Best Laptop Memory

[Maximo101]

Can anyone recommend memory that you have upgraded your gamig laptop (or pc) with and are satisfied? Looking to go from 2x8G (2xDDR4, 1333MHz) to 2x16G and I'm looking at Corsair or Hyper X or ?? The laptop in question is a Razer Pro 17 (2019) presently. It suppports 2xddr4, dual channel RAM.

 

[Hayato213]

You should find out if your laptop support 2x16gb.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Can anyone recommend memory that you have upgraded your gamig laptop (or pc) with and are satisfied? Looking to go from 2x8G (2xDDR4, 1333MHz) to 2x16G and I'm looking at Corsair or Hyper X or ?? The laptop in question is a Razer Pro 17 (2019) presently. It suppports 2xddr4, dual channel RAM.

Honestly with RAM just buy the cheapest one from a reputable brand unless you intend to overclock the RAM (which I don't recommend, it's a lot of hassle for little gain). Higher quality chips will overclock better. But you aren't necessarily guaranteed to get higher quality chips by paying more, you have to seek out specific models of RAM sticks that are known to have higher quality chips. I overpaid for 2x32GB G.Skill TridentZ DDR4 3600mhz CL16 which used crappy Samsung chips when I could've just got a cheap Corsair kit (also 3600mhz CL16) that probably would be just as high quality. G.Skill TridentZ is supposed to use high quality chips across the entire range but I guess that is not the case for high capacity ones, it seems like high capacity chips are just lower quality in general. I am a bit of a G.Skill fanboy though since I like their RGB sticks.

RAM always performs the same at the same speed and latency, so brand doesn't really matter.
There are only 3 manufacturers of RAM chips (Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron) that you are likely to find in DDR sticks and they're all good.
Worth noting that Crucial is the only manufacturer of RAM sticks that make their own chips (Crucial = Micron) everybody else just buys chips from one of the big 3 and slaps their own logo on the sticks. The only way to know what chips are in a RAM stick is to check it with software, or look up a crowdsourced database. That's part of why brand matters so little, since the brand of the stick doesn't tell you anything about what parts go into it.

As a general rule look up what is the sweet spot of RAM speed for your particular CPU or CPU generation (the point where faster speeds have diminished returns) and buy the cheapest one with that speed. Lower latency is faster but tends to cost a lot more.
Example, DDR4 3200mhz CL16 and 3600mhz CL18 are cheap (same price) but 3600mhz CL16 is expensive. 3600mhz CL18 is faster than 3200mhz CL16 though, so if you have a fixed budget, always prefer higher speed over lower latency.
But at the same time you shouldn't overspend, the CPU can't take full advantage of extremely high memory speeds.

There are some chips that are deemed as better and some that are deemed as worse but as mentioned it only really matters if overclocking the RAM. For DDR4 Samsung B-die was regarded as the absolute best, for DDR5 I'm not sure what goes. (My crappy Samsung chips were not B-die )

 

[console]

I bought Crucial RAM for my desktop, mini desktop and laptop never give me any problems so far. High quality made RAM.

I had gaming MSI laptop had 8 GB RAM DDR4 installed, I bought Crucial 32 GB (2 of 16 GB RAM sticks (no heatsinks) in one package that will support 3 different wide range are 2666, 2933 and 3200) to upgrade my MSI laptop to 32 GB RAM and working great. No boot loop, crash, freeze, slow, etc. Perfect match to my old RAM with similar speed at 2933 MHz.

I always trust Crucial for top quality made and never give any failure on me for many years so far. I would buy Crucial RAM again, again, again for many years that what I know about high quality made then I have to stick with it for all my old and new computers.

You can upgrade RAM by yourself. Easy like cake. No need tech support person to help us.

Important, remember disconnect battery plug from motherboard first! Then wait about 1 - 2 minutes for electric static voltage go out of power or lost power from battery plug then replace RAM and HDD / SSD storage. Then put battery plug back in motherboard and put everything case and screws back together then press on power button to start up to check up to see if everything are fine to boot up normal. If boot is normal then you are good to go! Very easy to do yourself. Not very hard to do that. You don't need to call tech support person to come to your house to fix your computer.

Warning about if you never disconnect battery plug from motherboard then upgrade RAM / HDD / SSD maybe will damage your motherboard due to electric static from battery power. Never do this!


Happy gaming!



Edit: Fixed 2600 to 2666 for correct one.

 

[Maximo101]

Thank you both for your feedback. No overclocking planned.

When I was perusing duckduckgo for RAM, I saw several best of articles that featured RGB RAM. Now, isn't that unnecessary for a laptop AND an added power drain from the battery? Or negligable? Can you see it through the laptop case? The keyboard is Chroma RGB lighting.

$63 for 2x16 on Amazon:
Corsair Vengeance Performance Memory Kit 32GB DDR4 2666MHz CL18 Unbuffered SODIMM (2x16GB)Corsair Vengeance Performance Memory Kit 32GB DDR4 2666MHz CL18 Unbuffered SODIMM (2x16GB)
or this one:

$67 also Amazon

Crucial RAM 32GB Kit (2x16GB) DDR4 3200MHz CL22 (or 2933MHz or 2666MHz) Laptop Memory CT2K16G4SFRA32A​

I assume either would be a nice upgrade to the existing RAM set.

Console, I jut added a 2T Crucial SSD to my Razer 17 pro and it was very easy. I like the open slot, so no swapping SSD's. The RAM is in two pop-up trays, so also looks very easy to replace.

Crucial website has a 2x16G recommendation specifically for my laptop (2nd one shown above), and the price is reasonable.

Any reason a CL22 would be to slow? What does the 2nd ad mean when it says: 3200 MHz CL22 (or 2933MHz or 2666MHz)?? What does the or mean? Is that lower speeds at higher latency ratings?

And thanks for the advice on the battery. I blew up my Razer OEM battery a year ago, swelled right up and took 1/2 hr hunting down 2 back-plate screws that were in the carpet..., never replaced the battery, used it plugged in. So I have another battery coming in the mail presently, I'l add the RAM before I install the battery.

 

[gnmmarechal]

Thank you both for your feedback. No overclocking planned.

When I was perusing duckduckgo for RAM, I saw several best of articles that featured RGB RAM. Now, isn't that unnecessary for a laptop AND an added power drain from the battery? Or negligable? Can you see it through the laptop case? The keyboard is Chroma RGB lighting.

$63 for 2x16 on Amazon:
Corsair Vengeance Performance Memory Kit 32GB DDR4 2666MHz CL18 Unbuffered SODIMM (2x16GB)Corsair Vengeance Performance Memory Kit 32GB DDR4 2666MHz CL18 Unbuffered SODIMM (2x16GB)
or this one:

$67 also Amazon

Crucial RAM 32GB Kit (2x16GB) DDR4 3200MHz CL22 (or 2933MHz or 2666MHz) Laptop Memory CT2K16G4SFRA32A​

I assume either would be a nice upgrade to the existing RAM set.

Console, I jut added a 2T Crucial SSD to my Razer 17 pro and it was very easy. I like the open slot, so no swapping SSD's. The RAM is in two pop-up trays, so also looks very easy to replace.

Crucial website has a 2x16G recommendation specifically for my laptop (2nd one shown above), and the price is reasonable.

Any reason a CL22 would be to slow? What does the 2nd ad mean when it says: 3200 MHz CL22 (or 2933MHz or 2666MHz)?? What does the or mean? Is that lower speeds at higher latency ratings?

And thanks for the advice on the battery. I blew up my Razer OEM battery a year ago, swelled right up and took 1/2 hr hunting down 2 back-plate screws that were in the carpet..., never replaced the battery, used it plugged in. So I have another battery coming in the mail presently, I'l add the RAM before I install the battery.

Well - regardless of the module's ability to run at 3200 MT/s, the machine you put it into has to support those profiles. E.g. my old Intel 10th gen HP Omen laptop had 3200MT/s sticks in, but it could only drive them at 2933.

 

[Maximo101]

Well - regardless of the module's ability to run at 3200 MT/s, the machine you put it into has to support those profiles. E.g. my old Intel 10th gen HP Omen laptop had 3200MT/s sticks in, but it could only drive them at 2933.

how do you know? It has 1333 MHz RAM in it now, per the machine query.

Crucial website recommends 3200 MHz for my specific machine. Razer website days DDR4, dual channel, up to 64G and thats all it says.

 

[gnmmarechal]

how do you know? It has 1333 MHz RAM in it now, per the machine query.

Crucial website recommends 3200 MHz for my specific machine. Razer website days DDR4, dual channel, up to 64G and thats all it says.

1333MHz would be 2666MT/s (often referred to as 2666MHz, as DDR = Double Data Rate ).
Keep in mind that even if the speed and latency *seem* compatible, you need to ensure it's the native profile. Some laptop modules support XMP profiles which are not natively supported by a lot of laptops (and those that do often only support them on the officially recognised modules and don't let you manually enable them). With that said, I'd expect the module you linked to work just fine.

 

[console]

That's great.

But CL22 will not much notice slow down. It's different speed. I heard if too high clock or overclock cause blue screen of death (BSOD). Do not affect a lot of PC games. Maybe affect very, very few PC games which are biggest or huge are resource hungry if settings are on very high or ultra maybe notice slow down due to RAM and GPU are share through bandwidth transfer between. Such as shooter games and race (drive vehicles) games.

If replace RAM in computer maybe not work. There is work around is reset CMOS or/and remove battery coin from motherboard then wait for between 1 minute to 5 minutes then put back in same place should fix RAM issues.

For some of laptops, maybe not work if after installed RAM. Remove battery plug from motherboard first then remove battery coin from motherboard. Wait for 1 minute to 5 minutes for BIOS to clear all setting include like RAM. Then put battery coin back in motherboard first then put battery plug back in motherboard then RAM issues can be fixed.

If RAM not working, can be due to defect or DOA (Dead on arrive), send back to store where anyone bought before. Have two opinion are exchange or refund to get money back. Notice about few RAM have very low chance due to defect or DOA.

Always check RAM to see what's working or not. Anyone will know.


I recommend use program name is Memtest86+ can check all types of RAM to check health which are good or bad. If find bad RAM then replace another new RAM to fix problems.


Memtest86+ homepage:

https://www.memtest.org/

 

[Maximo101]

That's great.

But CL22 will not much notice slow down. It's different speed. I heard if too high clock or overclock cause blue screen of death (BSOD). Do not affect a lot of PC games. Maybe affect very, very few PC games which are biggest or huge are resource hungry if settings are on very high or ultra maybe notice slow down due to RAM and GPU are share through bandwidth transfer between. Such as shooter games and race (drive vehicles) games.

If replace RAM in computer maybe not work. There is work around is reset CMOS or/and remove battery coin from motherboard then wait for between 1 minute to 5 minutes then put back in same place should fix RAM issues.

For some of laptops, maybe not work if after installed RAM. Remove battery plug from motherboard first then remove battery coin from motherboard. Wait for 1 minute to 5 minutes for BIOS to clear all setting include like RAM. Then put battery coin back in motherboard first then put battery plug back in motherboard then RAM issues can be fixed.

If RAM not working, can be due to defect or DOA (Dead on arrive), send back to store where anyone bought before. Have two opinion are exchange or refund to get money back. Notice about few RAM have very low chance due to defect or DOA.

Always check RAM to see what's working or not. Anyone will know.


I recommend use program name is Memtest86+ can check all types of RAM to check health which are good or bad. If find bad RAM then replace another new RAM to fix problems.


Memtest86+ homepage:

https://www.memtest.org/

Thanks for the info. I may be waiting a few weeks on upgrading RAM, my main TV in living room just died... I have to replace that first.

What is your advice on (MHz) refresh rates? Most budget tv's I'm looking at are rated 60 Mhz. The one I like is twice as expensive, but operates at 144MHz. Since I use the tv with my PS4 or PS4 pro, or my gaming laptop, I think the higher refresh rate will be noticable...

 

[console]

Welcome anytime. Just take your more time. No need to hurry. Just relax.

It's monitor or TV use Hz, not MHz. Means for speed that affect games. 60 Hz is old school standard speed same to 60 FPS. 144 Hz is same to 144 FPS is more faster than 60 Hz that anyone can notice in video games.

You can test different Hz on any monitor or computer monitor to check random speed on Blur Busters UFO Motion Tests website here:

https://www.testufo.com/


Blur Busters UFO Motion Tests.

This screen compares multiple framerates. If using a 120Hz monitor, then 120fps is automatically added to this test (30fps vs 60fps vs 120fps) in supported browsers.


Depend on few monitor or TV which are bad due to slow motion speed. If blur motion look terrible means monitor or TV is bad look like ghosting. You should buy gaming monitor with faster speed like 144 Hz or above (cost more money). I would suggest to stick with 120 Hz or 144 Hz to save money. It's will be great for all gaming like PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, etc. No need to spend too much money on fancy TV or monitor.

I had Westinghouse gaming monitor 32 inches (2K resolution) with 144 Hz and don't see any notice in there. No ghosting so far. No issues with my PC gaming and my PS4 to connect to same monitor. Zero issues so far.

I recommend anyone to buy gaming monitor which had 144 Hz are great and some are afford prices if catch on sale / discount. It's would be great to have 144 Hz. I don't mind to buy any higher Hz than 144 Hz. 144 Hz is enough for me and most of people.

 

[Maximo101]

I settled on Crucial (micron) 32G kit with 2x16G SODIMM DDR4 CL22. I do notice some inprovements over file transfers and high end graphics

 

[Jayro]

I settled on Crucial (micron) 32G kit with 2x16G SODIMM DDR4 CL22. I do notice some inprovements over file transfers and high end graphics

That's a good kit. I went with G.Skill 2x16GB CL19 2400 in my laptop. The laptop changed the allocated RAM from 256MB to 2GB dedicated for GPU (APU) memory, and really made vanilla (Java) minecraft run a lot smoother as a result.

 

[Maximo101]

That's a good kit. I went with G.Skill 2x16GB CL19 2400 in my laptop. The laptop changed the allocated RAM from 256MB to 2GB dedicated for GPU (APU) memory, and really made vanilla (Java) minecraft run a lot smoother as a result.

I just added a 2T internal SSD to a second internal slot in my laptop and went from .5T to 2.5T! Much better, especially with the DDR4 upgrade. I can now store every COD game ever made on my laptop...

 

[console]

I'm very happy to see your messages! That's great news! Yay! I told everyone about upgrade RAM is much easy. Like no brain means no need help from tech support. Super easy like cake.

That's great for you to add 2nd SSD 2 TB to your laptop. I did myself to add SSD 2 TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus work great on my MSI gaming laptop have 2.5 TB storage.


But wait! Great news for us and people are gaming and movies collection! Storage news here:

SSD storage is set to use 1,000 layer memory chips by 2027, potentially offering 20 TB NVMe drives for under $300

https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/ss...fering-20-tb-nvme-drives-for-under-dollar300/



Wow! I can't wait to buy Kioxia 20 TB SSD to replace my 2 TB SSD. I love a lot of games on my computer and don't need to delete games again, again for to free up. We must be very happy gamer in longer years! Yay!

 

[Maximo101]

I'm very happy to see your messages! That's great news! Yay! I told everyone about upgrade RAM is much easy. Like no brain means no need help from tech support. Super easy like cake.

That's great for you to add 2nd SSD 2 TB to your laptop. I did myself to add SSD 2 TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus work great on my MSI gaming laptop have 2.5 TB storage.


But wait! Great news for us and people are gaming and movies collection! Storage news here:

SSD storage is set to use 1,000 layer memory chips by 2027, potentially offering 20 TB NVMe drives for under $300

https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/ss...fering-20-tb-nvme-drives-for-under-dollar300/



Wow! I can't wait to buy Kioxia 20 TB SSD to replace my 2 TB SSD. I love a lot of games on my computer and don't need to delete games again, again for to free up. We must be very happy gamer in longer years! Yay!

what about heat dissipation? And 'ouch' if you ever lose the drive, that's alot of data to have to backup...

 

[console]

You are right. Best to buy cool pad fans for under laptop to keep CPU, GPU and SSD cool down. Use SSD PCIE 3.0 only is much better for less heat. SSD PCIE 4.0 is more little hot than SSD PCIE 3.0. There is new SSD PCIE 5.0 out there and more hotter than SSD PCIE 3.0 & 4.0.

Please avoid SSD PCIE 5.0 due to high temperature heat means short lifespan. I will always stick with both SSD PCIE 3.0 & 4.0 for many years.

SATA hard drives and SATA SSD are more cool temperature than NVMe SSD.