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I have a used laptop lying around, an i3-4005U Lenovo B50-70 80EU with just 4GB of RAM in a single SO-DIMM, and in some way I was wondering how much of a RAM upgrade I should go with. Since I will use it for basic stuff, i.e. OpenOffice maybe, image editing and mostly web browsing, I think the answer is to go with 8GB (?), but at the same time I have always enjoyed systems with plenty of RAM and so a part of me wonders if it could be better to pick an additional 8GB stick of RAM instead.

On related matters, in our family business we also use another basic computer, an i3-2328M Dell Vostro 2520 with another 4GB of RAM which could also enjoy some extra performance with a RAM upgrade…

Went to the computer and used CPU-Z to get the relevant information. After a moment I was seeing a Core i3-2328M as CPU with a dual rank 4GB Samsung PC3-12800S module, 1.5V and 1600MHz, in SPD. Which already is weird because Intel's official specifications for the i3-2328M list 1333MHz as its maximum RAM frequency.

And heck, couldn't find any service manual for it, not even in Dell's website. So even if a rare exception, I came to find this old article at The Guardian: Using copyright to keep repair manuals secret undermines circular economy. Which just remembers me to never buy products from manufacturers which refuse to share useful information from their products (Apple, Acer, Sony, Toshiba…). Particularly I can't help thinking how Apple is such a terrible joke, and how that much people is brainwashed into getting ripped off with their @#$%. This is of course just an opinion and I respect those who follow such path, though. Good luck to everyone.

P.S.: the Guardian's donation request has arisen another question in me. What is the cost of making donations via PayPal nowadays? Is it preferable to go donation for small amounts versus paying for a service?

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I would just:

1. Upgrade the memory capacity to 8/12GB if you want.

2. Upgrade the HDD to an SSD.

3. Undervolt the Intel CPU with Intel XTU for even better battery life.

3

If the laptop isn’t currently memory constrained running apps then more memory is not going to help. Personally I’d upgrade to a SSD as my first upgrade.

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Thanks for pinpointing the Intel XTU thing BlueSwordM, undervolting is something I once did (pretty manually with a laptop software only available for 32-bit operating systems) in a very old Core2 Duo laptop running XP which is now going to be recycled.

Concerning the memory constrained thing, are you going to tell me 4GB is seriously enough? As far as I know just a single internet browser with a bunch of tabs may need a few GBs, doesn't it?

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I second the SSD recommendation, a change you will definitely feel.

You can use CPUZ to find what your motherboard is and then look it up and find what is the maximum amount of ram it can accept (probably it will work for laptop, I’m not entirely sure).

As for ram frequency, I believe (but not sure), that you can get higher frequency ram but your pc will only use up to the frequency it supports. So you can buy higher frequency ram but you don’t really want to because you’ll end up paying more for less.

I believe pc components stores and ram manufacturers have tools that identify your hardware and recommend their parts for upgrades, you could try them.

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What amount of memory is sufficient depends on what applications are being executed and how many concurrently of course. The only way to know is to use something like task manager (if running Windows) to see what the usage is. I run a number of VM’s to which I allocate 3GB of memory and don’t run out of memory, but of course YMMV depending on what you are running on the laptop. Since you said that you are only using the laptop for basic stuff if it were me I’d get the SSD first since things will open and load faster.

Both memory and SSD are desirable but as I said I’d go with the SSD first. And you can always use it in another PC (even a desktop a with 2.5 to 3.5 adapter bracket) while the memory is
unlikely to ever be used elsewhere.

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I have found that a laptop that is painful to use with Window10 can be useful running a light version of Linux of some sort. It will do office stuff with ease with 4Gb. And Libra Office comes with just about any Linux Distro. Image editing may be another matter.

The greatest improvement will be replacing the spinner with an SSD. Even a little one like 125Gb will make an older system will seem like it’s given a new life when an SSD is on board.
As long as you don’t go nuts with lots of media, 125Gb will run Win10 just fine. And they are nearly free with a happy meal these days.

A system that is way slow with a spinner is just like a breathe of fresh air with an SSD.

Given a choice I’d go for the SSD first. Especially if Win10 is going to be the OS. Do a power on start then open up the task manager and go to the performance tab. Watch how much time the mechanical drive stays at 100%. Win 10 really sucks on the drive a lot.

Go to the Crucial Memory web site and you can look up what kind and how much memory your system can use. Some older systems can only handle 4 or 8Gb max.
For most apps you don’t need more than 8Gb.

Dell desktops have a very annoying hard drive mounting system. The friggin power cables expect the drive to be in a very precise location. I’ve made adapters for 2.5 SSD to 3.5” trays out of cardboard. The trick is to position the connectors in the right place.
Usually you need a right angle connector at the drive because the drive bay puts it right up against the case door.

All the Best,
Jeff

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Oops, I thought the Vostro 2520 was a desktop.
Is this what you needed?

All the Best,
Jeff

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Whatever amount of Ram you decide to go with ( I’d put the Max the board will accept) Install it in Pairs of matched sticks——with that said SSD drives are the only way to go these days — Super upgrade — Dirt cheap

I just looked up that laptop—not much of a CPU there—— Are refurbed PSs very expensive in your country—- Here in the States you can get a Nice HP with a I5 /8gb ram and a 256 gb SSD drive for $300

I just purchased one with an I7 CPU 16gb ram for $450 for my mother in law —the machine is like New —- very nice machine

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The laptop I will get to use is the i3-4005U Lenovo B50-70. Identified its RAM onboard and bought another piece of the same SODIMM for cheap (given this age of integrated memory controllers there is no need but in eBay you can buy any brand and model so why not). Given my scarce computing needs will do fine. SSD? Maybe later.

Thanks for contributing.