|
Top Customer Reviews
|
Good RAM, but be sure of what you're getting.
By
Chuck
on
February 23, 2014
Verified Purchase
I made the mistake of getting 1.5v RAM an the system I had uses 1.35. So these will signposted until I sell them or find a new use.
Read more
|
Great upgrade for Lenovo Y410P, HP Chromebox. CT2K8G3S160BM/CT2C8G3S160BM and CT2KIT102464BF160B/CT2CP102464BF160B are identical
By
ƒůℤźϔ ωൠ≥ζŷ ♥☮♭♩♪♫♬♮☯☺♡✈
on
January 31, 2014
Size: 16GB kit (8GBx2)
Verified Purchase
I purchased the Crucial CT2K8G3S160BM 2x8GB to increase the memory in my Lenovo Y410P laptop from 8-GB to 16-GB. My Y410P has two memory slots, and one slot was already occupied by a factory-installed Samsung M471B1G73QH0-YK0 8-GB memory card. I probably could have just added another 8-GB card. But to avoid any possible memory glitches, I prefer not to mix-and-match memory cards of different types. The existing Samsung memory was PC3L/DDR3L, with the 'L' signifying that it is low-voltage 1.35V memory, whereas the standard PC3/DDR3 memory uses a higher voltage of 1.50V. You should not combine memory of different voltages or use memory with incorrect voltage since your laptop may not even boot up. To further maximize compatibility with my laptop, since it came equipped with CL11 1600-MHz memory, I likewise wanted to stick with CL11 CAS Latency speed, instead of going for memory with a faster (lower) CL rating. Some CL9 memory cards have faster specifications, but I really think that most people will not notice 2-nanoseconds of extra latency. So I ordered this CL11 1600-MHz memory because I wanted to exactly match the specifications of my laptop's original 8-GB memory card to ensure compatibility since using mismatched memory can cause system instability. And this memory has been working flawlessly in my laptop!
In real-world applications benchmarks, there is barely any difference between using CL11 memory and using some fancier CL9 memory, and the unnoticeable speed difference is not worth paying extra money for more-expensive models of CL9 or faster memory. With most applications, if you compare CL7, CL9, and CL11 application benchmarks, the differences mostly amount to 2% to 4% differences in benchmark timings. Along with the CL listing, another important memory performance indicator is bandwidth, and this Crucial memory's DDR3 1600MHz has a very good maximum bandwidth of 12800MB/s. But what does this mean in real-world performance terms? Relatively little. As long as you have enough memory to hold the applications that you are running without paging, RAM speed is only very rarely a performance bottleneck. Even with quad-core CPUs, the bottleneck is more likely still going to be the CPU . The reason for this is that the CPU's branch prediction algorithms are so accurate that, in the vast majority of circumstances, the data is already in the cache when the CPU needs it. So direct calls to RAM are quite rare. The branch predictor is like the CPU's personal assistant; it guesses what piece of information the boss needs next and makes sure it is already on his desk by the time he needs it. Occasionally, the assistant will get it wrong and the boss will have to forage around and find the information himself. In CPU terms, "foraging around" means retrieving the information from RAM, or (worst case scenario) disk, while if it is "on the boss' desk", that is equivalent to it being in the CPU's cache. And if your computer is equipped with an SSD using Intel's "Smart Response Technology" or if your computer uses SSDs instead of hard disks, it may retrieve the data from the speedy SSD instead of reading from a slower hard disk.
So the days are long-gone when purchasing high-end expensive RAM actually makes a tangible difference to your computer's performance. As long as it meets the basic specifications that your chipset requires, there is not much to be gained by paying more. Some performance gains are possible from buying better RAM, but these days, most tests tend to show that such performance gains are minimal... far, far lower than you will get from adding more RAM (not necessarily faster RAM, just *more* RAM) or a faster CPU. This was not always the case. When the Pentium IV first came out thirteen years ago, it used a new type of RAM that had, at the time, very high bandwidth, but also very high latency. AMD's Athlon used traditional RAM with lower bandwidth and lower latency. Some types of applications (e.g. video and audio conversion) were very sensitive to bandwidth, but less sensitive to latency. These types of applications showed significant performance gains with the Pentium IV. Other applications (typically games and office applications) were more sensitive to latency and favored the Athlon.
Overall, this Crucial memory is a great buy! Don't overspend on memory just because a brand or model of memory touts better specifications. If you are a hardcore computer gamer with a $4000 gaming laptop, you may opt for faster high-end memory to complement your top-of-the-line CPU and graphics. But most people should focus far more on how compatible that memory's specifications are for your system because the differences between CL ratings are negligible if you are considering CL rating differences of 2 or 3, while using memory that is not correctly matched or compatible with your computer can cause a variety of problems.
After I removed the original Samsung 8-GB memory from my Y410P laptop and added these two Crucial SODIMM cards, I reran the Windows Experience Index benchmark and got the same WEI "Memory operations per second" score of 8.1 that I had with the Samsung memory. The WEI "Processor: Calculations per second" also remained unchanged at 8.1. This was not surprising considering that both the original Samsung memory and this Crucial memory have the same specifications.
I also purchased a single 8GB card of this same Crucial memory to upgrade my HP Chromebox, which comes equipped with only 2GB in its single memory slot. There is a lot of misleading information on the Internet stating the maximum memory that you can use in the HP Chromebox is 4GB. But that is incorrect since the HP Chromebox can fully use 8GB of memory. After I upgraded my HP Chromebox, the Memory Monitor app on its Chrome OS displayed the memory capacity as 7.9GB. 2GB of memory is sufficient for a Chromebook/Chromebox if you are just browsing with a few tabs open. But if you want to open up lots of tabs and run lots of apps, or if you plan to install Linux or Windows on your Chromebook/Chromebox, then adding more memory will help with performance.
Note that Crucial has two identical 16-GB 2x8GB kits with identical specifications, with each memory product having two different part numbers: CT2K8G3S160BM/CT2C8G3S160BM [[ASIN:B008LTBJFW Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800) CL11 SODIMM 204-Pin 1.35V/1.5V Mac Memory CT2K8G3S160BM]] , and CT2KIT102464BF160B/CT2CP102464BF160B [[ASIN:B007B5S52C Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL11 SODIMM 204-Pin 1.35V/1.5V Notebook Memory CT2KIT102464BF160B]]. CT2K8G3S160BM/CT2C8G3S160BM and CT2KIT102464BF160B/CT2CP102464BF160B are exactly the same memory cards, with the only difference being that the CT2K8G3S160BM/CT2C8G3S160BM product is packaged for Macs with the words "Mac Compatible" on the package. But all four of these part numbers are totally interchangeable because they contain identical memory cards. So if you determine that this is the right memory for your computer, just get whichever of these four Crucial part numbers is cheapest :-) I purchased the CT2K8G3S160BM/CT2C8G3S160BM on Amazon because it was $30 cheaper than the CT2KIT102464BF160B/CT2CP102464BF160B product listing at the time (of course, prices can vary each day). Both of these products are dual-voltage and can work in either 1.35V PC3L/DDR3L or 1.50V PC3/DDR3 memory slots. Both products are Mac-compatible, but they are also not Mac-specific or PC-specific, and they work equally well with PCs, Macs, and Chromebook/Chromebox.
If my review helped you to make an informed buying decision, please click the [Yes] button below. If not, please offer suggestions for how I can improve this review. If you have questions, please ask.
Read more
|
Wonderful, Absolutely wonderful, 13", Mid 2012 Intel i5 Macbook Pro
By
Nick McPherson
on
January 2, 2015
Verified Purchase
I'm loving this upgrade!!! I have a 13", Mid 2012 Intel i5 Macbook Pro 500 GB Toshiba HDD (Soon to be Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB SSD). Apple says this laptop can only handle a maximum of 8GB of ram (or memory), mine is currently recognizing and running smoothly with 16GB at the full 1600 MHz.
I was a little iffy when purchasing this where it's above apple's rated max, but I think it's just apple trying to get you to buy an equipped (and more expensive) macbook pro, even though mine is 2 years old. I also am in the process of upgrading to a Samsung 850 Pro SSD (Solid State Drive, Flash memory for whom don't know). This model Macbook pro does run on DDR3 ram, however DDR3L is a lower voltage ram, meaning less heat, and saves energy (every bit counts when it comes to saving as your mac is about to die). I don't know if my mac can run it at the lower voltage, but this ram and other DDR3L ram is backwards compatible.
I've heard stories of this ram not working for some after a couple days, so play it save and don't throw out, sell, or give away your original ram (at least right away) incase it does fry. I will update this review after 1 month, 6 month, and 1 year's use to keep you updated even though most likely few people will be buying this ram this time next year (or maybe everyone will be)
I highly recommend upgrading your ram and HDD to a SSD to give your aging computer some or maybe even more then of the it once had.
Read more
|
OK for Apple Mac mini
By
Sumo do
on
October 9, 2014
Style: DDR3 1600MHz
Size: 16GB Kit (2 x 8GB)
Verified Purchase
I purchased the HX316LS9IBK2/16 kit. I can confirm it works in the Apple Mac mini 2012 2.6 GHz i7 Quad Core model and the 2011 2.0GHz i7 Quad Core Server. It is recognised on both as 1600MHz. I ran a few benchmark runs on Nova Bench and it brings up approx results of 8500 MB/s on the 2.6GHz and around 7400 MB/s on the 2.0GHz. I compared this to running 16GB of Corsair Vengeance (CMSX16GX3M2A1600C10) on the same Macs. Unfortunately Nova Bench results flucuate around 300-400 MB/s on results with each test so it is hard to give an exact result (unless I repeat it 50 times and take and average) but I would have to say that the Vengeance only beat the Hyper X 2 times over 8 goes. Generally the Vengeance was 100 MB/s or so slightly lower than the Hyper X. They are very rough guesstimates though. Having said that I have used my Vengeance chips for over two years now and they have been bullet proof. I would recommend either, but just wanted to try the Hyper X because it is over 2 years down the track in technology.
Read more
|
MUST READ IF BUY FOR A LATE 2015 27" iMac!!!!
By
Jerry C.
on
June 10, 2016
Size: 16GB Kit (8GBx2)
Verified Purchase
I have purchased from both amazon and crucial in the past and can say that I have always been pleased with both companies and their products.
I recently purchased a late 2015 27" iMac with the base 8GB from Apple as I wanted to avoid the Apple Tax and perform the upgrade myself. I also ordered a set of these from Amazon. After reading the reviews, I was sure these would be the correct memory modules. To my surprise, the DID NOT run at the full 1866Mhz but rather at 1600Mhz (See photos). I called Crucial and they confirmed that although the specs are identical, these are non mac specific memory modules. He also stated that they may have worked for other users but would not recommend them.
I recalled seeing a very similar product - [ASIN:B0181JTF66 Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3L 1866 MT/s (PC3-14900) SODIMM 204-Pin Memory For Mac - CT2K8G3S186DM] - and referenced it to the Crucial Support Rep. He then confirmed that these are the ones that are certified to be compatible with Macs. The specs are identical but these are made specifically for Macs.
Save yourselves the trouble and frustration and get the CT2K8G3S186DM modules instead as they will operate at the full 1866Mhz speed.
I am only taking out 1 star as I feel that this should be specified in the description but I have no issues with Amazon or Crucial's products or services.
Read more
|
Work Perfectly with my Toshiba Satellite C55-C5241
By
Ali
on
January 31, 2017
Verified Purchase
I bought those Ram For my Toshiba Satellite C55-C5241 15.6 Inch Laptop (Intel Core i5, 8GB, 1 TB, Windows 10, Black)
It had 8 GB installed Ram. The Toshiba website said that is the Max that i can have on this laptop.
After doing some research i found out that this specific Ram can be compatible with my laptop at it was as slow as F*** and i couldn't take it any more so i decided to try this ram and see what will happen before i throw my laptop and buy new one.
First i installed those ram and immediately i noticed difference in everything. Improvement in speed and everything.
Second I Decided to buy an SSD to improve my laptop more and i bought this one
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OBRFFAS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
[[ASIN:B00OBRFFAS Samsung 850 EVO 1TB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-75E1T0B/AM)]]
I bought the 1 TB Version of it and Everything Skyrocketed
Now my laptop is better than the brand new.
I use it for everything.
I am a software engineer, I use it for coding C# , Java , SQL, ect ...
I also use the laptop for gaming i generally play diablo 3 and stuff like that.
Things are now far way better than it was before.
No lag no S***.
Unless i missed up and opened s*** applications that causes system errors and stuff .
I really Recommend it for this Laptop just make sure it is compatible with your laptop because this version has specific specs.
Again ( MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT RAM FOR YOUR COMPUTER OR ELSE IT MIGHT NOT WORK AT ALL OR IT MIGHT DAMAGE YOUR COMPUTER)
Read more
|
![G.Skill F3-1600C10D-16GSQ 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-1600MHz SODIMM Laptop RAM Memory]({"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91VkVDDMCmL._SX522_.jpg":[392,522],"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91VkVDDMCmL._SX425_.jpg":[319,425],"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91VkVDDMCmL._SX355_.jpg":[266,355],"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91VkVDDMCmL._SX450_.jpg":[338,450],"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91VkVDDMCmL._SX466_.jpg":[350,466]})
