of stuff.
     
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    • ricky101

      ricky101 Total Gardener

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      Hi,

      If you go to Crucials site, link below, ( very good manufacturer) their program will tell you what you have now in terms of ram and slots and what you can upgrade to with their products or similar.

      However, what system are your running ? if its a 32bit Windows then no point in going above 4 gb as it cannot use /address over 4 gb.

      The best speed increase is usually replacing your HDD for a SSD, a good bit more complicated but usually a dramatic speed increase, the best upgrade we have ever done , but not always that effective on a very old laptop ; again this Cruicial link should advise you.

      Computer Memory | DDR4 DDR RAM Upgrades | Crucial.com
       
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      • Jiffy

        Jiffy The Match is on Fire

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        Thank you Ricky and Pete

        Using 64bit windows, looking at that site looks like i've got 2 slots for boards, can i use differnence makes of boards together and difference sizes in the same machine ie 4gb which i have now and put in another 4gb or 8gb, or do they have to be 2 4gb or 2 8gb etc
         
      • ricky101

        ricky101 Total Gardener

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        Hi,

        Generally its better to have similar combinations 2+2 or 4+4 etc though you can have 4+2 or 4+8.
        Same with make, its generally better to have them the same, but not essential, though again having them the same specification again better.

        Did you let that Crucial scanner program run on your laptop, quiet safe, it should have let you know the types /sizes you can use.

        Also worth checking with you laptops user manual as they normally have a section detailing what combination /sizes of Ram you can use.
        Our old Toshiba laptop will only allow a maximum of 4+4gb.
        If you quote the make and model number of your laptop here we can help look that up, details usually on a sticker on the bottom side.

        For a supplier, we use this place, always good service and products, including their 'own' brands. We have CCLs own memory in our Desktop, but as you can see its actually made by Samsung.
        DDR3 Laptop Memory | CCL Computers

        000558.jpg
         
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        • clanless

          clanless Total Gardener

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          My bit (pun intended :biggrin:).

          You don't mention why you want to increase your laptop memory. More memory does not automatically lead to a faster laptop - you sofware must use all 64 bits - not all does - to maintain backward compatibility.

          I have an 8gb computer but I very rarely use more than 4gb - in fact it's hard work to use more than 4gb on a home pc. If you do go for extra memory you could use it as a temporary ssd while the laptop is on - but it's a bit of a faff.

          If you have a need for speed - ricky101 has hit the nail on the head - that is where I would be spending my money. Booting up a laptop takes forever using a mechnical hdd. Ssd will cut this time down dramatically and you benefit from faster writing/reading files in everyday use. Some ssd have the form factor of the old hdd - so are plug and play.
           
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          • ricky101

            ricky101 Total Gardener

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            @Jiffy, would be better if you could say why you wanted to add more Ram as there are some programs like Video Editing ( eg photoshop etc) and CAD that can benefit from more Ram but also much faster along with a SSD.
             
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            • Jiffy

              Jiffy The Match is on Fire

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              I do a bit of video editing and when i look at how much memory the computer is using with out me using it, it's using 3/4 of it's memory before i use any thing so when i use video editer and photo editer it slow's right down, so that why i thought about uping the memory/ram, it's not our main computer just for faffing about with ;)

              i think it have an SSD hard drive but i will have to look :thumbsup:

              I did use that site, put in make model etc and it came up with a few ram boards to choose from, i didn't let it scan my laptop
               
              Last edited: Apr 12, 2021
            • ricky101

              ricky101 Total Gardener

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              When you go to that Crucial link and click on the Scan Button, it downloads a little file, you have to Run that to properly check what hardware you have, never found it to be a problem.

              Also worth looking at the site of the Video / Editing software you are using as they often have a Recommended page saying whats the optimum ram to fit as well as processor speed etc.

              If you have a desktop or more powerful laptop think doing video editing etc on them will be better than trying to use or upgrade an old laptop as in the end its still going to be slowish due to the old slower processor / cpu .....?
               
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              • pete

                pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                Now you mention it @ricky101 ,I remember doing that when I was looking for more memory for my old desktop.
                It told me exactly what to buy, and worked really well.
                 
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                • Jiffy

                  Jiffy The Match is on Fire

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                  The laptop is only max 2 years old as we had a lighting strike and blow router and old computer so we bought laptop to fill us in and then we bought a made to order desktop

                  just had a look for what hard drive is into it and the box just says hard drive so i think it's a standard one
                   
                • Black Dog

                  Black Dog Gardener of useful things

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                  I agree with @ricky101

                  More RAM won't necessarily increase your speed. Best results are achieved when changing the hard drive from HDD to SSD. I've done it a dozen times (literally) and it's not that hard PROVIDED your laptop case is actually screwed shut and not glued or something. You can find lots of how-to videos on YouTube that will walk you through every single step. The speed increases dramatically and even the slowest PCs run like hell when equipped with a new SSD. Also it doesn't matter which manufacturer you chose, they all work equally well. And with a cloning tool you don't even need to set up the PC after changing.

                  Changing RAM is also possible, but you will need to know the exact specs. Maybe you still have a receipt, the manual (although those are crap nowadays) the original packaging or can access the website where you bought it? There should be something in there.
                   
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                  • ricky101

                    ricky101 Total Gardener

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                    @Jiffy if its that new then it should be easy to upgrade the hard drive and / or ram.
                    Again the Crucial program will confirm if you have a HDD or SSD installed and what SSD is compatible.
                    If you do buy one, do go for a good brand name from a good PC supplier, and one that offers a 5 year warranty, many have just 3 years.
                    As we have found out SSDs do not last as long as a HDD.

                    Without knowing the model laptop and cpu you have, ( find out by going to Settings, System, About) the only caveat is that many of the cheaper laptops did not have a processor with much more computing power than our 15 year old laptop, so fitting extra fast devices to it many not give such a performace boost as expected.
                    Some of the really cheap models do not have pluggable ram slots or a true hard drives, so do check.


                    000562.jpg

                    000560.jpg
                     
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                    • Jiffy

                      Jiffy The Match is on Fire

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                      This is what i got

                      HP Pavillion x360 Convertible 15 inch screen
                      Intel(R) Pentium(R) COU4415U at 230GHz 2.30
                      4.00GB (3.84 GB usable)
                      Hard drive 1TB
                      64 bit OS

                      Just looking at it's memory ie just started up lap top and just siting there with task manger open on memory
                      in use 2.1gb, available 1.7gb
                       
                      Last edited: Apr 12, 2021
                    • clanless

                      clanless Total Gardener

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                      That's a good point - worth mentioning. As you know the Raspberry Pi boots up from a MSD - each section of which can only take so many read/writes before it throws in the towel.

                      Manufacturers recognise this and now some msd's read/write across the full card capacity so that it lasts longer.

                      From my experience when the msd starts to go corrupt - it slows down. But then we are talking years here rather than months - so it's likely that you will have moved onto another piece of kit before it fails entirely.

                      Top tip - if you go down the ssd route - get the biggest one you can afford.
                       
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