Confusion regarding RAM upgrade.

[Dranzer707]

Hello, so recently I've been thinking of buying a new 8GB Ram for my laptop ( HP Pavillion 15- ec0101AX ) But I'm confused as to which ram I should get to maximize the compatibility. The ram given by the manufacturers is Samsung's 8GB DDR4 3200Mhz. Does that mean I should buy a 3200Mhz DDR4 Ram? I've visited Crucial's website to check for compatibility and they seem to give a plethora of choices. The one that caught my eye is this one ( https://www.amazon.in/dp/B08C4Z69LN/?language=hi_IN&cstrackid=544360d4-cf99-4ef9-9783-144930d28c8a&t... ) but the issue is that there are so many options given in this product. In the title itself it says 3200Mhz or 2666Mhz or 2400Mhz, so exactly which one is it? My sincere apologies if I come off as ignorant about these topics, I'm just looking for answers. I also want the ram to operate in dual channel mode so it has to be 8GB DDR4. I also wanted to ask which company's ram is most compatible with the motherboard that my laptop has? If possible please provide me with sources to study up on this particular subject. If you need any particular model numbers or product codes do ask for them and I'll provide you with the same at the earliest. Thank You!

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

That would be the right Crucial memory chip to add.

The reason it indicates the various speeds is because the memory will automatically adjust to the fastest speed the PC's processor can run the memory at.

In the case of your notebook the DDR4-3200 memory is running at 2400 MHz because that is as fast as your notebook's AMD Ryzen™ 5 3550H processor can run the memory at.

AMD Ryzen™ 5 3550H Drivers & Support | AMD

[Dranzer707]

Hey, thank you for your reply! That just about clears my doubts but I had one last thing to ask, if that's the case can I just buy  ( https://www.amazon.in/Crucial-Basics-2666Mhz-Laptops-Notebooks/dp/B08BC2V71W/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2Ijoi... ) This one? So will it automatically clock it's speed to 2400Mhz to match the speed my processor can handle? Or do you suggest I should purchase the one mentioned above since it functions basically the same. Apologies, just asking as this as it's just a tad bit cheaper.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

My recommendation is to buy the memory chip that most closely matches the specifications of the original memory HP installed.

Since HP installed a Samsung's 8GB DDR4 3200MHz memory chip, the one I recommend you buy is the Crucial DDR4-3200 memory chip.

[Dranzer707]

Hey so I discussed this with a friend of mine who bought the same ram from SKHynix and it seems it does not work for him even though it's DDR4 and 3200Mhz. He took it up to customer support and they said that it's a compatibility issue which has come up due to mixing ram from two different companies. So if that's true there's a slight possibility that the ram I get from crucial won't work at all? If that's the case then is it better to buy a Samsung ram of the same specifications since RAM is not refundable. Context: He has the same Laptop and model as me.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

I have never had a problem with mixing memory, but maybe your specific model series is very picky about what memory will work with the memory HP installed.

Here is a free utility that I zipped up and attached below that will provide the Samsung memory part number without having to take the notebook apart.

Note that you may have a difficult time finding the same part, but hopefully not.

[TzortzisG]

Hi!

I believe that Dranzer707 is correct in his hesitation and is actually onto something. Most (if not all) 8GB DDR4 3200 modules sold nowadays will be 1Rx16......unless you request a specific product that has the 1Rx8 organization. And the truth is that the memory manufacturers are pushing these cheaper versions..... The problem is that it's more than probable that the older systems that run RAM at around 2400/2666 might not be able to use these modules.

These two reviews of HP Pavilion Gaming 15-ec0000 systems show what HP originally installed on some of these laptops:

Notebookcheck 15-ec0002ng 2x4GB (1Rx16)

Laptopmedia 15-ec0000 2x8GB (1Rx8)

I'm pretty sure that the Samsung module that came with Dranzer707 's laptop is a plain 1Rx8 8GB RAM module. Therefore he should try to match that particular specification, and not so much the 3200 speed. If he can do that, then imho  there's no real need to get the exact same module....