Memory upgrade time, but chose which one?

With my T61 coming soon, now I am planning on buy 4G memory.

I read this great thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=121363)

and here are the options:

OCZ 2GB DDR2-667 SODIMM Notebook Memory $ 79.99

Patriot 2GB DDR2-667 SODIMM Notebook Memory $89.99

SuperTalent 2GB DDR2-667 SODIMM Micron Notebook Memory $93.73

Corsair 2GB DDR2-667 SODIMM Notebook Memory $99.99

Transcend 2GB DDR2-667 SODIMM Notebook Memory $99.99

Kingston 2GB DDR2-667 SODIMM Notebook Memory, $102.99


It looks to me that money is not an issue. I really want to get advice about which one has good quality/reputation and which one I should buy. I know that most expensive ones are not necessarily the best.

Thanks very much for your advice.

Regards,
David

 

I prefer the Kingston brand. See my sig below, I'm doing the same as you with the memory.

 

Really, ANY one of those brands are high quality...and I'd consider picking one just based off of the price. 533 and 667 MHz speed differences do not really matter with the latencies so high on 667, so there is little performance difference as well.

But yes, 4GB is soon to become a reality for many notebooks

 

I've been hearing Kingston's having problems with thinkpads. Not entirely sure on this, but I think i read it in this forum somewhere. Otherwise all good brands.

 

i've read that the patriot works on the t61. don't know how the others work on the t61. but as the others said, all are reputable.

 

I recall I read somewhere on this forum saying Corsair is a good brand.
Anybody comment on this?

I hope we can gather some collective experiences/advice for the rest of folks. We got to make sure T61 users know what to choose when upgrading memory

 

Corsair is a very good brand. Thats correct. Its just that paying an extra $20 by getting the Corsair module will not result in any performance difference from choosing either the cheapest or the most expensive. They all perform the same, and alot of brands such as OCZ, Kingston and Patriot, have reputations just as good as Corsair.

 

I tend to choose Kingston over anything else these days, even though it tends to cost the most. I have worked with there RMA program once before, and the turn around was 1 week with a normal RMA, and its 2 day free for an advanced RMA. All this can be filled out on their website, which sometimes isnt as easy to do through others.

 

I'll be getting Patriot. I know they are using the latest micron chips, they have lifetime warranty, and the price is about as good as it gets. $180 free shipping for 2 x 2GB = 4GB!!! http://shop3.outpost.com/product/5200767

 

Yep i just got it and installed it a hour ago...so far so good detects all 3gb...(original 1gb and this 2gb stick)

 

I placed an order for the Patriot 2gb 1 dim stick earlier this morning but ended up canceling the order because i would have lost the dual channeling by running one stick. Anyone else worried about the lost when running different sized/speed ram in each dimm?

 

hypertrophy,

I ordered a T61 and I want to upgrade to 4G (2x2G). In my case, is it true that my machine will be able to have dual channeling?

Thanks!

 

I thought that the 1gb of da 2gb stick dual channels with the 1gb stick, while the remaining 1gb of da 2gb stick just goes on normally.

 

Yes, its likely that your notebook will be able run the RAm in dual channel. You should also be aware that running an 800 MHz FSB with 667 MHz, that is not running in dual channel, may bottleneck the system when running applications where the processor needs a lot of data. In that case, dual channel can provide a good boost of performance.

 

Yes, if you run 2gb sticks in each dimm, then dual channeling will be enabled. I've heard it's best to order identical sticks for each slot.

Nope, from what i've read and heard the sticks have to be the same size and speed for each slot, basically identical sticks.

 

Dual channel is mostly a marketing gimmick.

 

That's all propaganda.
You won't experiencey any bottlenecks.

 

Can anyone tell me if this one is usable for T61? 1GB ram for $29.99.

http://shop.outpost.com/product/4787509

 

Yes, it is.
Just about any 200 pin SO-DIMM is "usable"

 

Nope.

 

LOL. Yeah i read the link that you posted in another thread, where the guy did a study about dual channeling using a 1gb stick, 2 512mb sticks that were identical, and 2 512mb sticks of different brands but identical speed. Though the differences were ever so slight, there was a difference.

I only originally purchased the 2gb 1 dim stick so i could leave 1 dimm open to "future proof" my investment. Seeing as i have no need to run 4gb's at the moment, even though the price has come down on 4gb's substantially, i can just run 2 x 2gb sticks which will maintain the "dual channeling" and save me $100+ at the same time.

 

Thats not propoganda at all. An 800 MHz FSB requires 6.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth, otherwise the processor will be limited by a lack of data. 667 MHz RAM in the form of a single module, can only provide 5.3 GB/s. Dual channel will allow much more bandwidth, and it won't leave the processor with a lack of data. The same is true for integrated graphics processors, because when coupled with a high frequency FSB, and lower clocked RAM, not enough data is sent to the graphics processor, and its performance is also affected.

Most dual channel benchmarks on the Internet don't use an 800 MHz FSB with much slower RAM, but rather an FSB which is the same frequency as the RAM. Because of that, the benchmarks don't show a mssive difference, normally nothing more than a 5% increase in performance.

 

Interesting. So doesnt that make the santa rosa platform a "double-edged-sword" because it has limited the ram speed to 667mhz? An 800mhz stick of ram will still only run at 667mhz on that platform.

 

In one sense, it does, yes. But most users that are going to or have purchased a Santa Rosa based system, will have bought one with two modules. The vast majority of those will run in dual channel from the start, so it won't affect most people. Even those who upgrade their RAM to different densities, can manage to run their RAM in asymmetric dual channel, which provides a good bandwidth increase, enough to no limit the system overall.

Also, the bottleneck will only be felt when a processor and memory intensive application is used. Some games, are both very processor and memory intenisve, and in that case, performance would be better if dual channel was used.

 

Can you explain " asymmetric dual channel?"

Edit: Found the explanation on Intel's site [start at 2.2]:
http://download.intel.com/design/chipsets/applnots/30167003.pdf

Edit 2: An even clearer explanation. It an example for a desktop, but you'll get the picture:
http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs-011965.htm

 

Zero, i was wondering if you would be able to answer another question for me.

In your opinion, what would reduce "bottleneck" the most- 2gb's of ram running in dual channel, or 2.5gb's of ram running in asymmetric dual channel given all else is identical except for the densities of the ram [2gb's in one dimm and 512mb's in the other]?

If you're wondering about the weird combo, i ordered my T61 with 512mb's of memory.

 

It depends on what programs your running. 2 GB is more than enough for most applications, and practically all games will run fine with 2 GB of RAM. I don't think 2.5 GB would make a massive difference. Neither option should be a bottleneck, because both will provide anough bandwidth to the processor.

 

About 2GB + 1GB configuration? That's what I have on my T60. Would I gain any performance increases if I upgrade to 2GB + 2GB? I know both configurations are limited to 3GB of usable RAM. What about the asymmetric vs. symmetric dual channel?

 

The FSB for that notebook is 667 MHz. If your RAM is 667 MHz, then there will be no difference by moving to 4 GB of RAM. If you need the extra RAM density, then it may be worth going for, seeing as RAM is priced quite well. If you don't run any RAM intensive applications, then the upgrade may not the worth it.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

I wonder how much speed would I gain by using a DDR2 800 vs. a DDR2 667 in the T61?

 

Bump! Hope to get some comments to the above question. Thanks.

 

Crucial, Muskin and Corsair are very high quality brands if you must have the best. I personally would just buy the cheapest one I could find

 

There won't be any difference, because the 800 MHz RAM will run at 667 MHz. Santa Rosa may have an 800 MHz FSB, but it only support 667 MHz RAM.

 

so could someone explain teh point of the 800mhz that santa rosa is known for?

 

in terms of bus speed, you wont get any speed advantages since the 800Mhz ram will automatically be bumped down to 667. however, if you can get lower latency ram, that will help(assuming all of your ram runs at the same "lower latency")

 

The Merom based processor in previous Napa platform, was seriously limited by its FSB. The desktop version, Conroe, had an FSB almost twice the size of Merom, and Intel deemed it important for their next Centrino platform to implement a much faster bus speed. To the average user, the FSB increase won't mean anything, but for people who use their processors in processor heavy applications, it will increase performance.

 

Thanks, Zero and Panteedropper. Your replies helped in deciding what ram to order.

 

That's all theoretical speculation on your part.

 

Precisely...

 

T61, XP 1GB ram, 1DIM

I had done a hardware analysis with the Thinkvantage software and it claimed "CPU Multicore test - misconfigured". Is this simply because I am only using 1 DIM?

It's still being "repaired" for a failed SMBIOS.

 

Which program of Thinkvantage did you use? I wanted to try it too. I just installed 4GB RAM a few days ago.

 

I just purchased a T61 (14.1 in. widescreen) and was shopping around for RAM. When I called IBM tech support, they told me that IBMs are finicky and I should opt to get an IBM part.

Well, that advice went out the window when I heard that it was around $350 for a 1G and $738 for a 2G! Anyhow, thankfully, I found this thread and am happy to say that as someone pretty much unknowledgeable about computers, I managed to install the 2G Partriot ram. My computer now works so much better!

 

There is really no such thing as IBM RAM just like there is not such thing as an IBM hard drive. They use various brands of RAM and hard drives. For the most part all of the major RAM manufacturers are using the same Micron chips. Sure, it's slightly possible to have some incompatibility issues with a particular brand. But most likely if there is a problem with the RAM it is from a faulty chip not the brand. Anytime you install new RAM you should test it out with memtest86+ (link in my sig).

 

The biggest issue here is quality control. These "same brand" (Micron, Samsung, Hyundai, etc.) chips come off the manufacturing line in various degrees of "quality"...they're tested, and the highest quality chips go to server ram, the lowest quality go to white label 3rd party vendors, and so on. There is a huge variation in quality regardless of the brand.

mdarter

 

i just upgraded my t60 from 512 to 1.5gb. when i opened it up, there was a single 512mb stick in there and i bought a 1gb stick of crucial ram off of frys for $25 ar. works great so far. im running xp so its about all i need for now

 

Corsair is much better i think.