If you're looking for DDR3 memory for a laptop but are a little overwhelmed by the abundance of conflicting information available, making the task of upgrading the memory on your computer more challenging. If our prediction is accurate, let's quickly review some vital details on DDR3 laptop memory to set you straight. To find out about hp stream laptop, click here

What is laptop memory DDR3?

As of 2011, DDR3 laptop memory is the newest technology to support modern laptops. Like how DDR2 replaced DDR and SDRAM laptop memory, DDR3 is an advancement of DDR2, its predecessor.

Due to a first-time improvement with DDR2, the data bus speed doubled in DDR3, making laptop memory quicker than DDR2 overall. The data bus speed of DDR2 laptop memory was twice as fast as the memory chips on the DDR2 SODIMM memory module. DDR3 uses the same data bus. However, it operates at double the previous frequency. As a result, the data bus in DDR3 laptop memory runs four times as quickly as the individual memory chips. Compared to DDR2 laptop memory, DDR3 may achieve the same memory bandwidth while only needing to operate at half the frequency. Performance is superior to DDR2 or earlier laptop memory because of its efficiency and support for higher frequencies.

Do I need DDR3 RAM for my laptop?

With its release in late 2008, DDR3 memory has been gaining popularity. Your particular laptop's memory needs are influenced mainly by the year it was produced. Another clue is the build date, which is generally listed on a label on the object's base or in its paperwork and is frequently closely tied to the purchase date.

Using diagnostic tools is a helpful sign for determining the sort of laptop RAM your system needs.

Downloading and running software like CPU-Z, a free program that is simple to get using Google, is an easy way to find this out. When downloaded and opened, select the "SPD" tab before moving to the "Memory" tab. You can find out if your laptop has DDR3 memory and its specifications and timings from here. First, write down the kind of DDR3 if it says DDR2; examples are PC3-6400, PC2-4200, PC3-8500, and PC2-10600. Next, note a hint that this is the DDR3 memory you should purchase for a laptop.

What is the maximum amount of DDR3 memory I can install?

DDR3 laptops can accommodate 4GB to 16GB of Memory. The memory controller is included in a northbridge chipset in some, mostly older, DDR3 laptops. Some, often more recent DDR3 laptops feature a memory controller built into the CPU or processing die. Whether the memory controller is internal or external to the processor either will determine the precise quantity your laptop can support.

Checking how many SODIMM memory slots your laptop has is an easy method to determine if you can upgrade to the maximum supported amount, which is 16GB. The maximum will be 16GB if there are four (some may be beneath the keyboard, and others may be on the underside of your laptop). Like the last example, you may anticipate your computer to handle a maximum of 8GB RAM if it only has two SODIMM memory slots.

Remember that a 64-bit operating system, such as Windows XP Professional x64 (possibly problematic when running on laptops due to limited driver support), Windows Vista x64 (any edition), Windows 7 x64 (any edition), or any suitable version of Linux or MacOS, is required to use more than 4GB or more of RAM.

I'm prepared to purchase, so all the rest won't cause any issues besides PC3-8500 DDR3.

You require a laptop with the DDR3 memory specifications listed above by CPU-Z. You will need DDR3 memory, also known as PC3-8500 DDR3, if it says PC3-8500. If it told PC3-6400, you may still buy a DDR3 compatible with PC3-8500 or PC3-10600 as DDR3 computer memory is built to be backward compatible. While you can purchase and install DDR3 memory with a lesser specification (PC3-6400 or PC3-8500) if CPU-Z indicates PC3-10600, doing so is not advised. If you do this, your system will downclock its memory's operating frequency, which is 400MHz for PC3-6400 or 533MHz for PC3-8500. A decreased memory bandwidth results from a lower frequency, which lowers computer performance.

You will require 204pin SODIMM memory modules if you want to purchase DDR3 memory for a laptop. Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Modules, or SODIMMs, are smaller versions of DIMMs used in desktop computers. A SODIMM will typically be half as long as a desktop DIMM module if you've ever seen a DIMM.

Installing two DDR3 SODIMM memory modules makes perfect sense, even though DDR3 laptops only require one SODIMM memory module to operate. The justification is straightforward. Almost all laptops with DDR3 RAM enable two-channel mode. Dual channel mode efficiently joins the data channels of two memory modules (in this example, DDR3 modules) in compliant laptops so that they can operate simultaneously. Hence, all memory operations—read, write, and copy—are, carried out at the double the original bandwidth. This ultimately leads to increased memory throughput, which boosts your laptop's overall performance.

Can my DDR3 laptop memory upgrade go incorrect? I only had to ask.

DDR3 laptop memory upgrades are among the least likely to have issues because of a shared industry characteristic. It is practically safe to say that all DDR3 SODIMM memory modules produced are compatible with one another because the computer memory industry is heavily established and controlled by a small number of major players, making it airtight to smaller players who are occasionally all too willing to not always follow JEDEC (Joint Electron Devices Engineering Council) standards to the last "T."

The same is true of memory controllers, which, by the time DDR3 was released, had been modified such that combiningsingle- and double-sided SODIMM memory modules no longer resulted in problems.