Thinkpads Forum

Looks like I have time to contemplate my order, since X100e's are now backlogged 4 weeks, unless you want red. I may just wait for the presumably pending clearance sale on the X200s. (Fingers crossed).

Does anyone have insight, as to whether there is any real restriction on the X100e memory to 4GB, other than the specs and the 32-bit Win7 license?

Are you sure there will be a clearance sale if i where you I would wait and definately get an X100e than write a review and post it on the forum because that would be super great.
Also I would check some reviews etc to see if it would be possible to run 8GB.

Hope this helps.
Please post a review on the X1003 if posible.

I don't see why there would be a physical limitation since there's ddr2 and ddr3 kits that are 2x4gb for laptops. You would be limited by a 32bit OS. Since the neo is a 64bit processor (single core 1.6ghz) you could run win 7 x64 or any x64 variant.

If you can access two memory banks, I don't see an issue unless lenovo did something to the bios to limit the amount of memory read by the OS.

Synthetickiller wrote:I don't see why there would be a physical limitation since there's ddr2 and ddr3 kits that are 2x4gb for laptops. You would be limited by a 32bit OS. Since the neo is a 64bit processor (single core 1.6ghz) you could run win 7 x64 or any x64 variant.

If you can access two memory banks, I don't see an issue unless lenovo did something to the bios to limit the amount of memory read by the OS.

You should have no problem installing more than 2GB of ram on it. But why would you need 8GB ram? 2 x 4GB laptop ram is extremely expensive. For normal usage like web browsing, word processing, or even HD video watching, you won't see any benefit going from 4GB to 8GB. If you do scientific calculations, data analysis, or professional image processing, there is definitely usage for more ram. But then the CPU of the X100e is definitely too weak for these uses, and getting extra memory for the X100e to perform this kind of work is simply a waste of money.

I can confirm that the x100e accepts 4gb dimms. The bios that shipped on my machine, and the current recognize them in either slot. (I now have a 4gb dimm and a 1gb dimm in mine). One issue with having that much ram (4gb+) appears to be that the on-board video sucks up ~1400mb of it, leaving ~2.75gb free to the 32-bit win7home OS.

random wrote:I can confirm that the x100e accepts 4gb dimms. The bios that shipped on my machine, and the current recognize them in either slot. (I now have a 4gb dimm and a 1gb dimm in mine). One issue with having that much ram (4gb+) appears to be that the on-board video sucks up ~1400mb of it, leaving ~2.75gb free to the 32-bit win7home OS.

With the 32-bit versions of Windows 7 (and most likely Vista and Windows XP), the maximum amount of RAM that windows will recognize is 2.75 GB. In order for Windows to recognize more than 2.75 ~ 3.00 GB, you will need to install the 64 bit versions of Windows.

I know about the 4gb limit... I didn't realize the 2.75gb was the most I could expect to see. And dxdiag was claiming 1475mb of vram, so I assumed that was it and started looking around in the bios to see if there was a setting for it (I couldn't find one) or the drivers/catalyst control panel (nope).

Seriously, why would anybody that knows what they are doing, want 8GB of RAM in a laptop like this (or even 4GB)?? It's hardly a suitable platform for Hyper-V or VMware ESXi virtual machines. I cannot think of any other scenario that would need that sort of amount of RAM, and I am a IT/CAD consultant that deals with hi-end workstations and servers everyday.

Braddah, you have to think of the x100e like a football field. Paydirt or the endzone is the x200 or x201. Cost moves the chains toward the redzone and finally you are crossing the goal line. For every extra $ you spend trying to boost this, speed that, better wireless card, better OS, better HDD you are moving toward the endzone. At some point it makes no difference whether you actually cross or not as you see the insanity of hot rodding an x100e when the incremental cost becomes more and more and the marginal improvement of this and that on your own borders on instanity with not much improvement. I would punt on the extra RAM. Kick the ball out of stadium. You dont want to buy an x100e to try to build an X2_ unless you have the parts around and its a sunk cost or they are somehow free which I doubt Braddah.

Even if you add 8 GB, it doesn't seem to make much sense. 3-4 GB I could see, as just running lots of programs or multiple windows can at least theoretically suck up that much RAM (I regularly exceed 3 GB when doing research lately), but I think the main use for 8 GB is running programs which tend to be processor-intensive. The X100e's main advantages are in size, ergonomics and price, not processing power.

I concur with Braddah J. IMO, you are using the x100e or attempting to mod it beyond its intended purpose. Also 8GB of RAM gonna generate a lot of heat in what is already a hot shell. Like cooking a coconut already roasted in a bonfire inside an oven while the hairs on it are already burning. Can only be a bad result.