Fix your dinosaur laptop's memory issues.
Fix your dinosaur laptop's memory issues.
I own a laptop I got around four years ago during my junior high years—it’s been my primary computer for school and personal use. It’s a Toshiba Satellite C855-S5306 running Windows 10. (I know it’s an old, low-end machine, but I’m planning to upgrade soon after my tax refund.) In the meantime, it was performing poorly, so I reset it last week. Even then, it wasn’t overheating much, and I opened it up to find that a few mismatched RAM modules were fine. I’m not sure if they’re compatible or have the same speed, but both are 4GB DDR3 sticks—one from Kingston and the other from an unknown brand. Since I’m investing in a new system soon, I don’t want to waste money on memory upgrades later. My main concern is whether there’s a tool to check how these RAMs work together. Can I test their speed, see if they’re running in dual-channel mode, and identify which stick is faster? Should I remove one stick for testing? Also, what should I do with the existing RAM? I’m mainly using it for basic online tasks like MS Office and a light AutoCAD project for my engineering class. Any tips would be appreciated!
Various RAM modules function together similarly to a complete set, but they all start at the speed of the slowest unit. Ensure they match in type—don’t mix, for instance, DDR3 and DDR3L (the latter operates at a lower voltage). You can also pair different capacity modules; I used an 8GB stick with two 4GB sticks for roughly a year before switching to DDR4. Based on the model names, a generic stick is PC3-10600, which runs at 1333MHz, while a Kingston model is PC3-12800, capable of up to 1600MHz. When combining a 1600MHz module with a 1333MHz one, both will operate at 1333MHz. You should be able to run office or CAD applications smoothly, provided the processor and graphics card can handle the demands.
Using both sticks, the Kingston stick is an alternative option.