New ram for a t61p

I am currently in the process of ordering a T61p. My question is, Which ram should I buy and install myself? I know the santa rosa fbs is 800mhz, so if i buy pc2-6400 ram, will the notebook be able to take full advantage of its speed? I was thinking about getting the 4gb set from crucial.

http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=20DB3FE9A5CA7304

 

You can get any type of RAM you wish just make sure the speed of the RAM you are getting is the same as the computer's original RAM or make sure the number(5300, 6400, etc.) matches with your processor number.

 

Only a 64 bit machine could use all 4gb. So make sure to get ultimate. (I believe that's the only one lenovo offers with 64 bit...although this could be different on the t61p...lenovo's site is down right now so I can't check it.) All other versions...32-bit...can only use about 3gb. What do you need 4gb for...? 4gb is overkill unless you need it for a specific reason.

 

I hope you don't actually buy the RAM straight from Crucial. You might as well spend WAY less buying from places like newegg or Fry's Electronics and spend the difference on a hooker or something.

 

DDR2 800mhz is a gimmick right now, the chipset doesn't support it. Theres other threads about 800mhz ram if your interested in reading up on it.

I do agree with johnny, buy the ram someplace else.

 

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

 

Click here for: RAM deals. The first page is updated daily.

The T61 will only support 667mhz RAM. You can install 800mhz RAM and it will throttle down to 667mhz so it is a waste of money.

3GB should be plenty. If you insist on 4GB of RAM then you must go with 64-bit. It is fairly simple to clean install from 32-bit to 64-bit. Use the search tool to find out how.

The only 64-bit from the factory is Vista Business on the T61P at the moment.

 

Thanks for the responses. Only reason I was looking at Crucial was because they had the 4gb of ram at 800mhz. If the t61p doesn't support it, I'll definitely get it somewhere else and at the 677mhz as it is much cheaper. Anyhow, I am trying to future proof the system, so I was debating on getting the 4gbs or 3 to future proof it as much as i could, and the fact that was planning to do a little video rendering on the side for the machinima group i work with. I was going to reinstall vista ultimate when i got the machine anyhow. A quick side question though, if i do a clean install, will I be able to make a cd or dvd to also reinstall office?

 

Personally I'm against future proofing...just look at things such as HD's, less than a year ago a 320 gb external hard drive was on sale for like 220 dollars i think...now you can find them for half that. Same thing has happened with ram. If 3gb will suffice you...then I would recommend getting that...I dunno I don't edit videos.

 

that is incorrect.

You can get vista business 64.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Anyhow, anyone have any suggestions for the best bang for the buck, be it 3 or 4 gb of compatible ram from a reliable dealer? I'm weary of buying ram, I've had a lot of bad experiences with bad ram. I tend to have bad luck with it.

 

Kingston, Corsair, and Crucial are all very respectable brands that have a lifetime warranty. I know there are other respectable companies as well, but these are among the most popular (and I cant think of anymore).

 

Thanks for the response. How about online retailers that are trust worthy?

 

So are Patriot, OCZ, Geil, PQY, PNY, SuperTalent, Transcend, Buffalo, Samsung.
Memory has become commodity nowdays.
Buy on price/warranty and don't pay too much attention to branding, since there is very little difference among the brands.
The two biggest, deal-rich sites are frys.com and newegg.com
Both are reputable outlets.

 

Thanks for finishing the list there, couldn't remember anymore... Yeah dude WWW.NEWEGG.COM ALL THE WAY! Check that site out, really really awesome and totally legit.

 

So this would be the best ram available for the t61p, correct? It is dual channel, which means they run better together, correct? Can I use one stick without the other? I've heard that you need to have under 4 gb of ram when trying to do a clean install to get vista up to 64bit, so I want to be able to just take out a stick, do the install, and then drop it back in. I literally just ordered my t61p but with only a gig of ram so that I could get the turbo memory.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144066

 

Be sure to take your time when shopping around for RAM. Look at other sites such as www.frys.com and other online stores(try a google search). Good deals come and go all the time, best to look around and take your time with it. That's what I did with it and I ended up getting a gig of RAM for about 30$(w/ shipping and tax- originally $65) when it was on a sale, and when it came with a mail in rebate. One of the best buys I've made (yes it was from www.newegg.com).

 

I did a froogle search and that geil set up is the best deal I've seen. 205 bucks after rebates for 4 gigs of ram.

 

Patriot 2GB SODIMM is only $99.99 shipped at frys.com [no rebate required]. That's 4GB's for only $199.98 shipped if you dont have to pay tax. Have you checked out the Hot Ram Deals thread? The first page is updated daily by Gophn.

 

Can somebody enlighten me about adding on a 2gb 1 dimm stick to a machine that has 1gb 1 dimm...are there any problems with doing this/disadvantages...? I would assume it's not quiet up to par to having 1.5 gb in each dimm but I don't know much.

 

Oh and also if you have a FRY's store near you...you can find some really cheap ram in their ads.

 

I have seen this question somewhere else on the forum and the general response is that everything will be fine as long as the clock speeds of all RAM in your computer are the same(the MHz).

 

"Q: Do I have to install matching pairs?

A: No.

No, you can install modules one at a time, and you can mix different densities of modules in your computer. But if your computer supports dual-channel memory configurations, you should install in identical pairs (preferably in kits) for optimal performance."

That's according to the FAQ on the crucial website from the link at the beginning of this thread.

 

Thanks guys for all the help. I think I'm going to go with the Geil set as it can run dual channel and I am not sure if the patriot could. If I'm wrong, I'm nine bucks poorer.

 

get PC5300 ram, anything higher than that will be a waste. i personally use crucial, but only because it got 2gb (2X1gb) for 45 bucks. Get whatever you can get that is cheap. Generics are usually fine, but I personally would stick to crucial, mushkin, corsair. Can never go wrong with hynix either as thats what lenovo gives us from the get go.

 

Lenovo installed Samsung RAM into my T60.