Let's talk RAM on a new T14s

The Lenovo online store has some good discounts working right now (as of 11/8/20). I need at least 16 GB RAM. My "customize" options include 8 GB (soldered) and 16 GB (soldered). This whole "soldered RAM" is not something I've dealt with before.

Basically I'd like to add more RAM my own self. Could I get the basic 8 GB soldered then use one of the DIMM slots? Or would it be better to get the 16 GB soldered first then add more RAM.

I build my own desktops but customizing a laptop is also new to me.

 

Hi, since soldered mean you can not replace it, i'll get the 16GB.

 

I don't believe there's a spare slot, so whatever you buy, that's all you get, unless o course, you have some serious soldering skills.

 

@SpotBurner T14s only comes with soldered RAM. If you want soldered+slot, you need T14 or P14s; cheaper E14 gen 2 may also be worth a look, but it is worth purchasing only in configurations with both top & bottom chassis made of aluminum, not plastic.

 

OK, I see that now. For some reason I was thinking the T14 was Intel only and never looked at it's spec sheet. So, no DIMM slot on the T14s, one DIMM slot on the T14. Lessee, 16 GB soldered (two 8 GB) plus one 8 GB or 16 GB in the DIMM slot are my options. You sure do pay inflated RAM prices when ordering from Lenovo but I guess we all know that.

i know this has been discussed here a lot but I'll ask anyway: how to choose specifically which brand/timings/etc RAM to add that will be compatible with what a T14 would ship with?

And while I'm asking questions, is the 250 nit monitor decent (the T14 base monitor is too lame to consider) or would the 300 nit monitor be mandatory?

 

@SpotBurner arguably, both 250 nit & 300 nit screens are not very good - but it depends on what you expect from them. At least some of them don't have PWM, if you care about that.

You can put up to 32GB RAM stick in the slot. You'll get the worst timings between your RAM module and soldered RAM, so no point purchasing fancy RAM sticks. Pretty much any regular stick will work without problem, you definitely want to use 3200Mhz RAM.

 

That's good to know. I have 48 GB RAM installed on my main photo computer and use up to 34 GB regularly but this purchase would be for a work laptop while on the road. Currently I have a W520 (!!) which is worthless as far as a work laptop these days, given my workflow now.

And since it would be a work laptop on the road (for work to be finished when I get back to my desk) maybe the 300 nit would be OK. Tough to tell unless I sat and stared at all the monitor options like I do at my desk.

I'm going to re-read the "T14 and T14s owners" thread but I'll ask here: is there some inherent flaw in the T14 (for lack of a better word) that would steer me towards some other Lenovo? I have to have a trackpoint, that's a given. 14" screen is adequate, 15" would be better but not necessary. The AMD 4650U is plenty fast enough (I've read all the reviews and testing over on Hardware Unboxed). I wish it had two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A ports. Anything else I would miss?

 

@SpotBurner current AMD Thinkpads, especially T14 and its sister model P14s, as well as cheaper E14, are great in all regards... except for screens. FHD screens not only have low resolution for 14" display size, they are also typically much worse quality than higher resolution screens. You can get bright screens with reasonable color reproduction, with or without touch, on T14/P14s - but you'll be stuck with low FHD resolution no matter what. Also, they lack USB4 or Thunderbolt 3, if you care about that. Otherwise, great machines.

 

Well, FHD is what it is and that's what my now-defunct T430 had. I guess I just need a screen that works.

Seeing as the base boot SSD is 128 GB, how about storage? Are the M.2 slots my only option? Are there any idiosyncrasies I need to know about in the T14? I ask these basic questions because remember I'm coming from a T520 but have three photo desktops that I customize daily it seems but I'm sure that doesn't translate to customizing a modern Lenovo.

And there is no 2.5" SSD internal storage capability, it's M.2 or external. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just real different than what I have now.

 

@SpotBurner both m.2 slots seem to only accept NVME drives. m.2 SATA SSDs definitely won't work in 2242 slot, and reportedly in 2280 either.

 

Supposedly, the low power 400 nit LCD on the T14 is the best if the 14" 1080p screens.

 

I just bought a T14 from the Lenovo website. I figured if I waited too long they'd go back to full retail so I said "Add to cart" last night.

I got the cheapest spec which included just 8 GB of RAM, knowing I'd be adding my own stick of RAM later. Now here's a question that I have to say has not been addressed specifically, at least as far as my research has discovered:

Disregarding single or dual channel, with 8 GB (soldered) what's the largest RAM I can put in the DIMM slot? So far I've read, as regards to total RAM, that 32 GB is max. But maybe that's just for 32 GB soldered. Can I put a 32 GB in the DIMM slot? For a total RAM available of 40 GB? 16 GB for a total of 24 GB? Of course I I can put an 8 GB in to match the soldered but how about the other two options?

Here's what the T14 spec sheet says:

Chipset MemoryAMD SoC (System on Chip) platform24GB or 32GB max / 3200MHz DDR4, dual-channel capable,8GB or 16GB memory soldered to systemboard, one DDR4 SO-DIMM socket

 

Answered my own question. Thinking maybe I wouldn't get a reply on this thread I continued Googling for someone who has tried a 32 GB in the DIMM slow. It's funny how the same search on different days yields different results. I just saw this on Reddit: