Performance dropped significantly after installing the new RAM module.
Performance dropped significantly after installing the new RAM module.
Hi there. Around two weeks ago, I bought a Lenovo Legion 5P gaming laptop. Here are the details:
▪ Operating System: Windows 10
▪ Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
▪ RAM: 8GB (Samsung, DDR4, 3200MHZ)
▪ Storage: 256GB SSD
▪ Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB
I’m quite new to computers, so this is my first experience beyond a typical laptop. Everything has been running smoothly and quickly so far. Yet, some games showed minor to moderate performance problems. Since most of the required specifications were not only met but surpassed by the laptop’s built-in parts, I thought the 8GB single-channel RAM might be the bottleneck. This idea was supported by other users’ experiences and recommendations. Moreover, nearly every review I’ve seen mentioned that customers often suggest adding another RAM stick, as using 16GB in dual-channel mode is expected to boost performance noticeably.
I therefore checked the exact specifications of the internal RAM and bought a matching replacement online just a few days ago. It arrived today, and I installed it following a tutorial video. I was nervous because I’m not very comfortable taking things apart or reassembling them. Still, I managed to install the new RAM and restarted the laptop without any issues.
Initially, everything looked fine. In Task Manager, the new stick appeared correctly. But when I opened one of the games known for its performance issues, it performed even worse—framing dropped below 30 frames per second with stuttering. I tried another game, adjusted settings within those titles, closed and restarted them multiple times, but the problem persisted.
Feeling disappointed and unsure, I searched online again for solutions. Unfortunately, there was very little specific information about this issue on the device itself, which was expected. I downloaded CPU-Z to inspect the memory status, following advice from an old forum post. Everything seemed normal: the command rate and channel configuration were correct, and nothing else seemed out of place.
To test, I tried reversing my previous steps—restoring the laptop to its original settings (8GB single-channel RAM) and re-running the games. The problems still lingered.
In short, my question is: What went wrong and how can I fix it (with or without installing a second RAM stick)? Please remember I’m still learning. Even simple advice might have missed something, so I may need more clarity than someone with more experience. I truly appreciate any help you can offer. Let me know if you think I should move this to a different category for better support. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Switch them around in their slots, see if that changes it. surprising that trying to set it back doesn't fix it. And your system is still stable right?
There's the windows diagnostic tool for memory that you can use to check for problems.
Maybe go into BIOS and check the memory? I don't know what you should look for but if something is wrong I reckon BIOS can lead you in the right direction.
To get into the BIOS press f1 (It might be a different f key; i'm not familiar with your laptop.) while your computer is booting. Computers these days boot super fast so if you miss the window of opportunity don't worry just try again.
Once you are there navigate over to "Memory" and see if anything is off. Maybe one is signifigantly slower...
Switch them around in their slots, see if that changes it. surprising that trying to set it back doesn't fix it. And your system is still stable right?
There's the windows diagnostic tool for memory that you can use to check for problems.
Maybe go into BIOS and check the memory? I don't know what you should look for but if something is wrong I reckon BIOS can lead you in the right direction.
To get into the BIOS press f1 (It might be a different f key; i'm not familiar with your laptop.) while your computer is booting. Computers these days boot super fast so if you miss the window of opportunity don't worry just try again.
Once you are there navigate over to "Memory" and see if anything is off. Maybe one is signifigantly slower and bottlenecking the other? But if they are identical that shouldn't happen. If nothing else you can put the original in and factory reset. If that doesn't work something might've been damaged.
GL