Want to increase RAM for T60 from 2GB to 3GB... suggestions?

[Muse]

What I have in there now are two 1GB DIMMs for a total of 2GB, and the labels look like this:
- - - -
Samsung 1GB 2Rx8 PC2-5300S-555-12-E3

Made in Korea M470T2953EZ3-CE6 0728
- - - -
Samsung 1GB 2Rx16 PC2-5300S-555-12-A3

Made in Korea M470T2864DZ3-CE6 0725
---------------------------------------------

I want at least 3GB. If I run Windows 7, I guess I'd want 4GB. But for XP, which is what I'm running, 3GB is all the OS can use. Can I just remove one of those DIMMs and drop in any 2GB DIMM that will work in a T60 and expect no problems or should I look for more, e.g. Samsung only? I'm probably going to replace the original 60GB HD that came with the system 6 years ago with a 120GB Intel 520 series SSD, which I already have. Thanks for the help.

[RealBlackStuff]

The T60 can accommodate 4GB, but only 3GB can be used (chip limitation, not OS).
How many more times do we have to tell this?

[aoitenshi]

Hi

Do you really need 4GB ram? If you're only doing regular tasks like spreadsheet, browsing the internet and watch movies, I think 3GB ram is more than enough and Win7 x86 should do the job
And you have the Intel 520 ssd, too

[Muse]

The T60 can accommodate 4GB, but only 3GB can be used (chip limitation, not OS).
How many more times do we have to tell this?

First time I heard it. I thought that XP is limited to 3GB use, that's what I was told. You're talking about the CPU (in my case T5500) limitation? You don't have to be so chippy.
- - - -
What are the specs I'm looking for?

PC2-5300 667Mhz 2GB is that it? Will any brand do or do I want to have matched DIMM's, e.g. get 2x2GB, which I do see on ebay. Samsung is hard to come by, so if I want same brand, looks like I'm going to need 2x 2GB, not apt to find 1GB + 2GB in the same brand. Or, I could hunt for 1 piece of 2GB Samsung.

Edit: I see a listing for a Crucial 1x 2gb 200 pin sodimm 256mx64 DDR2 PC2 - 5300 dual die ram. Would that likely play nice with my Samsung 1GB DIMM? If not, I see a listing for 2x Centon 2GB Centon DIMMs...

[aoitenshi]

Hi Muse,

You can get yourself any ram stick that use Samsung chips (Corsair, Crucial, any major ram manufacturer )
RBS meant was the limitation from Intel PM945 chipset, not from the processor

well, most of my friends who still use T60 are upgrading their ram to 3GB pc5300, with different brands

[Muse]

Hi Muse,

You can get yourself any ram stick that use Samsung chips (Corsair, Crucial, any major ram manufacturer )
RBS meant was the limitation from Intel PM945 chipset, not from the processor

well, most of my friends who still use T60 are upgrading their ram to 3GB pc5300, with different brands

Perfect! Thanks, I'll see about getting that Crucial 1x 2gb 200 pin sodimm 256mx64 DDR2 PC2 - 5300 dual die ram and swap it out for one of the 1GB Samsung DIMMs in there already.

[Muse]

I was about to bid on the Crucial DIMM, was waiting for auction end to snipe it, and to pass the last few minutes I went over to Crucial's website and entered the part number (CT2KIT25664AC667) and it said that it was NOT COMPATIBLE with my Lenovo T60 model 1953CTO! So, I didn't bid! Maybe I'll just buy CT516984 at Crucial.com, pay a little more... Hope it's compatible with my Samsung DIMM.

Samsung 1GB 2Rx8 PC2-5300S-555-12-E3

Made in Korea M470T2953EZ3-CE6 0728
.......... -or-
Samsung 1GB 2Rx16 PC2-5300S-555-12-A3

Made in Korea M470T2864DZ3-CE6 0725
--------------------------
Matched with:

Crucial part number CT516984 2GB DDR2 PC2-5300 • CL=5 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR2-667 • 1.8V • 256Meg x 64 •

Obviously they both work in the machine, I just don't know if they will work well together.

[Muse]

I bought the Crucial 2GB DIMM at Crucial.com:

Crucial part number CT516984:
2GB DDR2 PC2-5300 • CL=5 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR2-667 • 1.8V • 256Meg x 64 •

It's Crucial's only recommendation for a 2GB DIMM for my machine. Hopefully it will work well with either of the DIMM's already in the machine:

Samsung 1GB 2Rx8 PC2-5300S-555-12-E3

Made in Korea M470T2953EZ3-CE6 0728
.......... -or-
Samsung 1GB 2Rx16 PC2-5300S-555-12-A3

Made in Korea M470T2864DZ3-CE6 0725
--------------------------

Obviously they both work in the machine, I just don't know if they will work well together.

Anyone have a suggestion for which 1GB DIMM I should leave in the machine?

[miro_gt]

I think you're freaking out too much, just put either of the modules and that's it.

with RAM, it either works or it doesn't. Brand doesn't matter that much. If one of the modules has faster timing then the other will downclock to mach the first one. You will not notice any difference at all.

crucial is considered a premium brand somewhat, thus cost more. I'd rather go for whichever is cheaper at the time and looks decent.

the only brand DDR2 RAM that could be a bit faster is a certain model made by G.Skill that comes with 4-4-4-12 timings (or CL4 in general), rather than the standard 5-5-5-12 or 5-5-5-15 (CL5). Again, you wont notice any difference between those. The type of ram used in the T60/T61 laptops is PC2-5300 (667MHz), but you can put PC2-6400 (800MHz) modules that would just downclock to 667MHz anyways. The 5300 usually come with CL5 timings, and the 6400 usually come with CL6, which would become CL5 if the memory downclocks to 667MHz (which will happen in your case).

your laptop is limited to 3GB maximum RAM by the chipset so it doesnt matter what OS you use, even a 64bit one will see 3GB at most. That means one stick of 1GB and one stick of 2GB would do fine. You can put 2 sticks of 2GB each, but the laptop will only recognize maximum of 3GB. (kind of like my situation but I'm limited to 3GB due to the OS, so if I install Windows 7 64bit then I can use all of my 4GB on my T61 - and that is not happening on a T60 laptop).

If you have Intel graphics then you'd want two memory modules installed for sure rather that one, so that the system can use Dual Channel thus your graphics would work a bit better (i.e. if you have 2GB RAM then you would want it to be in 2 modules of 1GB each, rather than 1 module of 2GB). This does not affect systems with dedicated graphics as much, but it's still a good idea to use dual channel.

in general, Samsung and Hynix chips used on the RAM modules are of the best, but that doesnt mean that if those are not available then you should not buy whatever else is for sale - they all work.

should you become an extreme performance enthusiast of some sort then you can go down into small details of the RAM chips that produce tiny performance difference, but that is not worth doing even for the majority of people that "know" computers.

if that ^ doesnt answer all your concerns then please seek medical help

[Muse]

Thank you, miro_gt, very thorough, and I believe I understand most all of it, although I'm a little hazy on the graphics dual channel information. I suppose it doesn't apply in my case so much. The T60 in question has integrated Intel GMA950 graphics, there will be a 2GB and a 1GB DIMM in the machine.

I bought expensive but it didn't break the bank. Could have bought for maybe $10 cheaper but I got a 2GB Crucial DIMM (will get when it comes) that's supposedly tailored to the T60 1953 model. I avoided the one that Crucial's site declared incompatible. Why it would be incompatible is beyond me at this point but I felt I had no alternative other than to believe them!

[slaterlp]

Hope nobody minds if I re-open this.

T60, 1952A97, initially 2GB on one Samsung chip. This was initally installed in the 'lower' slot nearest the front of the laptop.

I've just bought and installed another 1GB memory module. A used, Adata AD2667001GOS 1GB, DDR2-667 200 pin Sodimm.

When I first installed it, -- in the empty upper slot, the one nearest the laptop keyboard, the T60 wouldn't start. Lights flashed when I pressed the power button, and then nothing at all. I re-seated the Adata memory module and tried again, but still no start.

So I took out ALL the memory, and just installed the Adata 1GB chip alone, where the Samsung chip had been installed, in the lower slot. The T60 started fine and recognised the 1GB in bios.

Then I put the Samsung chip back in, but this time in the upper slot, and left the Adata chip in the lower slot. T60 works fine. 3GB shows in the bios. I ran memory tests, and all passed with no errors.

If I put the Adata 1GB chip back in the upper slot again, with the Samsung 2GB in the lower slot, the T60 won't start.

1). Is the memory in the T60 slot dependant? Does the larger chip have to be in the upper slot?

2). I'm using PC doctor. According to it, it recognises the full 3GB on 2 memory chips -- (2.99GB total physical memory actually). Currently it says, free physical memory 2.23GB. But it also says that the maximum memory supported is 2048MB.

I'm confused. Can anyone unconfuse me please? .

[RealBlackStuff]

Take another 1GB from another machine and see how that goes.
If that also fails in the same slot, you have a slot problem.
If OK, that Adata module is bad, even though it gets recognized on its own.

[slaterlp]

Hi,

Thanks for that. Unfortunately I don't have another module to try out.

And anyway, doesn't the fact that my Samsung 2GB memory chip works in the upper slot, show that the slot is good?. That's why I asked if the memory was slot dependant.

I know that in the past, you had to populate certain memory slots first, and with the right size memory. Does this apply to the T60?

I have both the Adata 1GB and the Samsung 2GB in the machine at the moment, and it's all working fine.

Do you know why PC doc says the system only supports 2048MB, and yet recognises the full 3GB?

[RealBlackStuff]

PC-Doctor is old and outdated, from a time when there only existed 1GB RAM modules.
If your machine works with 2+1 GB, leave it be.
Some machines want one slot first, others want the other slot first, others again don't give a hoot...
This may also have to do with how the RAM-chips are configured.

[ilakast]

I remember once that there is a "preference" for which slot should be first populated with a T61. I was getting an error but I can't find any relevant information via googling. That might be the case with the T60 too. For example, here is for newer generations http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/researc ... MIGR-75886

[rkawakami]

Install the Adata module in one of the slots. Run memtest86+ for an hour or two (i.e., three complete passes through all of the patterns). If no errors, move the module to the other slot and repeat testing. Repeat the same procedure with your original Samsung module. After all of the testing, you should know if the problem resides with the module(s) or the slot(s).

ref: http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

[slaterlp]

Hi thanks.

I've been using it now for about 5 hours, so I reckon it's working ok. I think I'll just leave it alone.

I'm pretty sure the Adata memory module chip is ok, but even if it does turn out to be duff, it only cost me £2.24. So I won't lose much. But as I say, it's definitely working fine. It's definitely quicker than it was with only 2GB. Not so much HDD action.

Ah PC doctor is too old to register it properly. That makes sense. Thanks.

Cheers all.

[rkawakami]

From my perspective as a memory test engineer, your assumption that the Adata module is "ok" may be flawed. Sure, the module may only have cost you a couple of $$$ but if it is slightly defective (only one or two bits are bad), you may not find out until after something goes wrong. That could either be a blue screen / crash / hang that doesn't damage any of your data or operating system files (best case) or something that does affect your files (worst case), leading you to spend some time or $$$ (£££) to recover your data and/or re-build your OS.

Just because your system has been working for several hours is not a guarantee that the memory is 100% functional. Think of it this way: imagine you are driving on a long road that crosses your country (say, the M6) and that it has one or two up-turned nails placed every kilometer or so. You might get lucky and drive the entire length without running over a nail and flattening your tyres. However, if fate / karma / your chosen deity decides against you, you could be spending your time on the side of the road.

[slaterlp]

Hi rkawakami,

I agree, it could be dodgy, but as I said in my first post, it passed all the memory tests fine when installed alongside the original 2GB. But just to be more certain, I took the Samsung 2GB module out, and ran all the memory tests just on the Adata chip alone, and let it run for an hour. Again no problem. So the whole 3GB is back in again now.

I've been running memory stress tests, and as I type this it's just finishing, seems fine at 98%. -- Just finished 100% no errors.

I back up my data regularly, and do an image back if I change software. So if it does go belly up, I won't loose much if anything. But apart from the odd quirk that it won't run in the upper slot, I don't think it's a problem. As a previous poster said, it could even be the slot, but it seems happy to run the Samsun chip in there.

So all in all, I'll just see what happens now. But I reckon it'll be fine. -- famous last words. . I promise to come and tell if it crashes though. lol.

[PowerPC]

Only 3GB work, but perhaps you need to install 4GB to activate a feature called dual channel, which requires memory banks with the same size.

[Muse]

Only 3GB work, but perhaps you need to install 4GB to activate a feature called dual channel, which requires memory banks with the same size.

I have just 3GB in this T60, which I've recently upgraded (fresh install) to Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit. The machine has the T5500 so it will run 64bit but I decided on 32bit to preserve compatibility with some programs I use. Would I benefit from swapping out the 1GB for a 2GB memory chip? I don't mean to hijack this thread but I think this question is right on topic, especially the post I quote. Specs:

Lenovo T60
1953CTO ThinkPad T Series T60
Intel Core 2 Duo processor T5500
Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit
14.1 SXGA+ TFT (Displaying to 23" and 19" LCDs by virtue of model 2504 mini dock)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
3 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory
Intel 330 180GB SSD
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim
ThinkPad 11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless LAN Mini-PCIe
6 cell Li-Ion Battery

[ajkula66]

Would I benefit from swapping out the 1GB for a 2GB memory chip?

No.

[ilakast]

I was getting an error but I can't find any relevant information via googling.

Found it

<1.11>
BIOS: 1.11 / ECP: 1.00
- (New) Added the new error code 1830 to indicate that a single DIMM is not
installed in the memory slot 0.
Solution for the error code:
With a single DIMM, install the DIMM into the memory slot 0 (a slot
different from having used it).

http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... uj16us.txt

[jcvjcvjcvjcv]

Only 3GB work, but perhaps you need to install 4GB to activate a feature called dual channel, which requires memory banks with the same size.

Not if the T60 supports asynchronous dual channel. The T61 does.

[Theokretes]

The T60 seems to hide the other 1025MB to itself (for internal resources), and only spits out 3071 for actual use.

[Cigarguy]

The T60 seems to hide the other 1025MB to itself (for internal resources), and only spits out 3071 for actual use.

No. This is not right. The chipset used by the T60 series and any other laptop using this chipset only sees 3 GB max. The other 1 GB is ignored and is not accessible to anything. This is not unusual and unique to Thinkpads, my Dell Lattitude D430 for example will max out with 2 x 1 GB DDR2 SoDimms. A 2 GB module will not post.