Just looking for advice/opinion. I bought from ebay, what i thought was an x220 Thinkpad with 8G of RAM…turned out only to have 4. I left a bad review but will keep the machine. I put Arch/Sway anyway.

I want to add RAM…i think it can go up to 16. I looked on line and i think it would be about $50 to buy the memory…so i thought o would find an online tutorial and add the memory myself…is this a bad idea?

  • poVoq@lemmy.ml
    7·
    3 years ago

    While you are at it also replace the hard-drive with a SSD, as that will have a much bigger effect on speed than the RAM upgrade.

        • poVoq@lemmy.ml
          1·
          3 years ago

          Unlikely but it seems it was sold with an optional 128gb SATA SSD. But even then it might make sense to upgrade to a bigger and somewhat faster SSD, but of course the SATA interface limits that a bit.

          • sexy_peach@feddit.de
            1·
            3 years ago

            It’s a very old machine, often used by enthusiasts, the chances are high that it has gotten upgrades before, no?

  • sexy_peach@feddit.de
    3·
    3 years ago

    If you have a little bit of skill with a screw driver and basic electronics it’s a good idea. I think it fits two ram sticks, so you could buy two 8gb ones. Or you could buy a second 4gb one for very cheap and end up with 8gb, which is fine still anyways.

    • stopit@lemmy.mlOP
      0·
      3 years ago

      I couldn’t buy an 8 and a 4 to make 16 with the 4 already there? I’ve never done this before, but the machine was cheap…so i figure why not learn something?

      • sexy_peach@feddit.de
        1·
        3 years ago

        Learning always is a good idea.

        You have two ram slots only. You could do 8 and 4gb but that’s not advised. Better use same amount and also same frequency etc. Did you check out the ifixit link?

        • stopit@lemmy.mlOP
          1·
          3 years ago

          I will…there is already 4, so i thought…add 12!

          This should be interesting. I will check the link…i still have to order the memory.

          • sexy_peach@feddit.de
            2·
            3 years ago

            First make sure that you got compatible memory! Also you could try to find used modules, they are available on craiglist and similar sites.

          • poVoq@lemmy.ml
            2·
            3 years ago

            No, 2x8GB is the best, or open up the laptop and check the existing 4 GB stick (might even be 2x2GB though) and try to find the same online for 2x4GB setup, as 8GB is basically enough if you don’t run bloatware like Windows.

          • toneverends@lemmy.ml
            1·
            3 years ago

            No such thing as a 12GB stick. You could start with adding an 8GB, then in the future replace the 4 with another 8. (Assuming it’s not 2+2 in there currently).

            • ree@lemmy.ml
              2·
              3 years ago

              I’m running my x220 with 4+8 (12gb) and there is no issues :)

              I rarely require more than 8gb but sometime do memory intensive job and it’s stable, the CPU is more of a bottleneck.

              Iirc it’s possible to run 2x16gb but there is some BIOS trickery involved.

  • hexagonwin@lemmy.ml
    0·
    3 years ago

    Hello. I recommend you upgrade the storage to an SSD, or a 7200rpm (or higher) HDD (which is, still slower than SSD) SSDs in like 256gbs are cheap nowadays, and they last long (~TLC) Be sure to get it from a trusty company, like Sandisk (cheap nice ssd) or Samsung, though.

    It seems like you’re also trying to make a 4+8=12 ram setup, but I recommend not. Rams with same frequency and size should be installed, otherwise the ram will function in single channel rather than dual channel making the ram access speed slower.

    If using it for web browsing, lemmy-ing or anything lightweight, even 4gb or 8gb is enough. (In fact, my primary laptop with debian only has 2gb of ram, and a penryn cpu.)

    • stopit@lemmy.mlOP
      0·
      3 years ago

      Actually…i am very new, but enthusiastic about tech. First…after research, it turns out my new (to me) laptop can only be upgraded to 8G…so i ordered 4G of memory…specifically for the x220. I know SSD would be faster…that’s not a priority, I’m using a minimal Arch OS anyhow…i do want to use virtualization so i want at least 8G of RAM.

      I never wanted 12G of memory…i thought that my laptop would accept 16G of memory and again, i am very unknowledgeable!

      Lastly, thank you for your detailed message…although they’re are less users on Lemmy, the helpful support i get from people like you is very refreshing after all the hateful responses I get seeking help on Reddit in the past. You are much appreciated!