RAM upgrade confused?

OnlyAlex

OnlyAlex

OnlyAlex

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I have 5600 2x8gb ram but processor limits it to 5200. I want to upgrade to 2x16gb. Shall I purchase 5200 x2 16GB as purchasing 5600 is silly if the processor limits it? I’m not sure why Lenovo put 5600 in the laptop in the first place if they’re limited with my i7 13700H CPU.

I’m very confused. Some advice would be appreciated, cheers!
 
I'd have a look at Kingston and Crucial's configurators and see what they recommend for your laptop model, they should also be aware if one of the sticks is soldered and if they're sodimm (which I assume they are).

It's normal for OEM desktops and laptops to use memory which only follows the spec for DDR (i.e. JEDEC, not XMP) and the CPU, they may have used 5600 just because it was what they had available.

If you buy gaming memory that relies on XMP, it could even end up running slower than what you have.
 
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Tetras said:
I'd have a look at Kingston and Crucial's configurators and see what they recommend for your laptop model, they should also be aware if one of the sticks is soldered and if they're sodimm (which I assume they are).

It's normal for OEM desktops and laptops to use memory which only follows the spec for DDR (i.e. JEDEC, not XMP) and the CPU, they may have used 5600 just because it was what they had available.

If you buy gaming memory that relies on XMP, it could even end up running slower than what you have.
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Thank you for your help.
 
JollyJamma said:
Tetras is spot on.

Laptop manufacturers keep to safe and reliable memory speeds and don’t run fast XMP or EXPO speeds most of the time.

Do check if you have 2 DIMM slots and not 1 DIMM slot and a chip of RAM soldered onto the motherboard.
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Okay, thanks. It's SODIMM and two slots / not soldered as it says 'maximum installable ram 32GB'. Cheers.
 
OnlyAlex said:
Okay, thanks. It's SODIMM and two slots / not soldered as it says 'maximum installable ram 32GB'. Cheers.
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You could probably get 64gigs working fine but the manufacturer will always recommend lower capacities for compatibility.

I have often installed way more RAM in laptop than the manufacturer recommends because the CPU can support that amount as per Intels SKU page.

I got 24gigs working in a Dell that said it only supported a max of 16gigs with zero issues.
 
JollyJamma said:
You could probably get 64gigs working fine but the manufacturer will always recommend lower capacities for compatibility.

I have often installed way more RAM in laptop than the manufacturer recommends because the CPU can support that amount as per Intels SKU page.

I got 24gigs working in a Dell that said it only supported a max of 16gigs with zero issues.
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Oh cool, that's neat - cheers!
 
mickyflinn said:
5200mhz is supported for the H series CPU the hx series can do 5600mhz single rank memory or 5200mhz dual rank.l memory.

Maybe Lenovo just had loads of the latter.
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Yeah and they could have also tried to save the pennies in cost difference between 5200 and 5600 just because they can.

When you’re ordering a million kits of RAM, pennies per unit matter.
 
JollyJamma said:
You could probably get 64gigs working fine but the manufacturer will always recommend lower capacities for compatibility.

I have often installed way more RAM in laptop than the manufacturer recommends because the CPU can support that amount as per Intels SKU page.

I got 24gigs working in a Dell that said it only supported a max of 16gigs with zero issues.
Click to expand...
Yep he's correct. I've had this with MBP's, Apple would state 4gb and 8gb would work fine even with random brand stuff and not stuff 'certified' or bought direct from them.
 
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