Max ram

[Siri01]

My laptop model is hp pavilion 14-al134tx and I want to upgrade the capacity of ram. When I checked for the max ram capacity in cmd, it shows 32 gb. But when I checked with crucial website, it shows the maximum memory is 16gb. So how can I know the actual max capacity?

[NonSequitur777]

@Siri01,

Welcome to our HP User Forum!

Interesting question, because both the HP manual and Crucial claim that 2 x 8GB is the max RAM capacity for an HP Pavilion 14-al134tx: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c05207097.pdf, and: https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/hp-compaq/pavilion-14-al134tx:

If, however, this wmic command: wmic memphysical get maxcapacity shows "33554432" (=32GB), then your laptop likely should be able to be fitted with 2 x 16GB RAM:

On the command prompt screen, copy/paste/enter:

wmic memphysical get maxcapacity

Hope this was helpful.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[Siri01]

Thank you for your information

[NonSequitur777]

@Siri01,

You are welcome.  -What max RAM capacity did the wmic command reveal?

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[Siri01]

The wmic command shows 33554432. But 16gb is enough for me, so I got 2x8gb first.

[NonSequitur777]

@Siri01,

Thank you for your response -and yes, 2 x 8GB should be sufficient for most applications.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[pbroussard]

Trust "wmic memphysical get MaxCapacityEX"  results. HP says 16GB limit, but the real test is using that command. Crucial does try to keep up with all the models, but there are errors here and there.

Be advised that HP likes memory with relaxed timings, like the vanilla Crucial modules, or Samsung, SK Hynix modules work well. Don't buy any modules labeled as Performance ram, as there are no XMP profiles in bios to change timings.

[NonSequitur777]

@pbroussard,

Excellent observation, thank you for bringing it up!

Summarizing, the commands "wmic memphysical get MaxCapacityEX" and "wmic memphysical get MaxCapacity" are both Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) commands used to retrieve information about the maximum physical memory capacity of a computer system. However, there is indeeda slight difference between the two.

1. "wmic memphysical get MaxCapacityEX": This command provides the maximum physical memory capacity in bytes, but it includes an "EX" (Extended) suffix. The use of "EX" signifies that the command supports large memory capacities beyond the traditional 4 GB limit imposed by older 32-bit operating systems. It is used to retrieve the maximum memory capacity of the system, accounting for larger memory configurations, such as those found in 64-bit systems with more than 4 GB of RAM.

2. "wmic memphysical get MaxCapacity": This command provides the maximum physical memory capacity in bytes without the "EX" suffix. It is used to retrieve the maximum memory capacity of the system, but it may not accurately report capacities beyond the 4 GB limit in older 32-bit operating systems.

In summary, if you are using a 64-bit operating system or have a system with more than 4 GB of RAM -which is almost everybody these days, it is recommended to use the "wmic memphysical get MaxCapacityEX" command to obtain the accurate maximum memory capacity.

If you are using a 32-bit operating system or have a system with less than or equal to 4 GB of RAM, the "wmic memphysical get MaxCapacity" command should suffice.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777