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    Is this a good deal on RAM?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Krane, Dec 5, 2009.

  1. Krane

    Krane Notebook Prophet

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    Krane, Dec 5, 2009
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  2. Tjacoby2006

    Tjacoby2006 Notebook Enthusiast

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    No. Check the link below (Newegg is extremely reputable as well).

    Newegg Laptop Memory

    And not to second guess what you want, but are you sure you need 8GB of memory in your laptop? Don't get me wrong, I have 8 in my desktop, but even I wonder why. The best part is there is virtually no swap disk (unless I don't leave a loop in a program I wrote, but thats my fault!). Just a thought, but I really doubt you will notice a difference in performance (especially at that price!)
     
    Tjacoby2006, Dec 5, 2009
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  3. sgilmore62

    sgilmore62 uber doomer

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    sgilmore62, Dec 5, 2009
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  4. Krane

    Krane Notebook Prophet

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    I guess I should have mentioned I'm configuring my laptop as a video editor. I've checked the recommendation of the video software (Adobe CS4) and they insist that the more memory the better--especially when rendering and creating graphics.
     
    Krane, Dec 5, 2009
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  5. Tjacoby2006

    Tjacoby2006 Notebook Enthusiast

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    That makes sense then. You will most definitely want to get a RAID-0 scratch drive in there somewhere, definitely helps with video editing (maybe I'm preaching to the choir, not sure ;) )

    Something like this, since it will plug into your eSATA port (minimal speed penalty, especially compared to USB)
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121042
     
    Tjacoby2006, Dec 5, 2009
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  6. Krane

    Krane Notebook Prophet

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    The manufacturer install part is 200-Pin DDR2 667 (PC2-5300), as opposed to, SO-DIMM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400). While I'm at it, is there any advantage to upgrading? Customer satisfaction show a higher rating for the 667?
     
    Krane, Dec 5, 2009
    #6
  7. Tjacoby2006

    Tjacoby2006 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Its fine running the DDR2 800 in your system as it will simply run at 667 speeds. There will be no benefit of that RAM vs the RAM because they will default to the same speed (assuming HP didn't put RAM in your system that wasn't too slow for it).

    So, go with the one you are most comfortable purchasing, as the speed will end up being the same for both of them.
     
    Tjacoby2006, Dec 5, 2009
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  8. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Even if the memory ran at DDR2-800 (over your current DDR2-667), the differences would be negligible in any real world application.
     
    sgogeta4, Dec 5, 2009
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  9. sgilmore62

    sgilmore62 uber doomer

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    Oh, I see... used that Crucial memory finder and it showed PC2-6400 for the DDR2 HDX 18t.
     
    sgilmore62, Dec 5, 2009
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  10. ellalan

    ellalan Notebook Deity

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    ellalan, Dec 6, 2009
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  11. sean473

    sean473 Notebook Prophet

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    HDX 18 should have DDR2-800 RAM modules and not the 667MHz ones.... that's weird...
     
    sean473, Dec 6, 2009
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  12. sgilmore62

    sgilmore62 uber doomer

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    This is a screenshot of the page that comes up if you use crucial memory finder after selecting HP as manufacturer/pavillion hdx/ DDR2 HDX 18t

    [​IMG]
     
    sgilmore62, Dec 6, 2009
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  13. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Use CPU-Z if you want to confirm your memory speed, don't rely on any online selector...
     
    sgogeta4, Dec 6, 2009
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  14. Judicator

    Judicator Judged and found wanting.

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    But even then, won't that only tell you the speed of what you have now in your computer, and not the max speed you could have? Well, ok, if you have PC2-6400 running at 333.5 (667) MHz, then obviously it's downclocking, but if your computer could run at 400 (800) MHz, but you only have PC2-5300 installed, would it tell you?
     
    Judicator, Dec 6, 2009
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  15. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    CPU-Z should have the memory's speeds and timings based on SPD values. If in doubt, it also has the memory module number, which you can Google.
     
    sgogeta4, Dec 7, 2009
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  16. Judicator

    Judicator Judged and found wanting.

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    Right, but doesn't SPD come from the currently installed memory module? Real-life example here; My NX860XL currently has PC2-6400, properly recognized by CPU-Z version 1.50 under the SPD tab as such. Under the memory tab, it lists the timing as 332.5 MHz, which means my computer would only run up to PC2-5300 speeds. All well and good. Now, what if I had (somehow) installed PC2-4200 RAM in my machine. Would I be able to tell from CPU-Z that my machine could actually run sticks at PC2-5300 speed?
     
    Judicator, Dec 7, 2009
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  17. BrandonSi

    BrandonSi Notebook Savant

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    Good suggestions in this thread.. I just want to add that ram prices will be going up, so a good deal now is very likely to be a great (or perhaps, unheard of) deal in 3 months.
     
    BrandonSi, Dec 7, 2009
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  18. NiteWalker

    NiteWalker Notebook Evangelist

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    Why is it going up? I always thought it was the opposite as ram capacities become larger. Meaning today's 4GB sticks will be tomorrow's 1GB sticks.

    And FWIW, photoshop loves RAM. I love photoshop. So I guess I love RAM too. :p
     
    NiteWalker, Dec 7, 2009
    #18