Can you really have more than 8G of usable RAM in a W520?

[sholcombe]

I have a feeling this is a dumb question but, can you really have more than 8G of usable RAM in a W520? According to Intel, the i7-2820QM only supports 8G (http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=52227).

[Volker]

I have a feeling this is a dumb question but, can you really have more than 8G of usable RAM in a W520? According to Intel, the i7-2820QM only supports 8G (http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=52227).

Code: Select all

[root@localhost ~]$ cat /proc/meminfo 
MemTotal:       16422712 kB

16GB work fine here.

[davidhbrown]

Definitely. I was using 9+ out of my 12 earlier today and I didn't even have Photoshop open.

Looking at the page you linked, sholcombe, the 8GB is the max memory *size* -- i.e., the limit of a single module, not the maximum memory *capacity* of the entire system. The W520 has 4 slots for RAM, so 8GB/slot * 4 slots = 32GB.

[sholcombe]

Thanks Volder and David, I knew it was a dumb question .

[jdrou]

Looking at the page you linked, sholcombe, the 8GB is the max memory *size* -- i.e., the limit of a single module, not the maximum memory *capacity* of the entire system. The W520 has 4 slots for RAM, so 8GB/slot * 4 slots = 32GB.

Actually I believe that 8 GB number is the max capacity; however it was apparently bugged since if you look at it now it says 16 GB. Unless there are now 16 GB modules available? Still that raises the question whether the W520 will be able to see 32 GB with 8 GB modules.

[RedruM84]

iirc, the psref says the max amount of ram supported on the w520 is 32GB.

So yes you can do more than 8GB. I have 16GB on my W510

[davidhbrown]

Interesting. Maybe you get to multiply that max memory size by the number of memory channels (2)?