Upgrading W700 RAM

[Mondi]

Hi all -

Running Vista 32bit operating system, with W700 [2757] machine currently loaded with 4GIG RAM - as delivered 'standard' by Lenovo when purchased.

Just spoke with four vendors who seem to disagree on whether RAM can be upgraded, which is what I'd like to do. Lenovo couldn't assist for the machine is out of warranty, and - according the spare part rep - they're out of RAM stock for this machine anyway. General message was, however, that upgrade is possible.

Moving onto independent - reputable - spare parts vendor, I am told that upgrade isn't possible, mainly because of the 32bit version of the operating system. Others didn't know or couldn't tell.

Reaching out to this community to gain clarity on whether upgrade is possible and, if so, what brand/type/unit number(s) can be recommended..

Thanks heaps in advance!

Mondi

[zoltanthegypsy · Accepted solution]

Hello and welcome,

Here are the detailed specs for the w700: Detailed specifications - ThinkPad W700 and W700ds

Looks like you can install (at least) 8G of RAM.  However, with a 32-bit OS, you won't be able to use any more of it than you do now.  You will need to upgrade to a 64-bit operating system to take advantage of increased RAM.

If you do decide to move to a 64-bit OS, please verify that your specific processor is 64-bit capable.  I think all of the ones on that list are 64 bit, but haven't verified each one personally.

As to brand, there are lots of reports of problems with Corsair RAM and ThinkPads.  I've used Crucial, and others here have had success with other makers.  Not to trash Corsair in general, but there does seem to be a problem frequently w/Corsair and TP.

That detailed spec page lists the type of RAM.  You shouldn't have any problem finding many possibilities.

Again, unless you move to a 64-bit OS, it would just be a waste of memory.

Z.

[alphaman]

It would be a good idea to move to Windows 7 x64 mainly because you will noticed many performance improvements (other than the extra RAM) than with Vista.

You can check on the Crucial website for your laptop model to give you information about compatible RAM.

Everything Zoltan said is correct.