Sony vaio z1290 ram upgrade?

Hi,

Can anybody help me to determine what kind of ram specs do I need in order to upgrade to 6GB?

I just order a z1290 with a 2GB ram and planning on buying a 4GB ram to go with it but I want to make sure that I am buying the right ram that is compatible with the laptop. Can I use any kind of brand to go with the existing sony brand or I have to use the same brand rams for it?

Thanks in advance!

 

U just need a stick of RAM with the same timing and speed of your current stick. (For the speed a 1066 mhz stick of RAM should do) If you need to know the timing of your current stick of RAM, use this software:
CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting

and the timings are circled in the picture i attached below:

 

which one would you recommend that gives me the bang for the buck?

 

just buy 2 4gb's they are cheap now

 

That is great but I haven't recieve my laptop yet so I can't really test it out yet. I want to buy the ram before the laptop gets here. Would this ram work>>> Newegg.ca - G.SKILL 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Laptop Memory Model F3-8500CL7S-4GBSQ ???

 

Yeah the should be fine.

I believe all generations of the Z series takes the same RAM specs (I've just recently upgrade my RAM).

 

Yep that should be fine. All Z's accept DDR3-1066(PC 8500) SO-DIMM RAM. Which is weird because apparantly CTO and higher-end preconfig Z's shipped with DDR3-1333 (PC 10600) RAM. (like mines) All RAM is backwards compatible in speeds (not tech, so you cant stick a DDR3 into a DDR2 slot) so it worked out fine =p.

 

I'm not sure if Superbiiz ships to Canada, but W1333SB4GV Super Talent DDR3-1333 SODIMM 4GB Notebook Memory - DDR3 SODIMM 200 Pin - SuperBiiz.com, this is $80.98 USD - $10 w/ code ENDZONE10 = $70.98 if you're interested. It was $68 the other day, but i live in CA and tax ALWAYS kills the deals =(

 

Yeah that is a great deal! I noticed you own a Z1190 and the DDR3-1333-SODIMM 200 pin ram fits in yours? So that means its fine on my Z1290 too right? if that is the case then i might just go 8GB DDR3-1333-SODIMM 200 PIN >>> http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227549
all the way wat you guys think?

I live in Canada so yeah HST kills the deal

 

Wait can I get a confirmation on this? DDR3-1333 RAM will work in a VAIO Z (specifically a VAIO Z 1290 CTO)?? Because if so I will probably upgrade now for the faster ram and to up the memory from 4 to 8 gigs.

Or are you trying to say that DDR3-1333 RAM will work but operate at 1066?

Thanks

EDIT: actually, I've noticed that the timings on the 1066 RAMS available through newegg is better, so if what you meant to say was that 1333 RAM will work with the VAIO Z but operate at 1066, would it not be better to still go with the 1066 assuming I'd get faster timings from those?

 

For whether it can use 1333 RAM at 1333 speed, that depends on the CPU. The i3, i5 and Core 2 CPUs only support 1066. You need an i7.

1333 RAM running at 1066 will generally run with lower timings than at 1333, usually at the same as 1066 RAM does.

Almost all DDR3 1066 notebook RAM as well as faster RAM running at 1066 speed has 7-7-7-20 timings, with the exception of Kingston Hyper-X which is 5-5-5-15. If you don't need more than 4 GB RAM, that gives you fairly similar RAM speed to 1333 (faster access time, slightly slower transfer time) and .2 higher score in WEI

 

Maybe a stupid question, but do brands make a difference when buying RAM? Or all manufacturers pretty much the same?

 

Great info! Thanks!

 

I just want to make sure. My sony comes with 2GB ram, can I use a different brand with the one that comes with my sony laptop or I have to buy the same brand for them to work correctly and sacrifice the 2GB from sony? I'm planning on doing a 2GB(sony) + 4GB(brand name) ram set up, would this work?

Thanks!

 

You dont need the same manufacturer, as long as the timings are the same, you should be up and running in 5 mins =p

 

It should be a 204-pin (which is standard...) my link says 200-pin but in the specs it says 204-pin. The slot in your Z is a 204-pin. And the RAM you linked me to is 204-pin so yeah it'll work. But i think that's a little expensive for 9-9-9-20 RAM... then again you're in Canada so i guess prices are different

yeah go with the 1066, like you said the Z can only operate at 1066, and 1066 RAM might be cheaper, but not always.

 

Since mine has the core i7-620, does that mean if I buy a 1333mhz ram, it will run at 1333mhz speed?

 

I could be wrong on this, but I don't think so. The i7's that are quad core will do that, but not the i7 620 (or i7 640). I think it's better to think of those as really fast i5's with more cache.

 

I think I'm in the same boat as the OP. My new Z12 is being shipped to me with 2GB of RAM, and I want to add 4GB more, and also live in Canada. While I understand speed, and the general idea of timings, I'm confused as to how timing for 1333mhz/PC-10600 RAM translates to timing when it will be used at 1066mhz in my new Z12.

For instance, I was looking at the following 4GB of RAM ( http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX30597(ME).aspx), which is rated for 1333mhz and has timings of 9-9-9-24.

How do I arrive at what it would be when running in my Z12...? Do I simply divide by 1333 and multiply by 1066, which would give me timings of approximately 7-7-7-20 (which appears to be the timing of the RAM used in this generation of Vaio Z's as per the screenshot on the first page)?

An explanation as to the above, or someone indicating whether the RAM I linked to is appropriate for my system, would be much appreciated!

 

is the ram easily swapped without having to take the laptop apart?

 

Yup - two screws on the bottom and that is all!!

 

Yeah, your calculation for 1333 mhz 9-9-9-24 RAM when used at 1066 mhz makes it go 7-7-7-20 seems to be correct. My Z has a Samsung RAM rated at 1333 mhz with 9-9-9-24 and it shows up at 7-7-7-20 under cpuz