How much memory are we actually discussing?
How much memory are we actually discussing?
Hey there.
I’m trying to upgrade my old HP Slimline box for intranet admin and content serving. It only has 4GB of RAM, but I’m unsure how much it can actually use. After entering the model manually, MemoryStock suggested it could fit two 8GB SoDIMM DDR3 modules, but the scanner says it supports up to 32GB. There are only two SoDIMM slots available, so I’m confused about what to choose.
I found some images that seem to contradict each other—one says the motherboard only handles 16GB, another claims otherwise. My scanner also shows conflicting results. I want to know which information is accurate and whether this relates to addressable memory or something else.
The maximum RAM supported is 16GB. For your J4205, consider a 2x8GB DDR3-16000MHz kit. Latencies are not a concern here.
Adhere to the HP manual, as they are the board makers.
Further reading: https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Deskt...on...-p/6254406
Download CPU-Z.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.ht...e_vignette
What information does CPU-Z provide?
There could be additional tools and recommendations available.
HP HP Slimline 270-a0xx (AMD) upgrade guide with SSD and RAM improvements. Learn about compatible components, slot availability, and maximum storage options. Visit www.crucial.com for details.
Which Windows edition does your system use? Older computers with just 4GB of memory typically ran the 32-bit version, which capped usage at 4GB.
Windows 10 Home 64-bit version. The Windows edition might limit how much RAM Windows can utilize, though it shouldn't change the memory capacity limits set by the Motherboard. I'm planning to move this system to Linux since it won't support Windows 11.
TYVM for the manual link
👍
I thought it was a custom MB design and didn’t bother searching further because manuals usually guide users on maintaining MFGRs to avoid support issues. For major suppliers like HP, they often don’t provide all necessary upgrade or overclocking details.
During research, I focused on the M.2 slot and overlooked the RAM section. Although the documentation mentioned Crucial’s scanning tool—which didn’t work for me—and indicated UDIMM modules as upgrades, this board only supports SoDIMMs. I wasn’t fully confident in Crucial’s information either.
Thanks for your detailed response.
Crucial’s site lists both UDIMMs and a single SoDIMM as possible upgrades. The lack of a 2x16GB bundle doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a problem, but it’s not clear. It mentioned several details, but the most important thing was that the board uses the Intel Apollo Lake chipset. I looked up more info here:
https://community.intel.com/t5/Embe...DD...d-p/250253
So, Apollo Lake supports up to 16GB RAM. That’s solid. Thanks a lot for the link! It’s saved in my bookmarks
😎
The scanner indicates you have four RAM slots, possibly explaining how they reached 32GB by using four 8GB modules.
What matters is the motherboard. So, the max might indeed be 16 GB. However, I just want to mention that there's a J4205 board which can supposedly accept 2x 16 GB (RAM model: CT204864BF160B), according to the manufacturer's QVL:
https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/J4205-IT...asp#Memory
I actually have a that board and bought RAM for it that was recommended by the online compatibility checker on Crucial's website: 2x 8 GB DDR3L-1600. Unfortunately, the only way I could get the board to boot was by using just one of those DIMMs in slot B. I've read those CPUs are very picky about RAM.
Not sure how helpful that was, but good luck!
P.S.
the J4205 is
not
fast. Maybe somewhere in the ballpark of a Core 2? For my mini-server, I use an Alder Lake N97 board with a single stick of 32 GB DDR5. It's about as fast as a low-end Skylake i5, but idles around 8W at the wall.
Can't be. The J4205 can't support 2 DIMMs per channel.
As you can see on the supported memory list for the ASRock board I linked, the CPU can actually support 16 GB per DIMM. So, you could reach 32 GB via 2x 16 GB DIMMs. However, it could also be that their database is just wrong about how many DIMM slots it has and miscalculating on that basis.
I just want to emphasize that I wouldn't rely on Crucial's compatibility checker for determining which memory will fit. The most secure choice would be to stick with the exact memory options suggested by the maker. I've heard that Apollo Lake can be unpredictable with RAM, which aligns with my own observations.
If I had access to a return policy and could test RAM from another source, I might consider 16 GB DIMMs that are known to work. Otherwise, I'd stick strictly to what the manufacturer advises. This is just due to the Apollo Lake issue.