A note about ThinkPad RAM

Just wanted to share my experience that I've had over the past couple of days for others' benefit:

My ThinkPad came with 512MB RAM, and I upgraded with another 512 stick from newegg. I matched the specs, of course. Well, recently I started having weird issues with freezes and a blue screen "Hardware Failure." So I called Lenovo, ran diagnostics, etc. The memory passed the full diagnostic test. So then they wanted me to take out the stick.

Since removing the panel is sort of a pain, I decided to call Kingston to get the FRU. They told me that I had the wrong stick and needed one made specifically for the ThinkPad. (KTL-TP667/512 ... which costs $30 more from newegg than the first one. Plus the restocking fee. )

So now I have a possibly gimpy ThinkPad and am waiting for the new stick to arrive to make the switch. I had never heard of needing special ThinkPad RAM before, so I thought it was worth sharing.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

Chris

 

I did the same thing you did, except I bought that stick made for the Thinkpad. If I'm not mistaken, I read reviews on Newegg for other brands where IBM users had issues. So, I just spent the extra cash. It was still cheaper than getting it directly from Lenovo.

Haven't had any problems so far. Except for finding a small enough screwdriver to use on the palmrest screws...

Model
Brand Kingston
Model KTL-TP667/512
Type 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM
Tech Spec
Capacity 512MB
Speed DDR2 667 (PC2 5300)
Cas Latency 5
ECC No
Buffered/Registered Registered
Heat Spreader Yes
Features Compatible:
40Y7733 (Lenovo); 40Y8402 (Lenovo); FRU 40Y8402 (Lenovo)

 

I did 512 stock and 512 Newegg, but I don't remember buying anything special, just DDR2 PC5300. I've not had a problem, maybe I'll check to see if I accidently stumbled on the right RAM.

 

I upgraded my X60 with 2GB DDR2 667MHz Patriot Memory and had no problems. Read nothing about "Thinkpad" specialty RAM.

 

When I called Lenovo to get warranty support, they asked for the FRU. They said that if it was not a supported FRU, they would not service the machine as long as the RAM stick was in it. (It does not void the warranty, of course.)

Although I still have not taken off the plate to access the RAM, I assume that 1) the problem was caused by the RAM (the error message was something like "Mem Parity Error"); and 2) that this stick would not have been supported.

So it's costing me money. I decided to go ahead and get a 1GB stick this time since it was only $50 more and I don't feel like upgrading again any time soon.

One final note: Kingston support was very impressive. I got to a human being after only two menus and less than a minute. And she knew what she was talking about. No one really talks about service on RAM modules, but I bet the budget brands are not as good in that department.

Chris

 

Uhoh, I just bought the 1GB PC5300 Crucial stick that Newegg carries, I hope it's going to be alright. I think I'll check with Crucial's memory finder tonight, see if the part numbers match.

Thanks for the heads up Chris.

 

Nope, never

 

I bought a Kingston 256MB PC133 RAM for my X30 from Newegg. I get random BSOD and freezes once in a while. I'm not sure if I want to return the stick back to Newegg and lose the restocking fee plus shipping.

 

OCZ is a good brand! No problems since I've had them. However, I've noticed the prices on RAM have been really high for the past few weeks. When I ordered them in Late August it was only in the $70s - $80s for a 1 gb stick. Now a 1 GB stick is around $90-100. Since almost all of the prices are similar regardless of what brand you buy, I'd go with brands with a reputation like Corsair, OCZ, Mushkin, or Crucial (Micron).

 

Was it ValueRam? That's what my first stick was. To me, freezing BSOD are nonnegotiable dealbreakers. I just can't have that.

Chris

 

Yep.

It was this model:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820172003

It's a used laptop and I don't really want to put that much money into it. It rarely freezes anyway.

 

I belive most notebook rams are value rams, it doesnt mean they're of lesser qualities though. I originally bought a gig of corsair value ram to add to the 1 gig in my asus laptop, had no problems, when I got the t60p, just took it out of the asus and popped it in the thinkpad, no problem so far, knock on wood. corsair is supported by most manufacturers, always safe to go w/ them.

 

Come on, though -- Kingston is the biggest name in RAM. I think it's interesting that two of us have had issues with their ValueRam in ThinkPads. I think I'll call them back and try to find out what exactly the difference is with the more expensive sticks.

Chris

 

I just called Kingston and they said the ValueRam should work; it's just not recomended. They said my RAM is probably defective and Newegg should give me a refund/return.

 

sp00n-

Are you calling NewEgg for an RMA? Let me know if they charge you a restocking fee. I still have a day or two before I send mine in, and I'd like to save the seven bucks. Call me cheap.

Chris

 

I'm surprised Newegg is charging you to return (or exchange) a defective product for a new one. I guess most retailers expect you to bug the manufacturers of the RAM, which would make sense since it's the manufacturer's fault for not testing their RAM before trying to sell them.

 

They're not going to charge me for the RMA. However, I don't know where I should buy a working stick. Kingston said the ValueRam SHOULD work, but I could have a faulty stick. I'll run memtest later, since it's somewhat difficult without a cd/floppy drive.

I found some really low prices for the recomended Kingston RAM on Ebay.
http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1&fsoo=1

 

I just went ahead and bought the new 1GB stick from Newegg. They had it for $129, whereas Kingston direct had it for $205... "on sale"!

Chris

 

Just called back Newegg and got my restocking fee waived. Nice service there.

Chris

 

Of course, its newegg

 

Well, my gig of Crucial came today. It doesn't seem to be the same part number they sell through their system finder when you choose a T60 2007, but the part number doesn't entirely seem to match in format so I may be wrong. So far everything seems to be alright, but I've only been using it for about half an hour. It booted as fast as normal, apps don't seem choppy at all, and I haven't seen any errors.

I think I'll run a memtest overnight, and then this weekend if I have time (that is, if I don't get screwed into a 1 day weekend again) I'll find some memory benchmarks to run with and without the new RAM.

The Lenovo supplied stick uses Hynix chips. That's a little disappointing, I'd much rather see Micron or Infineon. I just put too much into crap like that, probably.

 

Thats weird. My X60 came with Samsung RAM

 

So did my T60. I installed the new chip last night; so far so good. It might be a little snappier, but I doubt that benchmarks would show a significant change.
Chris

 

I'll be looking more for a degradation in performance, to see if there's any sort of conflict.

I'm also glad to say that my motherboard is fine. My new keyboard came today and the function key works fine. Thinklight, how I've missed you.

 

Just thought I would update this thread and say that in the two weeks or so since my new RAM came, I have had no problems whatsoever. Performance is great. Stability is much improved.

The moral is: Stay away from ValueRAM on a ThinkPad.

Chris

 

Yes, alot...

But not on a thinkpad yet (haven't tried to upgrade the ram yet, but will).

Not that uncommon at all that certain brands or models doesn't work well with certain motherboards (no matter if it's in a laptop or a desktop).
And doesn't matter if it's brand-ram cruicial, corsair, kingston or whatever.

Doesn't mean the ram is bad could just mean that the combination of that particular ram and that particular motherboard isn't working out.

Probably goin to upgrade my x60s (512mb) with an 1 gb stick. Don't know what to get though. You talk about FRU numbers and such and here in sweden atleast I haven't found any FRU numbers.

Found a 1 gb "lenovo ram" for 233$. Not that appealing and for that price I'd probably settle for an 512 mb stick...

 

NewEgg won't ship to Sweden?

 

I don't think newegg ships out of the US. It will cost them too much to ship internationally and customers might complain about Customs fees.

 

It's not always as simple as the offending stick of memory and the motherboard. At times I've tried running two sticks, both of which work fine on their own, and which both work alright with a 3rd stick, but simply won't work together with each other.