Is Vengeance RAM worth the extra couple of quid for me?

jonifen · 18 Aug 2012 at 16:00

Hi,

I'm looking to upgrade the RAM in my HP DM1-4027ea "netbook" (11.6" AMD E-450) from 4Gb to 8Gb.
I've been doing quite a bit of photo editing lately and have found it sluggish when I have Firefox (with several tabs) and Outlook running at the same time hence the want to upgrade.

I started off looking at Crucial's RAM (8Gb kit (4Gb x2) DDR3 PC3-10600) which works at 1.35V but then I saw Corsair's Vengeance RAM (8Gb Kit (4Gb x2) DDR3 PC3-12800) which runs at 1.5V for an extra couple of quid.

The Corsair is quicker, (PC3-12800 vs PC3-10600), but would that equate to anything in my DM1 where the current RAM runs at PC3-10600?

I wanted to know if it's worth spending an extra few pounds to get the Corsair? Or if it's not going to give me anything extra over the Crucial which is a few quid cheaper.
Also, am I right in thinking the 1.35V demand from the Crucial RAM could help with battery life? Could it also mean it would run cooler in the laptop?

Any advice welcome. Thanks in advance.
Jon

pgi947 · 18 Aug 2012 at 16:13

Not too clued up on Laptop/netbook/whatevertheyarecallingthemthesedays memory but I would guess lower voltage = lower power consumption = better battery life, probably not by a noticeable amount.

Both are good brands, I'd go with the Crucial, cheaper, the same thing and lower voltage.

jonifen · 18 Aug 2012 at 16:17

pgi947 said:
Not too clued up on Laptop/netbook/whatevertheyarecallingthemthesedays memory but I would guess lower voltage = lower power consumption = better battery life, probably not by a noticeable amount.

Both are good brands, I'd go with the Crucial, cheaper, the same thing and lower voltage.

Thanks pgi947, I think I'll order the Crucial RAM then.
I was thinking that anyway because it is cheaper afterall, but I bought an OCZ SSD because it was cheaper and I ended up being disappointed so I didn't want to make the same mistake again!

pgi947 · 18 Aug 2012 at 16:24

SSD's can be a whole different ball game, memory on the other hand you only really need to factor in voltage/speed/timings, the vast majority of memory at the same speed will have similar timings.

Obviously make sure the memory is compatible with the system first, I know desktop motherboards come with a list of compatible dimm's so would presume laptops come with the same.

jonifen · 18 Aug 2012 at 16:32

The Crucial RAM I looked up on Crucial's own website (I put in my laptop details) and it recommended the RAM I mentioned so they're pretty much guaranteeing it to work.
The Corsair RAM was off OcUK.

I'm looking at a Crucial M4 SSD anyway (based on recommendations from others on this forum - wish I had gotten one of those instead of the OCZ).

Thanks for the advice pgi947, it's much appreciated.