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    Upgrading RAM; heat spreader?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by aak, Nov 9, 2007.

  1. aak

    aak Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm shopping for memory. Does anyone think heat spreaders on RAM are worth it? Are they necessary?
     
    aak, Nov 9, 2007
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  2. Eleison

    Eleison Thanatos Eleison

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    On really high-end RAM that you intend to overclock, heat spreaders are necessary. Otherwise? They're eye candy designed to loudly crow about the microscopic nature of the owner's testicles :D.
     
    Eleison, Nov 9, 2007
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  3. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

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    In a laptop it's definitely not worthwhile. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen laptop RAM with heat spreaders.
     
    Commander Wolf, Nov 9, 2007
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  4. Evolution

    Evolution Vox Sola

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    They actually do make sodimm ram modules with heat spreaders it is just that they are hard to find and the heat spreaders aren't really needed for most notebook users.

    This newegg link shows GeIL notebook ram with heat spreaders.
     
    Evolution, Nov 9, 2007
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  5. frazell

    frazell Notebook Deity

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    Not to mention heat spreaders can prevent the ram from fitting into the laptop...

    The 1520's casing has built in heat spreaders for RAM ;)
     
    frazell, Nov 9, 2007
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  6. Inkjammer

    Inkjammer Notebook Deity

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    Yeah, I had to remove the spreaders from my Geil RAM to fit it into my Alienware m9750. The heatsinks felt really cheap, too. Just like a metallic parsely - just for looks.
     
    Inkjammer, Nov 9, 2007
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  7. Eleison

    Eleison Thanatos Eleison

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    Don't forget, those looks (that nobody will ever see in a notebook) are compensating for something :D
     
    Eleison, Nov 9, 2007
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  8. frazell

    frazell Notebook Deity

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    lol you're reminding me very much of my mother in law :p

    Though I do agree :cool:
     
    frazell, Nov 9, 2007
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  9. Cam_86

    Cam_86 Notebook Evangelist

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    ... Wouldnt those only make a significant difference if their was a few cm of air space around the memory? Just seems moronic, when on MOST laptops, the ram modules are under one-another and are practically touching... There is very little airflow over them, so even if you were pushing your ram to the point of over-heating, there probably wouldn't be anything moving the heat held in the spreaders, out of the case.

    When did people start building PC's to look fast, rather then actually BE fast? I blame people who rice up honda civics for this! :p
     
    Cam_86, Nov 9, 2007
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  10. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Heatspreaders have a minimal effect if applied correctly. A big complaint in the past few years has been heatspreaders that have not been attached properly hence actually trapping heat. The best thing is an actual heatsink and/or heatpipe plus fan. The only reason to buy a more expensive memory kit is because of how they are binned, the heatspreader is there for aesthetic appeal. Read forums and use google to find which companies and which lines use the best chips (Micron, etc). If you're not overclocking, just stick with the cheap ones.
     
    sgogeta4, Nov 10, 2007
    #10