Does this HP computer have fast RAM or no?

HP Pavilion 15.6" Laptop 4GB Memory 640GB Hard Drive g6-2278dx - Best Buy


I have this.
I recently found out that not all RAMs are equal and some are made slower than than others. So it got be wondering if this HP laptop has a slow RAM.
Should I change the RAM to 8GB (faster?) If so what (faster?) RAMs could it support?

 

Well that processor supports up to DDR3 1600, and it would probably come with either 1333 or 1600.

 

Why is this in the Windows OS and Software Forum?

Perhaps not gaming speeds or latency timings, but it's DDR3 so it should be plenty fast for casual activity. 4GB is sort of a golden standard for Windows Vista and up, but doubling the capacity to 8GB can only stand to improve it's performance; it really depends on what you're going to use the laptop for, in the end.

 

RAM is RAM is RAM. Even if it has "slower" 1333MHz RAM, you wouldn't notice any subjective difference.

As to answer your question, any DDR3 204-pin RAM will work with your laptop. Most are between 1066MHz to 1866MHz, though there are some that are clocked higher (though with dubious benefit if you ask me).

 

If you really want to improve the responsiveness of the system I would opt for a SSD, the 5400RPM drive would be the bottleneck on that system. Even if you did choose the higher speed RAM you probably won't notice the difference against the "slower" RAM in real world usage.

 

Actually that igp is bottlenecked by the ram. Assuming that laptop has DDR3-1333 which is the standard cheapo stuff these days, the igp would get a good performance boost from 1600+ memory. But if games don't matter, then the ram speed doesn't matter.

 

i agree that this laptop probably has slow ram most likely something 1333Mhz ish with high latency. Manufactorers indeed cut costs on quality and fast ram mostly because most people don´t look at the ram speed when they buy a laptop. I wouldnt be put off tho by slow ram. The ram speed doesnt matte that much. It still matters a bit faster ram means higher ram read speeds (least important if you ask me), boosts CPU preformance, and boosts iGPU preformance. Since the iGPU doesnt have dedicated memory like normal graphics cards it uses the ram. Getting faster ram really makes a difference in the iGPU. So i´d not be put off by slow ram especialy because you can easaly replace it and replacing ram is cheap.

 

What if you want to run a lot of different browsers at the same time with lots of tabs. Would 8GB be useful for that?

 

it depends on what is on those tabs. Usualy youtube and stuff it quite ram consuming. I´d say an average of 100mb for a tab so you could have like 30 tabs open with 4gb. But Ram is really easy to do yourself. So if you get a 4gb laptop just simply add another stick yourself.

 

8GB is the "golden standard" currently for most users. I'd also recommend getting laptop RAM aftermarket and not buying it from the OEM, as they overcharge for the upgrade.

 

OP, you may find this useful:

See:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...m-full-speed-help-screenshots-appreciate.html


I do agree with others that an SSD will give even better responsiveness at a much higher cost and involvement (clean install highly recommended).

I see that Win8 is installed - but I hope it is the 64bit version if you want to enjoy the productivity and overall better responsiveness (even with a HDD instead of an SSD) if you decide to get 8GB or 16GB PC3-12800 or higher RAM SoDIMM's.

Especially with the AMD platform you're running; graphics performance can take a huge jump with higher quality (and higher capacity) SoDIMMs.

Good luck.