Thinkpads Forum

I'm the proud owner of a new X60s that has 512MB of
RAM. Frankly, I'm impressed with that the thing even
runs, let alone fairly well, with so little memory. (model
1704-xxx L2400 cpu)

I'd like to order 2GB of ram. I noticed that the X60s calls
for a 200-pin SODIMM that is DDR2-667/PC2-5300 compliant.
I was looking on newegg and saw a few sets of matched
pairs that are dual-channel but some of those list negative
comments about working in certain laptops.

I'm interested in the Corsair 2GB dual channel kit.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145157

Has anyone used this memory in their X60s ? I'm fairly
certain it will work but I wanted to get some feedback before
I order. I've used this type memory in my T42 and T60 before.

ithacam5 wrote:I'm the proud owner of a new X60s that has 512MB of
RAM. Frankly, I'm impressed with that the thing even
runs, let alone fairly well, with so little memory. (model
1704-xxx L2400 cpu)

I'd like to order 2GB of ram.

I'm interested in the Corsair 2GB dual channel kit.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145157

Has anyone used this memory in their X60s ? I'm fairly
certain it will work but I wanted to get some feedback before
I order. I've used this type memory in my T42 and T60 before.

Most RAM is good but there are bad sticks out there that pass the mfr's QA testing, so you'll only know when you receive and test it if it will work. Those with bad experiences are more likely to post about them, which explains why almost any kind of RAM out there has negative comments on sites like Newegg's. I would, however, be concerned if there were a number of negative comments from people owning YOUR machine, which could indicate an incompatibility.

Newegg, is however, your friend, and they will take it back if it fails to work. There are other good merchants out there also so if you find RAM types that you want to buy at a good price, don't hesitate to pricegrabber it or froogle it to see if there is another reputable merchant who can save you some money.

I'm not a strong believer in this "matched set" business when it comes to RAM. In my opinion it is mostly marketing. There is some cheap RAM out there that is good and might be cheaper to buy in individual pieces x2 rather than in a "matched set." You might consider buying one piece, seeing how does with your existing 512mb piece, then either just live with 1.5gb, or order another.

Generally if I'm going to upgrade to 2gb in a machine, I try to avoid buying a machine that comes with a 512mb stick because that then becomes a "throwaway" piece or at best something to ebay.

I think Newegg reviews are helpful when you find one that specifically says a certian RAM module is compatible with the particular laptop that you plan to use the module in. The problem with Newegg is that they sometimes remove unusually negative reviews.

Generally if I'm going to upgrade to 2gb in a machine, I try to avoid buying a machine that comes with a 512mb stick because that then becomes a "throwaway" piece or at best something to ebay.

Sometimes that's difficult to avoid, but the logic is certainly valid. It means that if the OP insists on 2GB of RAM, that second 1GB likely will be more costly than the first, assuming he's looking at two 1-GB sticks, matching or not. A 1.5GB machine doesn't sound so sexy as a 2GB machine, but its performance (over the 512MB) is higher for sure and might well prove to be more than adequate.

I agree the "matched pair" claim is probably more marketing hype. I got sucked into it when I seeded my video-editing desktop. For grins, I popped out one bank, replaced it with borrowed stick from another manufacturer's and had no problems for the week of testing I did. YMMV.

Jeff

pianowizard wrote:I think Newegg reviews are helpful when you find one that specifically says a certian RAM module is compatible with the particular laptop that you plan to use the module in. The problem with Newegg is that they sometimes remove unusually negative reviews.

They did that to one of my reviews a couple of years ago, and it really PO'd me. It was for a notebook DVDRW module that some reviews inferred was compatible with Thinkpad Ultrabays when it obviously was not. I stated as such in my review after I was forced to return it as it would not fit. After several back and forth emails with someone there, they gave me a gift certificate for my trouble.

Recently it appears that they are not removing the negative reviews. I'm finding negative reviews all over the place on their site lately. Perhaps it has just gotten to be more trouble than it was worth to remove them.

jkbrand wrote:

Generally if I'm going to upgrade to 2gb in a machine, I try to avoid buying a machine that comes with a 512mb stick because that then becomes a "throwaway" piece or at best something to ebay.

Sometimes that's difficult to avoid, but the logic is certainly valid. It means that if the OP insists on 2GB of RAM, that second 1GB likely will be more costly than the first, assuming he's looking at two 1-GB sticks, matching or not. A 1.5GB machine doesn't sound so sexy as a 2GB machine, but its performance (over the 512MB) is higher for sure and might well prove to be more than adequate.

I agree the "matched pair" claim is probably more marketing hype. I got sucked into it when I seeded my video-editing desktop. For grins, I popped out one bank, replaced it with borrowed stick from another manufacturer's and had no problems for the week of testing I did. YMMV.

Jeff

Well, I actually got a great deal on the machine from someone who
purchased it but later decided on a T60. Hence, the 512MB wasn't
by choice. I would normally max out the memory when I order iff
the cost is reasonable.

The memory on newegg isn't really a matched pair, I think it's
simply a pair of 1GB sticks that are dual-channel. I've gone ahead
and ordered them. I'll post my results after I've had a chance to
test them.

Newegg has this 1gb module for $84 shipped after $15 rebate. I read the reviews a while back (ended up buying something else) but as I recall they were pretty positive. I'd certainly read through them before ordering but the price is right in today's market:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820220078

Ken Fox wrote:Recently it appears that they are not removing the negative reviews.

Good, that partially restores my faith in their honesty.

pianowizard wrote:

Ken Fox wrote:Recently it appears that they are not removing the negative reviews.

Good, that partially restores my faith in their honesty.

I'd be surprised if it were honesty. I think it is just lazyness or a realization that if all the reviews are rosy, people won't believe them.

On the other hand, Amazon is replete with products that no person with half a brain would order after reading the reviews. You have to question their intellect on that score, not their integrity.

My memory from newegg arrived yesterday. I installed the
two chips and booted. Everything looked fine. WinXP reported
1.99GB memory (I'm assuming the rest is used for the shared
video memory)

I rebooted the machine and ran memtest86 , all tests, multiple
passes while I was out at the gym. All tests passed.

This was Corsair Value Select 2GB kit (VS2GSDSKIT667D2)

Now, if anyone is interested in my old 512MB IBM chip, let me
know. It's yours for $25 shipped anywhere in the us...