Really need help on ram

For Toshiba notebooks do you need to use Toshiba memory sticks in order to make them work right with a Toshiba notebook? I seem to have a problem trying get my notebook to have 16GB even the memory is working fine. I got two PNY 8GB PC3-12800 rams and for somereason it doesn't show the usable amount of 15.5GB since 512mb is used for the GPU. It only shows 7.5gb but what's funny is that it shows the total amount is 16GB on my computers specs when I right click on This PC and goto properties. When I have one 4GB Kingston and one 8GB PNY it works fine and shows 11.5GB since it will be 12GB rams.The PNY rams are both low density type so should work fine. The ram that came with the notebook is a Kingston 4GB high density and it worked fine combining with a 8GB PNY low density ram.


If someone can help me on this I would totally appreciate it. I have a Toshiba Satellite btw.

 

No, you use whatever spec of RAM your laptop takes (modern laptops use DDR3 204-pin sticks). Brand of RAM doesn't matter at all really; so long as you pick something that has decent reviews, you'll be fine.

Could you post a screenshot showing the problem?

 

The specific notebook cpu you have (and chipset if applicable) as well as the O/S you're using may be the issue.

Give us more details please.

 

I attached the PDF file that shows all the specs about the notebook I have.

 

The memory you bought is designed to run faster than your computer can run it, but it should automatically downclock to compensate. From the fact that at least some of the memory is recognized, it does not seem like that's your problem. Where are you looking that reports less RAM available than you have installed? If one Windows application recognizes your full amount of installed memory, other applications should normally recognize the same amount.

On another subject, when you say "low density" and "high density", could you be talking about lower and higher latency? Density is not a measured characteristic in computer memory.

 

When you goto task manager and goto performance and click memory on top it shows 16GB but where the graph is that shows how much I' am using only shows like I have 8GB installed since it says 7.5gb


I did really mean high density and low density the Kingston 4GB is a high density since it has only 4 chips on each side and the PNY one has 8 chips on each side so its low density.

 

"Density" as you describe it has nothing to do with how RAM works. The computer doesn't care if your RAM stick has 2 RAM modules or 200; that sort of information is abstracted away by the motherboard.

 

Is the graph set to auto scale?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Thanks for the PDF file OP.

AMD platform, okay. With performance from a decade ago. I too would want to maximize the RAM on this system if I had it, but why do you want to (I have a ton of spare parts lying around)? Having 2x 4GB SoDimms would give it the maximum boost possible. What type of workload are you presenting it that 16GB RAM would help?

If you insist on running 16GB RAM - just get two more identical sticks from another manufacturer (and I agree, low density and high density configurations can and do make a difference).


Good luck.

 

The graph doesn't have like auto scale. It's basically the graph that just shows the current memory usage. It's what Windows 8 has in the performance tab. Basically it shows on the upper right corner 16 GB DDR3 and right underneath it very close to the graph it says 7.5 GB. Normally it's suppose to say 15.5 GB since some of it is reserved for the GPU.


I thought originally I needed to buy a Toshiba memory from there site but would using a different ram work for sure? All I know is the Toshiba memory from there site costs around $110 for one 8GB PC3-12800 and that is expensive but if it will make things work right I might have to get it. But if maybe I try like Crucial memory from Amazon it will be cheaper but I don't know if it will work.

 

It sounds to me like your system is correctly recognizing all your memory, but using a significant portion of it for hardware or something unknown. Could you screenshot the Task Manager memory tab (where you're looking)?

Your system does not need PC3-12800 memory, as that runs at 1600 Mhz and your system can only run memory at 1333 Mhz. If PC3-10667 memory is less expensive, you might as well get that. Also, you can use any 1333 Mhz standard-voltage (1.5 volts) DDR3 SODIMM memory module in your system. It does not need to be made by Toshiba. It can be made by Crucial, Corsair, Kingston, Transcend, Gskill, Adata, or any other company and it should work fine as long as it's 1333 Mhz, 1.5 volts, DDR3, and SODIMM (made for notebooks). Also, pretty much all memory modules have a lifetime warranty. So if anything does go wrong, you can get them replaced easily.

 

I have to use PC3-12800 since if I use the 1333mhz one the memory speed says 667mhz instead of 800mhz. I know it's suppose to be used for 1600mhz but for some reason if I put 1333mhz then it will only say 667mhz speed but if I put the 1600mhz then it will say 800mhz which is better. I tried using the 1333mhz before but it won't give the best speed as possible.

I know you guys might think it's strange but it's a fact that if I use 1600mhz rams then it will read 800mhz yes it's slower than 1600mhz but that's what happens.


Btw if my system is using a lot of ram when having 16gb then how come if I put 12gb it shows the right amount that I have meaning 11.5gb? If I put 16GB it's suppose to say 15.5gb since 512mb is reserved for GPU but some reason it only has 7.5gb.

 

1333MHz is supposed to show up as 667MHz and 1600MHz is supposed to show up as 800MHz. There's nothing going wrong with the RAM in your case since that's just how modern RAM works. The "DDR" in "DDR3" stands for "Double Data Rate", so you have to multiply that 667MHz/800MHz by two to get 1333MHz/1600MHz.

 

So does that mean that even it say 800mhz I am not getting that speed? So getting only 667mhz is what it's suppose to be? I know that the 4GB ram that came with this notebook is a 1600mhz since it said 800mhz on the memory speed. Also on the actual memory stick it says 1600mhz on it.

But could this be the reason it's not working since I put both 1600mhz that are 8GB and it should be two 1333mhz that are 8GB? If that's not the reason why I can't get 15.5gb of ram from the 16gb then I don't know what is the problem. All I know that two computers I exchanged did the same thing so apparently my notebook isn't defective.

 

Nope, with 1600MHz RAM you're getting 1600MHz. And 1333MHz with 1333MHz RAM.

If you have mixed RAM sticks that are 1333MHz and 1600MHz, all that'll happen is that all the sticks will run at 1333MHz (slowest speed); it should still allow you (you as in you and the computer) to use a total of 16GB of RAM if that's what you have installed right now.

 

Actually with DDR3 1600MHz RAM you're getting 800MHz (double data rate makes it effectively 1600MHz) and same for DDR3 1333MHz.

Agree that the system will run (if it can) with the slowest speed module installed - but that is still 800MHz or 667MHz not the advertised speeds.

Even DDR4 is still double data rate (albeit 4th gen) - on the desktop at least we should be getting above real 1600MHz speeds - on the mobile platforms though? Probably not.

 

Well if 1600mhz will work fine then how come it can only use 7.5GB from the 16GB? Is it possible that PNY memory is not the best for this system? I could try two crucial ones that a low density type rams and see what happens but seems like having two PNY 8GB PC3-12800 doesn't work right. Also another idea I thought I could do is put two 1333mhz rams that are 8GB and see if it works right.


But since this notebook is for 1333mhz does that mean it won't make any difference if I put 1600mhz? Or will it really run like 1600mhz even its 1333mhz?

 

Have you ran a memory test to see if that RAM stick could be defective? As said before, RAM brand really doesn't matter; the only things that matter would be the specs themselves (clock speed, CAS latency, etc).

IT won't make much a different running 1600MHz vs 1333MHz. You could possibly do some trickery to get your CPU to run 1600MHz properly (maybe), but honestly you won't be able to tell the different. You're still limited heavily by your CPU, GPU, hard drive, etc. Really you'll only see a difference in benchmarks, which for the Average Joe like yourself is nothing but a numbers game ("My RAM's faster than your's!!1!").

 

You had posted earlier that in the upper right corner of the Task Manager memory window, it recognizes that you have 16GB RAM installed, but somewhere else in the window, it says something different. I still think a screenshot of the Task Manager memory tab would likely clear this up quickly. Can you post a screenshot?

Installing 1600 Mhz RAM when your system can only handle up to 1333 Mhz RAM means the installed RAM will, if it can, downclock to the fastest it can run in your system (1333 Mhz). If it can't downclock or something in your system doesn't support that, the RAM just won't work.

 

This. This would help quite a bit.

 

Well the problem is that I already returned the memory sticks since I was planning to get a 1333mhz one. But I can show you were it did say 7.5gb and where it said 16gb.


I did attach the pic now but remember it's only going to show 4gb since I returned the two 8gb rams. But I can give you an idea where it said 16gb and 7.5gb


Basically where I circled the top would say 16gb and bottom would say 7.5gb.

 

I know the rams I had before were working though since I had them tested at a computer store. But I did put were it said 16gb and 7.5gb on the memory. But now it says 4th since I put back my original one that came with the notebook. I will soon get the memorys that are 1333mhz. But if you guys already know the problem I had let me know.

 

Well, thanks for the screenshot...

If you don't have the RAM anymore, the discussion seems to have lost some meaning. The reason I wanted to see the screenshot is to look for the things you did not see or were not looking for. Without a screenshot of that for the memory in question, we can't figure out exactly what happened. However, since you got rid of the problematic memory, I guess it doesn't really matter now. :shrug: