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can bad RAM damage a Thinkpad?

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:45 pm
by Think-Machine
I bought some extra RAM recently (second hand) but the shipping box was very bad (just plain envelope) and without anti-static protection. Is there any danger in trying it out? If it is damaged, can it short circuit or otherwise damage my TP? Would you put it the TP in or rather not?

Re: can bad RAM damage a Thinkpad?

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:08 pm
by BillMorrow
i have never seen bad ram damage a thinkpad..

and

ram can stand a lot of mis-handling until it can't..

your mileage may vary..

Re: can bad RAM damage a Thinkpad?

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 6:17 am
by Think-Machine
BillMorrow wrote:i have never seen bad ram damage a thinkpad..
That is good :)
BillMorrow wrote: ram can stand a lot of mis-handling
I have read that it is very easy to bend its board. And that this can cause cracks in the chips (presumable even easier in the soldered parts, board wires and such).
BillMorrow wrote: your mileage may vary..
I don't care much if the RAM has died or not (I can always buy another one, even though this kind tends to be pricey) but the Thinkpad is very hard to replace.

I'm talking about DDR1 RAM and a T42p.

Re: can bad RAM damage a Thinkpad?

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 9:21 am
by RealBlackStuff
Just put it in. It either works or you will hear it beep 1-3-3-1 if not.
You can use SODIMMs in either PC2100 or PC2700, up to 2x1GB=2GB total.