I'm having a strange problem with my aunt's old HP laptop, model 15-bw026nv. She asked me to speed it up since it was running really slow, so I figured I'd upgrade the RAM and install an SSD. After cleaning the laptop, I found a DDR4 2400MHz RAM stick (mta4atf51264hz-2g3b1) and decided to replace it with a new one I bought (patriot psd44g240081s). I also swapped the SSD. Initially, everything seemed okay, but after about five minutes, I encountered a BSOD related to memory management. I checked the BIOS, but it's locked, and I can't change any settings. It appears that even though the laptop is using a 2400MHz stick, it's actually running at 1866MHz, based on what I've found online. When I remove the new RAM, the laptop works fine. I suspect there might be a conflict with the different RAM speeds. Can anyone help me understand what went wrong?
2 Answers
It sounds like the RAM speed is indeed the problem here. Your laptop’s A6-9220 CPU has a maximum RAM speed of 2133MHz, so that faster stick you bought might be causing instability. If your BIOS is locked and you can't adjust the speed settings, I’d recommend returning the new RAM and looking for a stick that's slower but has a higher capacity. It seems like the original RAM was likely running at 1866MHz, which could be why the new one isn't playing nice. Hope this helps!
Have you tried getting the dump files from the BSOD? They can help you identify the exact cause of the crashes. If you can boot into Windows or Safe Mode, check the C:WindowsMinidump folder for any dump files. If you find any, zip that folder and upload it to a file sharing site. It’ll give you better clues on what’s causing the BSOD. Let me know if you need help with that!
Thanks for the insight! I didn't realize the speed limitation would be such a big deal. I'll definitely look into getting a different RAM stick.