HP or Crucial Memory for HP Elitebook 8740w?

I posted this in the what should I buy forum but got no answers. Maybe wrong forum -- so I am trying posting it here.

I am about to buy an 8740w with Dreamcolor screen. Below is the specs. If you notice, right now it just lists 2 GB Memory.

It has the capacity to hold 32 GB Ram in 4 slots.

HP charges a fortune for its memory. Originally I was planning to buy the minimum (2 GB) and then purchase 4 - 4 GB DDR3 1333 memory chips from Crucial.

To upgrade to 4 - 4 GB DDR3 1333 memory chips at HP costs:
$1,163.

I am confused by the memory offerings at Crucial: They have multiple variants of 4 GB DDR3 1333 memory chips at different prices. I don't understand enough to know what the differences are:

DDR3 upgrades from Crucial.com

But it seems I can spend any where from 2 x $139 for 2 sets of a pair of 4GB on up. I don't understand the various 12 GB offerings with 3 x 4GB chips.

The Crucial site suggests only the cheapest one works for the HP 8740w = $280

However, Crucial still treats the HP 8740w as a 16 GB max memory machine. Its website has not been updated for the redesign of the 8740w which now goes up to 32 GB of memory.

And Crucial offers an 8 GB chip for $800 a pair -- which if it fits the HP I could do and add another pair later for the full 32 GB. HP's equivalent is $4428.

Quite a price difference.

How does Crucial memory compare with HP's?

Of course the tech I was "live" chatting with said the HP's products have been thoroughly tested and are of the best quality. But he has to say that -- he did hint however, that he thought that was overkill and looked up on Crucial's site for the equivalent -- and seemed to imply there was not difference in quality and that I might as well go with Crucial -- though he did not say that in any way.

So my query is -- Crucial memory chips close to HP's quality?

Given the expense of this laptop and with plans for a 5 year warranty -- I don't want to make the mistake of putting lesser quality Memory to save money.

Does anyone have any other brand to recommend?



Below are the specs of the laptop I am about to order (except for the moment it says 2 GB of Memory & the AC adapter is wrong it should read 230w)


Configurable- HP Elitebook 8740w Mobile Workstation - Quad Core
HP Elitebook 8740w Mobile Workstation - QUAD VG305AV
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64
Intel® Core™ i7-740QM Processor (1.73 GHz, 6 MB L3 cache), Up-to 3.06 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology
Mobile Intel QM57 Chipset
Intel® vPro Technology
17.0-inch diagonal LED-backlit DreamColor® WUXGA WVA anti-glare (1920 x 1200) with camera
Webcam Integrated 2.0MP w/HP Skyroom
NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M graphics with 1 GB dedicated GDDR3 video memory -
2 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1D)
256GB Solid State Drive
BluRay DVD+/-RW
WinDVD BluRay kit
Backlit - Full-sized keyboard with numeric keypad and dual pointing devices (touchpad and pointstick) with scroll zone
HP Integrated Module with Bluetooth® 2.1 Wireless Technology
Intel Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3)
56K v.92 high speed modem
Integrated Fingerprint Reader
200W HP Smart AC Adapter
8-Cell 73 Wh Li-Ion Battery (1 year warranty) VC127AV
Limited 3 year standard parts and labor warranty (3/3/3) with an upgrade to 5 years, accidental protection, etc.
Windows 7 Driver DVD - Recovery Media
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 OS Restore Media

 

Just buy the memory from Crucial or from any 3rd party supplier. It wil be much cheaper than the HP memory and it should perform the same.

Why do you need so much ram? Is this laptop going to be a server or be running multiple instances of VMware? You'll be fine with 2x2GB for casual use. 2x4GB if you're doing something a little more intense than casual use.

Usually, it's best to fill up 2 slots instead of 4 slots in dual-channel mode. I've had problems filling up 4 slots in several computers.

 

The crucial memory will be compatible and of equal quality in my opinion. With any company you can get a bad stick. This can happen with HP memory as well. The chances are also higher with high capacity sticks of 8gb.

Simply run a memory testing program after installing if you really want to be sure. The warranty of any manufacturer will cover it if there is any problem. Run the test after installing the memory. The chances of having problems later is the same for crucial and HP memory.

Go for 2x8gb crucial DDR3 with 1333mhz. Get more only if you really need it. monitor your ram if you ever use the full amount.

 

You can't buy 8GB SODIMMs yet, only a few ODMs have them. Either way, any memory with lifetime warranty will be as good as HP's. They all come from the same few manufacturers anyways.

 

Thank you for the information. And yes, I was planning to go with 2 x 8GB if Crucial's 8 GB chips fit.

DO you think the Crucial 8 GB chips are no good?

 

Wrong type of memory. You want the 204-pin SODIMMs. The link you have is for 240-pin DIMMs. As I stated above, you won't find 8GB SODIMMs for sale right now, and in the off chance you do, it will set you back easily what you paid for the entire laptop (Dell has the upgrade for $10,000 for 4x8GB).

 

Yeah I would stick with Crucial (Micron) memory. HP sells OEM RAM and charges you through the roof with markup. Not saying OEM RAM is bad, it's practically all the same quality these days for normal use.

 

I use the following RAM in my 8740w:
Newegg.com - CORSAIR 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Laptop Memory Model CM3X4GSD1066 G

Since you have the quad-core you can use DDR3-1333; this is the same stuff I have except 1333MHz:
Newegg.com - CORSAIR 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 Laptop Memory Model CMSO4GX3M1A1333C9

Right now you can get 8GB of RAM for $90 shipped from Newegg:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/notebook-tech-bargains/535459-heads-up-8gb-2x4gb-ddr3-90-a.html
That memory will work in your notebook. I personally don't recommend it since it's G.SKILL; I have had a worse-than-usual experience with their memory in the past.

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Just an FYI -- make sure you join us in the HP 8740w owner's lounge:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...ial-hp-elitebook-8740w-owners-lounge-new.html

-Call to place your order; people are getting 18-28% off their total price
-The regular keyboard is of better quality than the backlit
-The ATI graphics card is by far the best value; unless you need the Nvidia card for a specific reason (CUDA, etc), the ATI is the way to go

PM me if you need help with your order.

 

One final point. The only real danger is from buying memory from unknown retailers. Some disreputable sellers have been known to sell memory that has been fake or failed quality control or been certified at a higher speed; stuff like that. As long as you stick to Crucial and the other reputable companies you'll be fine.