Quesions about upgrading my RAM to 16 GB

hackerone member

10/22/23, 9:35 PM

So I have a HP 15 Notebook something, and apparently I only have 8 GB of RAM, I need to upgrade to 16 GB but something weird is happeing, when I run free command, it shows me this

$ free -h --si
              total        used        free      shared  buff/cache   available
Mem:           5.9G        2.0G        2.5G        436M        1.4G        3.2G
Swap:          2.1G        1.2G        924M

which basically means I have 8GB (5.9+2.1) of RAM right now right?

But when I run this command it shows me the following

$ sudo lshw -class memory

 *-memory                  
       description: System Memory
       physical id: 2
       slot: System board or motherboard
       size: 6GiB
     *-bank:0
          description: SODIMM DDR3 Synchronous Unbuffered (Unregistered) 1600 MHz (0.6 ns)
          product: HP16D3LS1KFG/4G
          vendor: Kingston
          physical id: 0
          serial: 2511F07B
          slot: Bottom-Slot 1(top)
          size: 4GiB
          width: 64 bits
          clock: 1600MHz (0.6ns)
     *-bank:1
          description: SODIMM DDR3 Synchronous Unbuffered (Unregistered) 1600 MHz (0.6 ns)
          product: 4KTF25664HZ-1G6E1
          vendor: Micron Technology
          physical id: 1
          serial: DFB684AF
          slot: Bottom-Slot 2(under)
          size: 2GiB
          width: 64 bits
          clock: 1600MHz (0.6ns)
  *-firmware

It shows the 2 RAM slots, one showing 2 GB of RAM and the other 4 GB; do these numbers represent the physical RAM in my computer meaning that i have 2 RAM sticks right now one of 6GB and other of 2 GB ? meaning that i should get 2 8GB RAM sticks in order to get to 16GB ? i don't quite understand

2- Also how do I know if the RAM stick I’m gonna buy is compatible with my laptop ? Will any DDR3 ram stick work?

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upgrade

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guiverc

10/22/23, 9:51 PM

What RAM your hardware will accept is a hardware specific question, and this is a Ubuntu Q&A site, not a hardware/firmware Q&A site. I'd expect anything your hardware will accept & work with, to work with Ubuntu (*assuming you're using an appropriate OS without limitations*)

hackerone member

10/22/23, 9:52 PM

oh come on :( but yea you're kinda right

Nmath

10/22/23, 10:42 PM

RAM is ideally supposed to be installed in identical pairs. Mismatched RAM may result in memory faults, problems with dual channel support, and slower RAM speeds if timings and clock speeds do not match. If you want to know what RAM is supported, read the motherboard QVL - that will tell you exactly which models are supported. You also should read the documentation for how RAM is supposed to be physically installed.

user3528438

10/23/23, 1:42 PM

Micron's website has a database and you can look up compatible ones.

Score:13

Ubuntu

Will

10/22/23, 9:55 PM

You’ve only got 6GB of RAM (4GB in bank 0 plus 2GB in bank 1).

The swap is a file on your hard drive that the system can use when it’s running low on physical RAM.

What RAM you need to buy isn’t a question for this site - but I’d suggest (1) open the computer and see what you can actually replace (some devices have at least 1 memory module soldered to the motherboard); (2) look at the form factor of the memory to check you can fit what you’re intending to buy; (3) check the manual for the computer (or search online) to check the spec of RAM you need to buy and the maximum supported amount you can install.

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