Advice Upgrading Razer Blade (2018) Regarding Conflicting Information?

[Wiredchild]

I have a Razer Blade 15 2018 GTX1070 (RZ09-02385) with 16GB RAM, but have recently been having programs I use telling me I've run out of memory, particularly since upgrading to Windows 11.

I've therefore decided I need to upgrade the RAM but there seems to be lots of confliciting information regarding compatability. The Razer website says the unit supports up to 64GB 3200MHz, but I've read lots of conflicting information claiming it will only support up to 16GB and that the processor (Intel Core i7-8750H) only supports 2666MHz RAM, with some reports of people buying RAM for the laptop which is running slower than listed at 2400MHz.

So I'm pretty confused, especially as I'm not very experienced with these things. I'm fairly inclined to max the unit out to prevent any memory issues as long as possible, but am worried I will buy something that is incompatible or waste money on something that won't run at the speed it should/could.

Is someone smarter than I able to provide some clarity on this? And perhaps be kind enough to point me in the direction of a suitable RAM module for the upgrade.

Any help appreciated.

 

[Tetras]

The Razer website says the unit supports up to 64GB 3200MHz, but I've read lots of conflicting information claiming it will only support up to 16GB and that the processor (Intel Core i7-8750H) only supports 2666MHz RAM, with some reports of people buying RAM for the laptop which is running slower than listed at 2400MHz.

Disclaimer: I don't buy laptops and I know nothing about most laptops. With the 8th gen CPUs, Intel generally did not allow overclocking of any kind (including memory) unless you had a Z chipset. The 8th gen U0 die CPUs are limited to 2666 at stock and the 8th gen B0 die CPUs are limited to 2400 at stock.

There are normally two reasons why an 8th gen CPU might run at 2400:
1. The CPU uses the B0 die (usually this is i3, or Pentium).
2. The buyer got memory that requires XMP to operate at the higher frequency and since the laptop/PC does not allow config, it only boots at the lower frequency. From memory, Kingston DDR4 XMP RAM would usually boot at 2400, Crucial at 2666 and Corsair at 2133. Laptop memory is different and does not usually require XMP, BUT JEDEC memory that runs at 3200 did not exist when 8th gen launched, so even if you buy memory that doesn't require XMP, the BIOS may be unaware how to correctly configure it. An additional caveat to that, even if the BIOS does know how to configure JEDEC 3200 memory, if you have a chipset that is not a Z chipset, it won't allow it to run at that speed anyway due to the CPU limitation.

About your specific laptop, first off I'd start with memory configurators like this:

Memory for a Razer - Blade 15" Base (2018) RZ09-0238x - Kingston Technology

Kingston has compatible memory for Razer - Blade 15" Base (2018) RZ09-0238x

www.kingston.com

This says you have 2x memory slots and it supports a max of 32GB per slot. For me, this implies that it has a modern BIOS from the factory, because when this CPU was released 32GB sticks didn't exist. Razer's website seems to confirm this, since it says expandable to 64GB on their website.

I believe the chipset does support memory overclocking, but Razer's website for your model (RZ09-02385) says the memory should be 2666, so I don't know if a higher speed is configurable. You can check in your BIOS to see if you can manually set a higher frequency and if XMP is available. If you can't, then I would recommend one of the following:

1. Buy a kit that is 2666 without XMP.
2. Buy a kit that uses XMP, but boots at 2666 (e.g. Kingston's datasheet or Corsair's website would confirm that).
3. Buy a JEDEC kit that is 3200, but has a 2666 JEDEC profile.

If it was me? I'd buy the sticks that Kingston's configurator recommends, unless they are not price competitive.

 

[Wiredchild]

Hi thanks so much for the detailed response, it is really appreciated. Is there a way I can check the chipset/die of the CPU and the BIOS, and would this indicate the capability of the laptop to utilise 3200MHz modules? As said the Razer website does say the laptop will take 64GB of 3200MHz (https://mysupport.razer.com/app/ans...”-advanced-(2018)-|-rz09-0238x-support-&-faqs)

I've had a look at the Kingston link and it does list '32GB DDR4 3200MT/s Non-ECC Unbuffered SODIMM' modules, although they are more expensive than on Amazon. It also says it is 'ValueRAM', does this imply an inferior quality or does it not really matter? I did read elsewhere to buy 'HyperX' RAM.

I'm also considering just buying 2666MHz RAM, as I know it will be compatible. Would there be a considerable difference in performance between the 2666MHz and 3200MHz (if compatible)?

And similarly, is 64GB overkill? For your information I use the computer for Autodesk BIM software (Revit), Adobe Creative Suite, occasional rendering software and casual gaming.

Thanks again.

 

[mickyflinn]

Hi.

If you work on larger files over 1GB in Autodesk Revit it's recommended to go to 64gb, so you have to decide if it's worth the extra cost.

As for memory speed there won't be a big difference dropping to 2666mhz but higher MHz will give you a small increase in bandwidth.

Value ram is usually just lower speed memory, it has to work correctly at designated speeds and timmings.

 

[Tetras]

Is there a way I can check the chipset/die of the CPU and the BIOS

You can use CPU-Z or hwinfo, just make sure you download them from the official sources and be careful of dodgy adverts. In this case though, you don't need to, because the B0 die was not used for 6 cores, so you have U0.

For the chipset, if you google the one listed by Razer and Kingston and check Intel Ark, it says memory overclocking is supported, but you really need to look in the BIOS because there's no guarantee that Razer made this functionality available.

I've had a look at the Kingston link and it does list '32GB DDR4 3200MT/s Non-ECC Unbuffered SODIMM' modules

FYI: In reference to the 3200 frequency, keep in mind the "IMPORTANT CONFIGURATION NOTES" on the same page.

Kingston may just recommend them because they're widely available (DDR4 PCs currently in production support 3200, so 2666 is obsolete).

It also says it is 'ValueRAM', does this imply an inferior quality or does it not really matter?

I hope not, because I use a lot of this stuff

On a more serious note, no, it should work fine at stock settings. Higher grade RAM may use higher quality dies and a thicker PCB, but this is meant to help with overclocking and running higher frequencies.

The lack of a heatsink might be an issue with some laptops, but I'm not informed enough about laptops to say if that's a realistic problem for the average user.

Would there be a considerable difference in performance between the 2666MHz and 3200MHz (if compatible)?

It is hard to say because the 8th gen benchmarks were done long ago, but for the most part: no, I'd expect it to be minimal for the config in your laptop.

And similarly, is 64GB overkill? For your information I use the computer for Autodesk BIM software (Revit), Adobe Creative Suite, occasional rendering software and casual gaming.

I generally recommend 64GB on new builds, so ... I'm in that camp, but I'd always suggest you monitor your usage with task manager while you work (if you go into the details tab and add commit size, it can tell you how much memory the app is requesting to use, including virtual memory/pagefile). If you're nowhere 64GB in usage then it would be a waste (though keep in mind there's a difference between cached and in-use/needed for your software).

I'm also considering just buying 2666MHz RAM, as I know it will be compatible.

That's fair enough, but I'd expect that anything Kingston recommend should work (I've found their configurator to be one of the most conservative) and any JEDEC standard stick should have multiple profiles, so if 3200 is not supported it will be knocked down to 2666, as Kingston say might happen in their note.

 

[JollyJamma]

I’ve always managed to run more RAM than the manufacturer of the laptop specified.

I’ve upgraded laptops going back as far as 2007 and used to stick to the manufacturers recommended specs but I once got curious since the Intel support page for the CPU stated max RAM support of 64gigs and installed an 8gig RAM module with a 4gig module in a laptop that had “limit” of 8gigs total (2 by 4gig DIMM limit).

It worked fine. It rank at single rank but that didn’t matter much since the RAM usage kept maxing out and that was a bigger issue.

I’ve added large single RAM DIMMs to laptops ever since and it’s fine.

I’d just get a 64gig kit of 3200 or 2666 MT/s, install it and if the system down clocks it to 2400 or lower, so be it.

GLHF

 

[Wiredchild]

Thanks all for the responses, it's much appreciated. Particularly Tetras for the further detailed information.

I've done some further digging this week and concluded that my bios version (1.08) does not support XMP and thus any memory faster than 2666MHz will not be utilised at full-speed. It sounds like a sore subject reading across a few forums, which Razer introduced with this bios version. It's odd how they say on their own website that the unit supports 3200MHz, as that is apparently only on older bios.

Furthermore, I've decided I likely don't need 64GB after checking the task manager usage and don't work on massive BIM models which would utilise this either. I also read that games don't utilise more than 32GB.

So I've decided to go with 2666MHz 32GB, potentially this RAM as it has the lowest latency (CL15):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-I...efix=ddr4+2666+sodimm+32gb,aps,123&sr=8-12&th

Can I expect this module to work OK? Is it worth paying more for the faster latency over the valueRAM?

 

[Tetras]

Is it worth paying more for the faster latency over the valueRAM?

I wouldn't, no. At this point, I think the capacity is the most important thing, to get you off 16GB.

So I've decided to go with 2666MHz 32GB, potentially this RAM as it has the lowest latency (CL15):

Can I expect this module to work OK?

I can't see any reason why it wouldn't work, but the configurator doesn't recommend this memory and I don't know why, e.g. if that's just because it is discontinued, or the configurator doesn't support it.