You Want 4 GB RAM On Your Notebook

You Want 4 GB RAM on Your Notebook?
http://www.tomshardware.com/print/ram-scaling-notebook,reviews-19...

By Patrick Schmid and Achim Roos , APRIL 29, 2008 9:20 AM
1. Buy RAM to Increase Your Battery Runtime
The question of how much RAM you really need is discussed roughly once every two years, and with every launch of a new Windows version.
While there are so-called sweet spots at any given time, factors such as the operating system and popular applications have an influence on the
ideal amount of RAM as well. 512 MB RAM can be considered the minimum memory capacity to execute Windows XP or Windows Vista today.
However, anything less than 1 GB will have a noticeable performance impact, as the operating system will swap data onto your hard
drivewhich brings down performance and battery runtime on notebooks. Given that, we looked at the opposite end of the equation: what would
happen if you went for a comfortable 4 GB RAM capacity on your notebook?
While this question may appear exaggerated for most users, there is one important factor that should be brought into the equation: RAM prices
have been falling continuously during the last 12 months. This mainly applies to desktop memory, but notebook DIMMs have also become
extremely affordable.
Lets look at some examples: a 2x 2-GB SO-DIMM kit (DDR2-667) can be found for less than 60 Euros in Europe or for less than $80 in the US. 2
GB notebook memory kits (1x 1 GB) start at only or $38. These prices dont apply for the best-in-class products you can find, but for the best
prices we found on brand products. If you relate the memory cost to the price of a decent laptop, youll realize that an investment of $40 or even
$80 for 4 GB of RAM is more than reasonable, despite the fact that a 32-bit Windows operating system cannot utilize the entire amount.
Corsairs XMS2 DDR2-800 DHX RAM (TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX) has dropped from almost 150 Euros to about 40 Euros within one year. Although
we looked at the German price comparison platform at Geizhals.at, these DIMMs currently start at $79 in the US.
Related articles:
Vista Workshop: More RAM, More Speed
Toms Ultimate RAM Speed Tests
How Much RAM Do You Really Need?
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Parallel Processing, Part 2: RAM and HDD (Single vs. Dual Channel)
The New Arms Race: DDR3-1800 RAM
Hardcore DDR2 RAM by Corsair, G.Skill, OCZ and Patriot
Analysis: Vista ReadyBoost is no Match for RAM
Windows Vistas SuperFetch and ReadyBoost Analyzed
A New RAM Hard Drive from HyperOS
2. Some Memory Basics

Advertisements usually only talk about the capacity of memory installed on systems: 1 GB, 2 GB or sometimes even 4 GB, although anything at
4 GB and above requires either a 32-bit operating system capable of handling the memory addressing to take advantage the memory capacity,
or a 64-bit operating system, which natively supports much more RAM. Any system running Windows XP or Windows Vista should at least have 1
GB of memory. On the one hand, this will prevent Windows from swapping too much work data onto the slow hard drive. On the other hand,
RAM has become really inexpensive, making memory one of the most affordable components.
Memory is always added to a system on so-called modules. Desktop PCs utilize Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMMs), the dual means that there
are pins on both sides of the connector. Memory chips can also be located on both sides of a module. The first DIMMs had 168 pins and were used
for SDRAM memory. The second generation for double-data rate RAM (DDR) had 184 pins, while the current DDR2 and DDR3 DIMMs have 240
pins. Differently positioned notches prevent users from confusing DDR2 with DDR3.
Due to space constraints, notebooks and laptops utilize different memory modules, which are called Small Outline DIMMs (SO-DIMMs). These are
roughly 1/3 of the size of regular DIMMs, and have only 200 pins. Most notebooks offer two sockets for SO-DIMMs, although ultra-portables
oftentimes come with permanently installed memory and only one slot for upgrades.
Its important to know that the best performance is achieved by pairing two physical memory banks, which are referred to as channels. All
memory controllers, whether theyre integrated into an AMD Athlon 64 X2 or Phenom X3/X4 processor or part of a chipset northbridge, are
capable of running dual-channel mode, which means that they utilize two banks in order to double the bandwidth by widening the memory data
path from 64 bits to 128 bits.
Good RAM, Bad RAM
While memory is categorized by memory type (DDR2, DDR3) and memory speed (clock speed), there are also various parameters that need to
be set, called timings, and theyre also relevant to performance. However, the performance difference between mainstream memory and
high-end RAM has been rather small. It is highly important to use a reasonable memory technology, which currently is DDR2-667/800 for
notebooks and DDR2-800/1066 for desktop PCs. Running fast memory timings is favorable, but we recommend against spending a lot of money
on enthusiast memory unless youve already optimized other key components such as the processor or the graphics card. In the case of
notebook memory its usually not possible to alter memory timings anyway.
Mix or Match?
Memory vendors try to sell so-called matched memory pairs, which are often tested together in a standardized test environment. While two
different DIMMs with identical specification should technically work together, issues may occur. Huge compatibility problems, resulting in
functional incompatibility, are very rare these days, but its fairly possible that RAM speed or timings may have to be adjusted to slower settings
for compatibility reasons.
You can always operate any memory type at slower clock speeds and more conservative timings than they were specified for. Running a DIMM
above the specification, though, puts you into the overclocking corner, and must be done at your own risk. If you mix a 1 GB DDR2-667 and a
1-GB DDR2-800 DIMM, both will run at DDR2-667 speed.
3. Synchronous vs. asynchronous Dual Channel

Many modern notebook chipsets, including all current Intel models, support synchronous dual channel
operation, which means that both or all four memory modules have to be equal. Most chipsets also support
asynchronous dual channel, which allows the user to mix a 1 GB DIMM and a 2 GB DIMM in order to reach a
total RAM capacity of 3 GB and still run dual channel mode. While this doesnt deliver the full performance
that can be achieved in dual channel mode, its still faster than single channel, and we havent heard of
issues with it. If you intend to upgrade your 1 GB of RAM by installing a 2 GB DIMM, there is nothing that
stands in your way. In a worst case scenario your system will be running in single channel memory mode,
which will result in a very small performance penalty.
Test Notebook: Dell Latitude D630
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We used a modern notebook based on Intels 45 nm mobile processor, the Core 2 Duo T9000 family. The Dell latitude utilizes the entire Intel
Centrino platform, including the GM945 mobile chipset, a Core 2 Duo T9500 (2.6 GHz) and the 4945AGN wireless solution. Since this is a business
notebook, it doesnt come with a discrete graphics solution, rather utilizing the integrated graphics unit provided by the GM965 Express chipset.
Gamers wont like this very much, but the focus of this article is the impact more memory has on battery runtime, and a graphics chip will
contribute to emptying your battery quicker than a notebook with slower but more efficient integrated graphics.
The notebook also has a Hitachi TravelStar 7K160 hard drive, which isnt a very efficient model, but offers maximum performance. The 14
WXGA+ display isnt state of the art, but is probably a common choice today.
Since we had a good experience with Futuremarks MobileMark 2007 and this particular notebook, we used Windows Vista Ultimate with Service
Pack 1, and we patched MobileMark with patch 3 as well to be sure we have the latest software platform.
Dell utilizes a GM965 chipset (Santa Rosa) for its Latitude D630.
The Core 2 Duo T9000s idle clock speed is 1,200 MHz, which comes from the FSB800 200 MHz base clock speed times a base multiplier of 6.
4. Upgrading the Latitude D630

While many notebooks will allow you to install or exchange both memory modules at the same physical location, you will have to access two
different spots to upgrade the SO-DIMMs of the Latitude D630. The first DIMM can be found on the bottom of the notebook after removing a little
cover. The second DIMM socket is located on the top of the device, below the keyboard and right next to the mouse keys.
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The DIMM socket for RAM channel A is located at the bottom of the notebook motherboard, and so is accessed through a little opening. Removing
the small metal cover is sufficient to install or exchange a memory module.
The second DIMM socket, for RAM channel B, can be found right next to the touchpad buttons. Youll have to remove the keyboard to access it.
Factory Upgrades are Expensive!
$170 upgrade for 4 GB RAM instead of 2 GB is more expensive than buying two 4 GB SO-DIMM kits at retail!
Do you remember the cost for a 4 GB RAM kit? Dell wants $170 to upgrade the Latitude D630 from 2 GB to 4 GB RAM. This amount of money
would suffice to equip two other notebooks with 4 GB RAM each! While this can only be called a rip-off, Dell doesnt seem to follow this pricing
strategy in all countries. We found that the 2 GB upgrade to a total of 4 GB memory costs 80 Euros in Germany, which equals approximately
$120 at the current exchange rate.
Dell Germany wants 80 Euros to upgrade your Latitude D630 from 2 GB to 4 GB of DDR2-667 memory.
5. RAM Usage
RAM is not only used by the operating system to store all system and application data that is currently being usedthink of the operating system
kernel, extensions and applicationsbut also as a cache for application data. Once you terminate an application, the memory content will be
conserved until other memory requests require the main memory content to be overwritten. But as long as the content is physically still there, a
terminated Adobe Photoshop, for example, will restart much faster than when you launched it for the first time.
Windows Vista also has a feature called SuperFetch, which automatically preloads applications into available main memory once there is sufficient
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free main memory. Should memory capacity be required by your applications, Vista will flush the SuperFetched data, but in every other case it
will provide much quicker application launch times.
Powerful applications require increasing amounts of main memory to work at full performance. Photoshop editing a 24x36 photo at 600 dpi will
eat approximately 2 GB of RAM. 3D games typically load high-resolution textures into the main memory as well.
RAM Capacity vs. Power Consumption

While memory modules with more chips or higher memory densities certainly require more power when compared within one memory
technology, doubling the memory capacity per DIMM does not even remotely double the RAM power requirements. This means that exchanging
two 512 MB SO-DIMMs for two 1 GB DIMMs will have a minor impact on system power consumption, and hardly any effect on notebook battery
runtime.
There are several reasons why sufficient RAM will not only introduce performance benefits, but also save some energy on notebooks:
Windows doesnt have to work extensively with a swap file on your hard drive, which would cause higher power consumption due to intensive
hard drive activity. Windows can even stop a hard drive when idle.
Having more RAM will allow Windows and applications to perform as quickly as possible, hence reducing processing times by avoiding
involvement of the hard drive. DRAM is typically faster and more energy-efficient than a hard drive.
Mechanisms such as caching or SuperFetch can do their job more effectively. Completing a task efficiently allows the notebook to go back
into a more energy-efficient state as quickly as possible.
6. Varying RAM Capacities
1 GB RAM
We used two 512 MB DDR2 Samsung DIMMs for our first round of testing.
1 GB of memory has been the sweet spot in notebooks for quite some time, but more and more notebooks, even at the low end, are being
factory-equipped with 2 GB of RAM. We decided to start at the 1 GB capacity point, as many notebooks are still equipped with this amount. As
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you will see later, an upgrade to at least 2 GB of RAM makes a lot of sense, as the battery runtime gets a nice boost.
The 512 MB Samsung DIMMs we grabbed from another laptop are programmed to support CL3 timings at DDR2-400 speed, with CL4 timings at
DDR2-533 and CL5 timings at DDR2-667.
2 GB RAM
The default memory installation of our test notebook was 2 GB of RAM, consisting of two 1 GB DDR2-667 SO-DIMMs.
2 GB RAM can be considered very much standard today. Most notebooks are equipped with two 1 GB DIMMs, since these offer the best cost per
RAM capacity ratio. DDR2-667 is sufficient for all the Intel chipsets available today, but other platforms may require DDR2-800.
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The SPD programming (Serial Presence Detect) of our 1 GB DIMMs was just like the settings found stored on the 512 MB SO-DIMMs.
4 GB RAM : Corsair ValueSelect
Corsair provided a 4 GB SO-DIMM kit for our testing. The two 2 GB DIMMs support DDR2-667 speed.
Be advised that a 32-bit Windows XP or Windows Vista cannot utilize the entire 4 GB of RAM. However, there will still be more than 3 GB of RAM
available for Windows and your applications. Looking at prices of $80 for a mainstream 4 GB kit for notebooks and $100 and up for 4 GB upper
mainstream memory for the desktop, you will realize that it doesnt make sense to purchase any other memory module combination that will
give you a total of 3 GB of RAM. Windows XP x64 or the 64-bit versions of Windows Vista will be happy to work with 4 GB of RAM once you switch
to them.
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7. Test System
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8. Benchmark Results
Benchmarks and Settings
Mobile Mark 2007Version 1.04.670
Scenario: Productivity 2007
We did not look at the performance differences between 1, 2 and 4 GB in this analysis, as we already did this
a few weeks ago in the article Toms Ultimate RAM Speed Tests. Please refer to this article to get more
information on memory speed versus memory timings.
Mobile Mark 2007 Performance
Clearly, Mobile Mark 2007 attests to the test systems better performance when equipped with 2 GB or even 4 GB of memory: a 20%
performance boost can be achieved by upgrading from 1 GB to 2 GB of RAM. However, this doesnt really come as a surprise; the main intention
of this article is the following result.
9. Mobile Mark 2007 Battery Runtime
Exchanging the pair of 512 MB DIMMs for a pair of 1 GB modules did not result in an increase of battery runtime using our high-performance 85
Wh battery. Obviously, the results arent reproducible enough to avoid a variance of five minutes battery runtime within a period of seven hours.
Upgrading to a pair of 2 GB DIMMs got us eight to 13 more minutes increased in battery runtime. This certainly doesnt make much of a
difference if your notebook is capable of running seven hours on battery, but 10 or more minutes can be the time you might require to finalize a
presentation, a document or a spreadsheet when youre on a plane, or the time you need to send it off via email.
Remember that system performance always benefits from more RAM. The memory upgrade is even more attractive knowing that youll get
more battery runtime for free.
Mobile Mark 2007 Score
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The third result is a combination of the performance result, divided by the battery runtime result and multiplied times ten. This gives you an
excellent score, because it aggregates the performance result and the battery runtime in a single number. The advantage when upgrading from 1
GB RAM to 4 GB RAM equals 24.5% in the case of our test notebook, which was equipped with an efficient Core 2 Duo processor and stateof-the-art hardware.
10. Conclusion
Although the increase in battery runtime - 13 minutes when going to 4 GB - doesnt look like a big deal in the context of seven hours of battery
runtime, such an upgrade is still worth it. On the one hand, the cost for a 4 GB kit has dropped below $100, making such an upgrade extremely
affordable. On the other hand, the memory upgrade will both increase battery runtime and your system responsiveness, as well as application
performance when multiple programs are being executed. Finally, a memory upgrade often can be performed with little effort, as all parts of a
notebook can usually be accessed easily.
If you decide to upgrade from 1 GB to 2 GB youll not experience a lot of battery runtime benefits, as the more significant step is made with the
upgrade from 2 GB to 4 GB. Obviously, Windows Vista Ultimate (which cannot utilize more than 3573 MB in the 32-bit version) effectively reduces
page file swapping on the hard drive and may also involve Vistas SuperFetch buffering feature more aggressively. However, most of the battery
runtime gains can be attributed to the reduced swapping activity, as the 7,200 RPM Hitachi TravelStar hard drive requires several watts of power
when active.
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