Thinkpads Forum

Where is the other one located?

The notebook has 2GB memory (1067MHz) soldered on the motherboard and an additional DIMM slot ready for up to 4GB 1333MHz memory expansion.

kingweb wrote:Where is the other one located?

Forget it, I found it under the keyboard.
Was someone drunk when they designed this? Why put the 2 slots in different locations?

billp117 wrote:The notebook has 2GB memory (1067MHz) soldered on the motherboard and an additional DIMM slot ready for up to 4GB 1333MHz memory expansion.

Huh?
I found the other RAM slot.
Not sure what you are referring to.

kingweb wrote:Forget it, I found it under the keyboard.
Was someone drunk when they designed this? Why put the 2 slots in different locations?

The second memory slot in the T4x was in the same place - probably so that the connections could be the same lenght without adding to the depth of the motherboard? I have no idea, I am just pulling out random ideas.

I don't know, it happens to be a great design it only takes TWO screws to remove the keyboard, one of those already comes off with the keyboard.

Oh and the second module happens to be the one you generally don't touch unless you plan on replacing two modules, so it is actually a good design.

Navck wrote:I don't know, it happens to be a great design it only takes TWO screws to remove the keyboard, one of those already comes off with the keyboard.

Oh and the second module happens to be the one you generally don't touch unless you plan on replacing two modules, so it is actually a good design.

Man is that a spin. Wouldn't it just better to put them together? Like on previous models? Also, it is a good idea to have both sticks of RAM the same brand, model, etc. So actually, in most cases, I think people change them both at the same time.

Looking at it from an electrical design perspective, it makes better sense to put the memory slots directly on opposite sides of the motherboard in order to minimize signal differences, when putting them together on one side of the board with a dual-slot connector (ala, the T2x series) is not possible. There are tradeoffs made on component placements when designing a laptop. A memory module buried underneath the keyboard isn't all that bad when you consider that during its lifespan, a laptop will probably only see 2 memory upgrade cycles; one if it's done right. It's only when people like me who regularly change out modules for testing purposes does it become a nuisance to partially strip down a system in order to get at that second memory slot.

rkawakami wrote:Looking at it from an electrical design perspective, it makes better sense to put the memory slots directly on opposite sides of the motherboard in order to minimize signal differences, when putting them together on one side of the board with a dual-slot connector (ala, the T2x series) is not possible. There are tradeoffs made on component placements when designing a laptop. A memory module buried underneath the keyboard isn't all that bad when you consider that during its lifespan, a laptop will probably only see 2 memory upgrade cycles; one if it's done right. It's only when people like me who regularly change out modules for testing purposes does it become a nuisance to partially strip down a system in order to get at that second memory slot.

That I can definitely accept. I am not an expert on electrical design, but it sounds like from what you said that there can be signal differences, and I would assume that performance can be directly related.
I don't think there is anything wrong with putting it under the keyboard either like the T400 had. It just seemed very strange that the 2 sticks are located in completely different places.

How often does one swap out both DIMMS?

Right, that's why.