maximum ram capacity

[tomskie2201]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to upgrade my ram from 8gb(DDR4) to 16gb or 32gb if possible. with my current 8gb of ram, I am almost using it all up from just turning on my laptop. with this, I have noticed that my laptop has significantly slowed down. Can anyone help me determine the maximum ram that I can upgrade to? can you guys recommend brands that I should pick for my upgrade?

thank you in advance!

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

The service manual indicates the max memory is 2 x 8 GB.

https://kaas.hpcloud.hp.com/pdf-public/pdf_6019410_en-US-1.pdf 

The Crucial memory report for the model series indicates it can support up to 2 x 32 GB of memory.

HP - Compaq HP Victus 15-fb0000 | Memory RAM & SSD Upgrades | Crucial.com

You can also run this command to see how much memory your notebook can support:

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

This will open the command prompt.

2. After the 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.

[tomskie2201]

I just installed 2x16gb Crucial DDR4 SODIMM RAM but my laptop is only showing 16gb of RAM. I did confirm in cmd that the maximum capacity that my laptop supports is 32gb. What can I do to let my laptop use the 32gb of RAM that i installed?  

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Unfortunately, I don't know why that is happening or what you can do about it.

[TzortzisG]

Hello tomskie2201.

There's nothing wrong with your laptop -but there is something wrong with your memory. We've been getting reports here about the Crucial "CT16G4SFRA32A" RAM for quite some time now. Sometimes HP customers that bought these "guaranteed compatible" modules find that their laptop won't boot, sometimes BSODs, or even what you're experiencing: https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/Installed-32GB-but-only-16GB-b.... There isn't much you can do about this, other than try to return the RAM and get yourself some modules that aren't "guaranteed compatible", but ACTUALLY compatible.The larger size Crucial modules "CT32G4SFD832A" are ACTUALLY compatible with your system -anything lower will be a "SFRA32A" module and might or might not work. Personally I use Kingston RAM because you can choose the exact full specs of each module.

[tomskie2201]

I did a little tinkering and installed one ram stick at a time and found out that my 2nd ram slot(ddr2) is not working or disabled(?). when I turned my laptop on with my ram installed on the 2nd ram slot, it just showed a black screen and when I installed it into the 1st ram slot, it booted up without any problems.

what should I do to resolve this problem?

[TzortzisG]

If the SAME RAM module works in one slot and not the other (are you sure?), then the problem is not with the RAM, but with your laptop's slot(s). It's not very often that this happens, but RAM slots have been known to fail, and in that case you're only left with the ONE functioning RAM slot to work with. Since these slots are part of your motherboard, it's very very hard to get them repaired (anywhere). I would say probably impossible......

[tomskie2201]

I did further testing and installed my original 8gb of ram onto my 2nd ram slot and it showed that it was there. I did observe that when installing ram in my 2nd ram slot, it was a bit tighter and harder to install than on the 1st ram slot. the clearance between the two locks was really slim. I think that when installing my ram on the 2nd ram slot, the ram stick was not fully inserted. though, it was only a tiny bit. could this have been the cause as to why my ram was not detected?

anyway, after installing back my 2x16gb ram carefully and checking if they were inserted fully, my laptop is now showing the 32gb of ram. thank God!

[TzortzisG]

Yes, good job..... These things happen to the best of us when we first upgrade our machines. As I said it's not very often that RAM slots die, that's why I usually don't factor that in from the very beginning.

Enjoy your 32GB RAM. To be honest very few users need more....