T42 RAM upgrade lessons

[taezo]

Just joined the forum..found it researching RAM upgrades. A few previous posts left me with questions, some of which I've learned the answers to. I thought I'd share what I learned.

1. If you use CPU-Z to check a RAM chip, the frequency it shows under the spd tab is actually 1/2 the rated fequency (it reads only one side of the bus, apparently). Mine reads 166, which means the rated bus speed is 333mhz.

2. People talked about but it didn't seem that anyone came right out and said that you CAN put any higher frequency 200-pin RAM in your T42. As far as I can tell, the answer is YES. I just did it. The salesguy at the local CompUSA sold me 1g PC3200 made by Centon. It's rated 400 mhz and is supposed to be be for Apple laptops, which some people say means it's suitably high quality for fussy thinkpads. The PC3200 was $80 less than the same brand PC2700.

3. Price. I'm too impatient even for FedEx. I paid just over $200 for this memory and I installed it within an hour. I could have paid less on the web, but once you factor in overnight shipping and thinkpad's reputation for fussiness about memory and the likelihood of needing to return the stick, I consider it a good deal.

4. The difference is speed with more RAM is instantly noticable. I run a lot of processes and programs. I use a port replicater and have two monitors, external ultranav keyboard, mouse, external drives, etc.

When iTunes was running, I was cruising at 85% RAM (and 3% CPU). Now it's about 35%. Things just happen faster...menus fly out faster, windows open instantly. It still takes a while to load at startup (I also have a 7200 rpm 100gig HD), but moment-by-moment computing is faster.

5. I'd messed with the virtual memory in the weeks before installing more RAM. I'd increased it to 3x RAM. It didn't seem to make much difference. I didn't make a parition for a swap file. That might have helped.

Maybe after Christmas I'll go for another gig.

Hope this helps someone else.

Cheers,
taezo

[dr_st]

1. If you use CPU-Z to check a RAM chip, the frequency it shows under the spd tab is actually 1/2 the rated fequency (it reads only one side of the bus, apparently). Mine reads 166, which means the rated bus speed is 333mhz.

That's why it's called DDR - Double Data Rate. The data rate is twice that of the actual clock frequency.

2. People talked about but it didn't seem that anyone came right out and said that you CAN put any higher frequency 200-pin RAM in your T42. As far as I can tell, the answer is YES. I just did it. The salesguy at the local CompUSA sold me 1g PC3200 made by Centon. It's rated 400 mhz and is supposed to be be for Apple laptops, which some people say means it's suitably high quality for fussy thinkpads. The PC3200 was $80 less than the same brand PC2700.

Most of the time it works just fine. I put PC2700 in my Evo (which take PC2100), also because it was cheaper.

3. Price. I'm too impatient even for FedEx. I paid just over $200 for this memory and I installed it within an hour. I could have paid less on the web, but once you factor in overnight shipping and thinkpad's reputation for fussiness about memory and the likelihood of needing to return the stick, I consider it a good deal.

$200 seems awfully high. Is thus in US dollars? And you say that DDR333 was even more expensive? I haven't heard of Thinkpad's fussiness about RAM, but whenever I wanted to upgrade my laptop's memory, I'd always bring it to the store with me and test it there.

4. The difference is speed with more RAM is instantly noticable. I run a lot of processes and programs. I use a port replicater and have two monitors, external ultranav keyboard, mouse, external drives, etc.

Tell me about it. The biggest difference in WinXP, I think, is when you go above 256MB, because that really chokes it. I upgraded my old laptop from 256 to 512 and it suddenly started to be able to multitask while virus scannning.

[Cecilia76]

Hallo,

using a PC3200 RAM bank on a T42p (that uses a PC2700) could change performances and/or battery life?
I already have a 1Gb bank PC2700. Is it possible to mix the two banks?

Thanks. Cec

[dr_st]

It will downclock to PC2700 speeds, but other than that should work fine (unless you run into the occasional stick incompatibility problems).

[brooklynboy]

So PC3200 is cheaper than PC2700, which is cheaper than PC2100?

Can PC3200 be used in place of PC2100, as in a T30?

[Zephyrious]

I just upgraded my T40's RAM, but I didn't use a GB stick... I don't know if there's a huge difference between 1 GB and 1.5 GB.... But there is definitely a difference between 512MB and 1GB, not to mention a speed increase between 2x256 PC2100 and 2x512 PC2700... only problem was actually getting the memory in there... You have to take the keyboard off... I was a little scared...

[dr_st]

I just upgraded my T40's RAM, but I didn't use a GB stick... I don't know if there's a huge difference between 1 GB and 1.5 GB.... But there is definitely a difference between 512MB and 1GB, not to mention a speed increase between 2x256 PC2100 and 2x512 PC2700... only problem was actually getting the memory in there... You have to take the keyboard off... I was a little scared...

I managed to break my keyboard the first time I took it off. Specifically, the Fn key.

[davidspalding]

Trying an other-than-recommended memory type for your laptop - or any 'puter - can be a risky endeavor. Have to know what you're doing, not to mention having a purchase with a clear, reliable return/exchange policy. Not to imply that anyone here doesn't know what you're doing, but it is easy to forget that newbies lurking here (translation: reading without participating in the thread) can take suggestions to heart, throw caution to the wind ("worked for someone else online, so it must work for me"), and end up in trouble.

So it's worth saying it: if you don't know precisely what you're doing, think twice about doing something with your laptop that contradicts what the manufacturer recommends. You could end up with trouble that was easily avoidable. And then ... would've you really have saved much money or time?

[dr_st]

What's the worst thing that can happen when installing unsupported RAM?

[brainpicker]

What's the worst thing that can happen when installing unsupported RAM?

By "unsupported" do you mean RAM other than PC2700? Well, I suppose PC2100 might work, though slower and possibly with more errors, and folks have used PC3200 with success. Other types may not even boot, or if they DO get that far (doubtful) you could expect all sorts of freezes and errors. I don't suspect it would cause hardware damage though, but I'm not an expert there.

Yak

[davidspalding]

Yeah, that about sums it up, easily some of the worst that can happen is that, after saving a few bucks, you end up with an unstable system that doesn't work quite right.

I dunno if improper memory can do damage to a system anymore, but ... is it worth the risk?

[BrandonRouth.com]

Quite a handy thread as I'm thinking of upgrading my 256 RAM to 512.

The only thing is that I have absolutely no idea how I should go about doing it.

How do I physically replace/add memory? I have to remove the keyboard or something?

What brand fits with my 2378R4U?

And does Fry's carry the part I need? I was there earlier but didn't know if I had DDR2 or DDR. I seem to have DDR..?

Again, thanks for any help.

[brainpicker]

The only thing is that I have absolutely no idea how I should go about doing it.

How do I physically replace/add memory? I have to remove the keyboard or something?

What brand fits with my 2378R4U?

And does Fry's carry the part I need? I was there earlier but didn't know if I had DDR2 or DDR. I seem to have DDR..?

Again, thanks for any help.

Hi Brandon,

If you only have 256MB currently that chip will be under the keyboard so the slot on the bottom of the laptop will be free. Unscrew the cover and install the RAM stick.

You will use a PC2700 SODIMM (or some say a PC3200 SODIMM works fine). These are DDR, not DDR2.

Wherever you buy it please buy quality RAM as saving a few dollars today isn't worth smacking your head against the wall down the road when you have errors and freezes and can't figure out why.

'Hope that helps.

Yak

[BrandonRouth.com]

Thanks, but you can call me Iris. =]

I'll be on the lookout for PC2700 SODIMM.

But that RAM slot under the keyboard, is it the one with that plastic panel and one screw? There's an image of a chip with an arrow pointing to the screw.

=]

[brainpicker]

But that RAM slot under the keyboard, is it the one with that plastic panel and one screw? There's an image of a chip with an arrow pointing to the screw.

=]

Iris,

That's the EASY slaot to reach on the bottom! To reach the other slot under the keyboard you must remove the screws with the little keyboard image next to them, then very carefully lift the keyboard. If you has never done this before there are short videos avaiable at the support area on the Lenovo or IBM websites to help, but it's really not that hard at all if you are patient.

Good Luck,

Yak

[AIX]

TSOP or Tiny BGA?

TSOP - not that fragile
BGA - supossed to run cooler

I'm curious if there is any significant temperature difference between usage of TSOP and tiny BGA memory in hard usage conditions, like gaming (on thinkpads).

[BrandonRouth.com]

But that RAM slot under the keyboard, is it the one with that plastic panel and one screw? There's an image of a chip with an arrow pointing to the screw.

=]

Iris,

That's the EASY slaot to reach on the bottom! To reach the other slot under the keyboard you must remove the screws with the little keyboard image next to them, then very carefully lift the keyboard. If you has never done this before there are short videos avaiable at the support area on the Lenovo or IBM websites to help, but it's really not that hard at all if you are patient.

Good Luck,

Yak

I found
1) Optional memory guide http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-51504

2) Standard accessible guide http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-51447

It sounds like you're referring to 2). Can't I just follow 1) and insert a second 256 DIMM so that I have a total of 512?

Again, thanks for being so understanding.

[GomJabbar]

I found
1) Optional memory guide http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-51504

2) Standard accessible guide http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-51447

It sounds like you're referring to 2). Can't I just follow 1) and insert a second 256 DIMM so that I have a total of 512?

Again, thanks for being so understanding.

No. The preinstalled memory from IBM/Lenovo is only accessable by removing the keyboard. Realize the memory installed there will have to be removed to install a larger capacity stick of RAM. So you will lose that memory stick.

For instance, if you buy a ThinkPad with 256 Mb of RAM, that RAM will be installed under the keyboard. If you want to add (2) 512 Mb sticks of RAM, you will have to remove the (1) stick under the keyboard to install one stick of 512 Mb RAM, then you have to open the cover on the bottom of the ThinkPad to install the other stick of 512 Mb RAM in the empty slot. Your total RAM now is 1024 Mb. There is no place for the 256 Mb stick you just removed. You can however add (1) stick of 1 Gb (1024 Mb) RAM to the empty slot on the bottom of the ThinkPad and leave the 256 Mb RAM installed under the keyboard. In this case you will end up with 1,280 Mb of RAM, and you don't have any sticks of RAM left over. The only downside is that (2) 512 Mb sticks of RAM are less expensive than (1) stick of 1 Gb RAM.

[BrandonRouth.com]

Just so I understand, the only way for me to upgrade to 512 (I have 256 preinstalled now) is to remove the preinstalled 256 (via keyboard) and replace that with a 512?

Ideally, I'd like to just leave the preinstalled 256 where it is and just add extra RAM under the Easy (I think that's what it's called) slot.

There's no way I can bypass the RAM removal via keyboard?

Thanks again.

P.S. Just to be extra clear, I mainly don't want to deal with removing the keyboard as I've never, ever replaced hardware on a laptop or desktop. I'm just trying to go for the easiest scenario.

[GomJabbar]

Just so I understand, the only way for me to upgrade to 512 (I have 256 preinstalled now) is to remove the preinstalled 256 (via keyboard) and replace that with a 512?

There's no way I can bypass the removal via keyboard?

Thanks again.

Sure, just install a second stick of 256 Mb of RAM by removing the cover on the bottom of the ThinkPad. You will now have 512 Mb total installed RAM. No keyboard removal necessary.

[qux]

Edit: My clarification not needed since GomJabbar did it himself

[BrandonRouth.com]

Just so I understand, the only way for me to upgrade to 512 (I have 256 preinstalled now) is to remove the preinstalled 256 (via keyboard) and replace that with a 512?

There's no way I can bypass the removal via keyboard?

Thanks again.

Sure, just install a second stick of 256 Mb of RAM by removing the cover on the bottom of the ThinkPad. You will now have 512 Mb total installed RAM. No keyboard removal necessary.

All right, cool. That's what I thought I was asking previously, haha.

Thanks for the confirmation.

Any good recommendations? I could order the PC2700 through IBM using my family discount. Do stores like Fry's or Best Buy good brands? What are good brands? Cost really isn't an issue.

[qux]

Any good recommendations? I could order the PC2700 through IBM using my family discount. Do stores like Fry's or Best Buy good brands? What are good brands? Cost really isn't an issue.

Besides ordering from IBM, you can order RAM certified for your specific Thinkpad model on Crucial.com using their memory advisor. This one looks like the one you want.

The only retailer that I've seen recognizable brands at is Fry's. They have Corsair and Mushkin which are good brands. I can't vouch for their stability in a T42 though. Those brands both have different grades of RAM and I'm not sure what kind Thinkpads like.

[BrandonRouth.com]

Any good recommendations? I could order the PC2700 through IBM using my family discount. Do stores like Fry's or Best Buy good brands? What are good brands? Cost really isn't an issue.

Besides ordering from IBM, you can order RAM certified for your specific Thinkpad model on Crucial.com using their memory advisor. This one looks like the one you want.

The only retailer that I've seen recognizable brands at is Fry's. They have Corsair and Mushkin which are good brands. I can't vouch for their stability in a T42 though. Those brands both have different grades of RAM and I'm not sure what kind Thinkpads like.

Thanks for the linkage.

The only reason why I mentioned Fry's is because my friend is thinking of buying RAM from there for his Dell Inspiron. I will most likely buy from IBM. Better safe than sorry.

But yeah, thanks for ALL the replies. =]

[BrandonRouth.com]

How snugly should the DIMM fit in the Easy slot? I'm finding that the latches aren't latching into the holes of the 1 gb Crucial DIMM. There is still some space in the groove of the DIMM when inserted into the protrusion of the laptop.

Is that not correct?

Edit: NM, I just wasn't pushing the DIMM into the slot thingy hard enough.

[dr_st]

Edit: NM, I just wasn't pushing the DIMM into the slot thingy hard enough.

That's right, you weren't. When doing it for the first time you are afraid to push too had, because you don't know how hard you need to push and are afraid to break something. Common symptom. Had the same thing happen to me until I learned.

[waykeong]

I have a T42. Inside has a 256MB RAM PC2700 DDR SO-DIMM. Can I add a 1GB/512MB RAM PC4200 DDR2 SO-DIMM which used by T43? Because DDR2 RAM is a lot cheaper.

[turbolium]

to waykeong

NO

for the rest of you

i have a dilemma
i have a 512 one stick right now what should i do? buy a gig of cheaper ram or put another 512 but more expencive one
the gig will still cost more but is it worth it?
is there noticable difference between gig and 1.5gig of RAM ????

[qux]

I'd get the 512MB of expensive RAM because stability is paramount to me, plus I usually don't use over a gig of RAM. Check periodically with task manager to see how much you're using.

[Dmitry Ivanov]

I'd like to ask other question about memory What is about replacing default IBM memory stick (2700) to 3200? Speed ups to 400MHz?