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    Mixing RAM on a laptop?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by HSanjay19, Jun 9, 2014.

  1. HSanjay19

    HSanjay19 Notebook Guru

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    Maybe this is a stupid question but is it safe to mix 4GB and 2GB RAM sticks on a laptop if they both run at the same speed?

    Or will this cause a performance drop? And do I have to worry about "timings" (I don't what that really means) and the brands (is there a difference between identically fast RAM made by different brands)?
     
    HSanjay19, Jun 9, 2014
    #1
  2. wo^tron

    wo^tron Newbie

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    should be fine as long as the setup can handle the memory
     
    wo^tron, Jun 9, 2014
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  3. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    Don't do it! Your machine will explode!

    Nah, just kidding. But it will just revert to the slowest chip for speed and timing. It should do it automatically. After you install the RAM, when you power up your machine, it may reboot itself to configure the RAM.
     
    HTWingNut, Jun 9, 2014
    #3
  4. HSanjay19

    HSanjay19 Notebook Guru

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    Haha.....if they are both of the same speed then what will happen? Is there any way I can mix 4 and 2 GB and make sure all 6GB is available to the system?
     
    HSanjay19, Jun 9, 2014
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  5. Apollo13

    Apollo13 100% 16:10 Screens

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    It should work without any hassles. I've run my laptop with a 2 GB module and a 1 GB module from different manufacturers, and there was no discernible difference. Similarly, I've run a tablet PC with 512 MB on one stick, and a faster 2 GB one as the other, and that also worked fine. The faster one will automatically slow down to match the slower one.
     
    Apollo13, Jun 9, 2014
    #5
  6. Marksman30k

    Marksman30k Notebook Deity

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    Performance wise, should be very very very miniscule difference. The RAM simply runs in Asynchronous mode so you won't even notice.
     
    Marksman30k, Jun 9, 2014
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  7. HSanjay19

    HSanjay19 Notebook Guru

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    By faster you are referring to latencies, right?
     
    HSanjay19, Jun 10, 2014
    #7