RAM Upgrade from 4gb to 8gb - system won't boot

[mellottb12]

I have an old laptop that I brought back into service as a Minecraft server with a complete wipe of Windows 10 followed by an installation of Ubuntu Focal Fossa (Command line only - no GUI). The 4gb memory isn't terrible for running the server with a lightweight OS but I was hoping I could do more with a few adjustments. After browsing some of the posts in this forum I thought it would be easy enough to upgrade my laptop, but so far I've ordered new products from two different brands (Kingston & Crucial) and haven't had any luck.

The items I've ordered and sent back were Kingston Technology KVR16LS11/8 8GB 1600MHz DDR3L (PC3-12800) 1.35V Non-ECC CL11 SODIMM Intel Laptop... and Crucial RAM 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz CL11 Laptop Memory CT102464BF160B. These were both recommended in other posts specific to my laptop model as compatible parts. The same issue happened each time, I would make several attempts to seat the new card and never got the laptop to boot - no power to the screen and only the wifi/power lights indicating that the device was on. Whenever I switched back to the previous 4gb card however the machine booted just fine every time, and without having tested functionality the probability of receiving two defective cards seems very slim - so I know it can't be a physical problem with my machine or a defect in the products I'm ordering.

I'm beginning to think that despite the claims that this laptop can be upgraded to a maximum of 8gb, the limit is really 4gb. Additionally, something feels slightly off when seating the new card - almost like the arrangement of chips on its surface physically prevents it from locking in completely. I can still get both of the locking tabs to secure on either side of the 8gb card, but it feels like more of a struggle compared to the 4gb Samsung card that came with the machine.

I also suspect that it could be an issue with high vs low density cards - and maybe the effect their physical arrangement has when seating the new memory? The 8gb Kingston card has 8 chips on its surface which are crowded together and make the card profile a bit thicker toward the edges where the locking tabs hold it - whereas the 4gb Samsung that came installed has 4 chips in the center and a lot of open space around the edges. That was my initial theory anyway, and why I ordered the Crucial next - because its physical layout in the pictured product was closer to the card I already had. But even with the Crucial card being pictured with 4 chips in every product photo, I still received a card with the same 8 chip layout as the Kingston.

Trying to figure out why that would have happened, I went into the Q&A section and found reviews which suggest that something maybe changed in the manufacturing of these cards (???) and while the high-density version frequently pictured is the one that *supposedly* works with my laptop, the low-density version with 8 chips on its face (Item CT102464BF160B) is the product received. Allegedly there is a "J" added to the item numbers to specify high density - which is confusing but also a simple thing to fix in theory; just order the card with the correct item number... except no matter where I look, I can't seem to find anything for the Crucial branded item "CT102464BF160BJ" from a reliable seller.

Should I just give up and accept the 3gb of available RAM I already have for running the server? Or is there something I'm missing? It would seem that other people have managed to do this upgrade successfully - what else could I try?

[Prométhée]

Hello
sorry but we do not know which is the computer?
you say you read that these modules should work with your model!
So either it's the same, the same modules, in which case it should work
either there is an error somewhere
either your computer has a problem

[Huffer]

You say 3gb available. What exact Linux OS are you running? If it is a 32 bit version you will not be able to have it recognize more than about 3.75 gigs of memory, Windows or Linux. Is the memory seen in the BIOS? The memory you are trying to use is correct. Does the original module work in either slot?

[mellottb12]

I'm running Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS (Focal Fossa) and it's the 64-bit version. When I said available 3gigs of memory, I just meant that when running the server, I choose to keep 1gig from the total 4gigs of RAM allocated for the operating system to run. As far as I can tell there's only one available slot for memory, and the original module works perfectly every time I switch back to it for troubleshooting. As far as troubleshooting goes with the new modules I've tried, there's no way to access the BIOS for information because the screen remains completely off - so something seems to be wrong with the memory cards, and it feels highly unlikely that they were defective.

The complete specs for my laptop model 15-F233wm according to HP

[Huffer · Accepted solution]

The specs actually say 4 gb is the max with the Celeron models so what you are seeing is normal. 

See the bottom of p. 1

Service Manual