Max RAM

[DrScottArthur]

Hi 

I have the Envy 17-cr0006na, recently purchased. Having run the 'HP operating system diagnostics' it states that the maximum capacity is 64gb. However, the info on the HP website says max is 32gb. Can anyone help? 

Thanks 

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

I can't find any posts on the forum where someone has installed 64 GB of memory in that model series.

Probably it supports 64 GB of memory, but no one here will give you an ironclad guarantee.

What I do know is that the Crucial memory company indicates that the model series will support 64 GB of memory.

HP - Compaq | Memory RAM & SSD Upgrades | Crucial.com

The HP diagnostics software you ran indicates it will support 64 GB of memory.

The only other thing you can do is to run this report to see what it indicates.

This will also query the SMBIOS:

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 hit enter.

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.

I recommend you check your PC's resource monitor to see how much free memory your notebook has with 32 GB installed before you install 64 GB of memory.

If there is a lot of free memory, installing 64 GB of memory will provide little or no benefit.

I just ran the app on my PC which has 32 GB of memory, and 21 GB is free, and 5.6 GB is in use and 5.8 GB is in standby mode.

32 GB is more than enough for my PC and no doubt there are folks questioning why I installed 32 GB when 16 GB probably would have been more than sufficient.

[DrScottArthur]

Thanks for your reply. I ran the command prompt, and did the calculation and it did indeed come up with 64gb. 

Should I wish to upgrade with this, I assume any DDR4 2 x 32gb 3200mhz Sodimm would work? I was looking at Kingston's Fury, which I've used previosly KF432S20IBK2_64-B.ai (kingston.com)

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

I do not recommend you buy that specific part number because it has a non-standard faster CL20 timing speed than a 'normal' DDR4-3200 memory chip comes with, which is CL22, such as this:

Crucial 32GB DDR4-3200 SODIMM | CT32G4SFD832A | Crucial.com

If Kingston makes a Kingston Fury DDR4-3200 memory chip with a CL22 timing spec, that should be OK.

The reason for my opinion is that HP notebooks use standard memory with standard timing specs for the speed.

The BIOS' are locked down and you cannot make any adjustments to the memory XMP profile/timing, and that normally equates to lots of blue screens of death or the notebook not booting up in the first place, because the PC can't negotiate the faster CL speed offered in the performance memory.

[DrScottArthur]

Many thanks. Can't say I've had problems with Kingston's performance RAM previously with HP notebooks, but maybe I've been lucky. 

Would the timing speed 'clock down' to the HP timing spec? Or will the RAM only work at faster speed? 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

You may have been lucky.

I have read many posts where folks were not so lucky.

What I recommend you do is this...run the free utility that I zipped up and attached below and it will provide the memory specs of the memory chip HP installed in your notebook.

I am 90% sure the CL will be 22.

If you want to buy the Kingston CL 20 you like, you will have to hope the BIOS can automatically make the adjustment one way or the other.

If it can't...the memory will not work properly or at all.

I tried finding some related posts regarding this problem but came up empty handed.

[DrScottArthur]

See below, have taken a screenshot. I'm afraid I'm not tech savvy enough to know what most of this means! 

Does this mean the CL is 22? 

I should probably have pointed out I am currently running 32GB (2x16) of the same Kingston performance RAM I forwarded you earlier KF432S20IBK2_32-B.ai (kingston.com)

But looking to upgrade to the 64GB version. I assume since I'm running the 32GB fine at the minute (had the laptop with the upgraded RAM for about a month), there's no reason why the 64GB modules should not work? 

Alternatively, if you think the CL timings difference could create a problem in the future, I may well go for the 'basic' Crucial RAM which you sent over earlier? 

🙂 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

Looking at your screenshot the Kingston memory is running fine with the faster timing specs.

The CL 20 is listed as the first number.

I think it is running at CL22, but I'm not 100% sure.

I ran the utility on my desktop PC which is CL 17 DDR4-2400 memory, and the report shows 17-17-17-39

I think you should be OK with the 32 GB Kingston memory chips since the ones you installed are currently running fine and apparently the BIOS can make the adjustment in your notebook.