Stock 2gb RAM + 4gb aftermarket RAM for x120e

[Original Godfather]

Hey guys, to keep cost down, would it be okay if I just got the base configuration of 2gb, then bought a 4gb DIMM off of newegg and combined the two to have a total of 6gb?

Of course, I'd buy a DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) stick to match the stock RAM.


Would this cause any problems having one memory slot using a 2gb DIMM and the other slot using 4gb?

Also, does anyone know the memory timings of the stock RAM in the x120e?

[hmmwv]

I believe the maximum memory you can install in the x120e is 4GB, each slot is capped at 2GB. At least that's what the specs sheet says.

[The Solutor]

I believe the maximum memory you can install in the x120e is 4GB, each slot is capped at 2GB. At least that's what the specs sheet says.

I'm reasonably sure that this is not true: The hp dm1z, which is basically the same machine supports 8 GB (it's a cto option), the x100e works also with 8 GB, the compatibility with 8 gb memory is cited on the x120s HMM (altough not specified that you can use two of them).

Given that unless a purposely limited bios I' cant see a single reason to have the 4GB limit.

Back to the initial question, usually this is not a problem, specially on single channel CPUs like the Brazos ones, but the combination can be thousands, so you can't be 100% sure before trying your specific mix (and order) of dimm modules.

[Original Godfather]

Thanks for the input.

I guess it should be okay then. I've done this a few times with desktop builds and had a few mishaps with mismatching speeds, etc. but wasn't sure if the 2gb vs a 4gb of the same speed would make a difference...

Any other input is appreciated!

[love_guru]

FWIW, I'm running it with 8GB DDR3-1066 PC-8500 RAM right now. No hiccups so far.

[Original Godfather]

Are you running 2x4gb or a 1x8gb?


I don't need 8gb, and to keep costs down I'd figure I'd just buy a single 4gb DIMM for $40 and pop it in the extra slot so I'd have 6gb total.

[billp117]

Stop by Fry's and pick up one of the $19.99 4 GB chips...

[Original Godfather]

Thanks! I didn't even think of checking Fry's...

[billp117]

It was advertised in the paper...not online.

[tetete]

save yourself a little money and get 2x2GB 1333

120e 's CPU is really weak.

You will not be able to keep that much programs in the background and let your machine runs smooth

also, when the amount of ram is not a issue, 2x2GB parallel dual channel is faster than 2GB + 4GB

[Colonel O'Neill]

A 1.5GHz dual core should be fairly zippy with productivity work (excluding entertainment content creation). Even my X100e with a single 1.6GHz CPU can handle a few programs. The bundled HD6310 is ballpark equivalent to the HD3470 included in my T400 according to NotebookCheck ( )

If you have a 2GB and 4GB slot inserted, you will get dual channel benefit on the first 2GB of RAM, and none afterwards. Between 4GB and 6GB, it doesn't really matter; my X100e has 2GB, and my T400 had 2GB for a year.

[Original Godfather]

So, I guess I should just go with the 2x2gb option since 6gb has no real benefit over 4gb, at least in a business/productivity use.


So, the next question is, should I just order 4gb direct from Lenovo, or just get the 2gb base, and buy a cheap 2gb stick to add on?

[The Solutor]

A 1.5GHz dual core should be fairly zippy with productivity work (excluding entertainment content creation). Even my X100e with a single 1.6GHz CPU can handle a few programs.

The X120 should be more than enough to do almost everything one can do in a such small laptop, btw keep in mind that the E-350 is actually slower than the 1.4 GHz K345 you can find inside the Edge 11 amd, which in turn is slightly slower than the L625 that powers the dual core X100e.

Windows CPU index
L625 = 4.2

K345 = 4.1

E-350 = 3.8

On the other hand speaking about the GPU power, if we consider 100 the one from X100e, the one from Edge 11 is something like 120, while the one from X120e is something like 200.

[Original Godfather]

The X120 should be more than enough to do almost everything one can do in a such small laptop, btw keep in mind that the E-350 is actually slower than the 1.4 GHz K345 you can find inside the Edge 11 amd, which in turn is slightly slower than the L625 that powers the dual core X100e.

Windows CPU index
L625 = 4.2

K345 = 4.1

E-350 = 3.8

On the other hand speaking about the GPU power, if we consider 100 the one from X100e, the one from Edge 11 is something like 120, while the one from X120e is something like 200.

And that makes all the difference in actual performance, especially since the WEI difference is so marginal between the three mentioned CPUs.


So...


Should I just order 4gb direct from Lenovo, or just get the 2gb base, and buy a cheap 2gb stick to add on?

[billp117]

Fry's?

I would still buy the 4GB for $20...get it while it is on sale. Heck...I would pop for 8GB and get it done.

[bourgognais]

I have a l335 x100e and it’s fast enough to run multiple windows ( including Office 2010 ). A x120e with a dual core and 4GB should be enough to render the x201 useless.

My experience with this machine ( and of newer Thinkpads ) is that the disk will be the bottleneck. I changed the original 5400rpm for a 7200rpm hybrid ( mix of ssd and regular drive ) and it made a big difference in performance.

save yourself a little money and get 2x2GB 1333

120e 's CPU is really weak.

You will not be able to keep that much programs in the background and let your machine runs smooth

also, when the amount of ram is not a issue, 2x2GB parallel dual channel is faster than 2GB + 4GB

[Original Godfather]

Thanks for the input guys.


The 120e should be pretty overkill in regards to my personal use. I'd mainly be using it for journaling/notes and web surfing; nothing that is neither CPU nor disk writing intensive. There will also be the Excel spreadsheet and only one (really simple) company program that will be used as well, but even then, those don't require much resources.


So, should I get the 4gb configuration from Lenovo, or just get another 2gb stick and install it myself?

[codedivine]

Note that you will not get any dual-channel benefit from the E-350. It has a single channel memory controller like Atom.

[Original Godfather]

Note that you will not get any dual-channel benefit from the E-350. It has a single channel memory controller like Atom.

In other words, it doesn't really matter if I go with a 1x4gb or 2x2gb, correct?

[codedivine]

In other words, it doesn't really matter if I go with a 1x4gb or 2x2gb, correct?

Correct.

[yhp2009]

save yourself a little money and get 2x2GB 1333

120e 's CPU is really weak.

You will not be able to keep that much programs in the background and let your machine runs smooth

also, when the amount of ram is not a issue, 2x2GB parallel dual channel is faster than 2GB + 4GB

I doubt it. I have the dual core x100e + 4gb + ssd, and it runs word, excel, matlab, internet explorer w/gazillion tabs, adobe reader, with windows media player music in the background flawlessly. And I am not exaggerating a single bit. Of course the ssd helps, but the x120e is no weak cpu for daily tasks + some number crunching.

I'm actually using mine as a workhorse, and it hasnt failed me yet.