I'm looking to upgrade my laptop's RAM and currently have two 4GB sticks installed, with one being swappable. My plan is to replace one of the 4GB sticks with a 16GB stick, which would give me a total of 20GB. However, I ran the Crucial System Scanner and it indicated that my laptop's max RAM capacity is 16GB. On the other hand, some commands I ran showed that my motherboard can actually support up to 64GB. I'm confused about which source to trust. If I went ahead and added a 16GB stick (resulting in 20GB), or even a 32GB stick (resulting in 36GB), would that cause any issues? Also, my laptop supports 2133MHz RAM, so if I get a 16GB stick that's 3200MHz, will it automatically downclock to 2133MHz? Just to give some context, I have an Asus Vivobook with an Intel Core i3 8th Gen and an Intel UHD 620 GPU.
3 Answers
I usually go to crucial.com for compatibility checks too, but I get that conflicting info can be frustrating! If you’re getting different max capacities from various sources, I’d definitely trust the manufacturer’s specs first since they’ll know the limits. Just be cautious when mixing RAM speeds—stick with what your laptop supports for stability.
To start, the age of your laptop matters. Typically, if it came with 2x4GB sticks, it's often capped around 16GB, especially if it's an older model. However, some laptops can be surprisingly flexible with upgrades! You might want to check the official specifications from Asus for your specific model to see what they recommend. As for running a 3200MHz stick in a system that supports 2133MHz, yes, it will usually downclock to match—no worries there!
Check your laptop's manual or the Asus website for confirmation on that RAM capacity. Often, they set limits for a reason. And about the clock speed—if you're using a faster RAM stick, your laptop will indeed just run it at the slower speed of 2133MHz if that's all it can handle. Just something to keep in mind when you shop!
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload