Latest memory upgrade for HP ProBook 430 G4 Intel i7-7500U Notebook PC

[420cyclist]

After installing a matching 8GB memory stick (i.e. Samsung DDR4-2400T) into my HP ProBook 430 G4 upgrading it to the maximum of 16GB, I still feel it runs slower than it should. The processor is an i7-7500U running at 2.70GHz and I've updated the BIOS to the latest version, P85 Ver. 01.48 (06/10/2023). Could it accept anything faster whilst keeping stability (e.g. 2x8GB DDR4-3200 or perhaps DDR4-2666)? Should I consider 1x16GB stick instead of 2x8?

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Faster speed memory won't make any difference.

The fastest speed the notebook's processor can run the memory at is limited to 2133 MHz, which means if you install a DDR4-3200 MHz memory chip, it is only going to run at 2133 MHz.

A 16 GB memory chip will perform slightly worse than 2 x 8 GB because 1 x 16 GB memory will only run in single channel mode and 2 x 8 GB run in the higher performing dual channel mode.

You can run this command to see if your notebook will support 2 x 16 GB of memory:

1. In the search box, search for cmd and click Run as administrator.

This will open the command prompt.

2. Once command prompt is opened, type wmic memphysical get maxcapacityEx and press the enter key.

There, it will show the maximum RAM capacity your PC's motherboard can support.

The capacity is shown as Kilobytes, so you have to convert it to Gigabytes by dividing the number provided in the report by 1,048,576.

If your notebook has a 2.5" mechanical hard drive, replace it with a much faster performing 2.5" SATA solid state drive (SSD).

[420cyclist]

Thanks for your quick response, I entered the command and am delighted to report it can take up to 32GB as the answer provided was 33554432, so 2x16GB it is 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.