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ThinkPad x230 memory

X230-X280, X390 Series
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TechGuyLA
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ThinkPad x230 memory

#1 Post by TechGuyLA » Sat Jul 28, 2012 4:15 pm

Does anyone know who makes the memory for the x230? I purchased mine with the standard 4GB as Lenovo wanted, I believe $140 for an additional 4GB. I'll purchase this 4GB on my own, but, I like to match RAM. I believe Samsung makes it for them, but, I'm not sure. If anyone knows, appreciate the help.
Lance

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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#2 Post by sarbin » Sat Jul 28, 2012 5:17 pm

I think that it's so much more expensive going to 8gb is because they go to one 8gb stick. Looking at the Lenovo store, the price on the 4gb sticks (for the x220, at least) are 34.99 as of two days ago.
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ansible212
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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#3 Post by ansible212 » Mon Jul 30, 2012 5:15 pm

Either use CPU-Z to find the part number via SPD or open the cover, find the part number on the label and write it down, then Google it.

It's what I did with my X220 and was able to find exactly the same Samsung memory (by part number at least, it actually has a different colour PCB) was was already fitted.
X1C 5th Gen : WQHD : i7-7500U : 16GB : 1TB Samsung 970 Pro : ThinkPad Thunderbolt 3 Dock : ThinkVision P32u-10

X220 : Premium HD : i7-2640M : 8GB : 256GB Samsung 850 Pro : Mini Dock Series 3 with USB 3.0

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rsutoratosu
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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#4 Post by rsutoratosu » Wed Aug 01, 2012 10:26 pm

i been using the corsair 8gb x1 value ram on the x220 without problems, transfering it to the x230 when it comes in

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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#5 Post by barrywohl » Sun Aug 05, 2012 7:50 am

I just ordered yesterday a new X230T. Rather than take the Lenovo upgrade from 1 4GB DIMM to 1 8GB DIMM, I ordered two 8 GB DIMMs from www.crucial.com. The Lenovo upgrade from 4 to 8 was $450 before the 10% discount. The cost for two Crucial DIMMS was $160 total (and I still have a 4GB DIMM to find a home for).

I also ordered a 500 GB SSD drive from Crucial for $440.
First Thinkpad 755CX in 1995. First IBM: PC 1982 8088 w 64K RAM, dual floppy. Currently in use:
X230T with Win8Pro x64, i7, 500gb ssd; W700 WUXGA RAID 1 Blu-Ray W7Pro x64, occasionally a T61p with Win7Pro x64

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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#6 Post by Davemci » Wed Oct 31, 2012 6:08 pm

rsutoratosu wrote:i been using the corsair 8gb x1 value ram on the x220 without problems, transfering it to the x230 when it comes in
Old post, Did your X220 ram work in your X230? DDR3 - 1333MHz is X220 spec. DDR3 1600Mhz is X230 spec.
X220, 600X, Edge 13, T22, T23, 701C, 560Z, T60p, T43, 240Z,....

jmcbri
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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#7 Post by jmcbri » Sun May 26, 2013 9:28 pm

Sorry if this is the wrong place, or if it's been answered elsewhere. If so, I can't find it.

I just bought, but have not yet received, an X230 configurated as:

Processor Intel Core i7-3520M Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz)
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
Operating System Language Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - English
Display Type 12.5" HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna
System Graphics Intel HD 4000 Graphics in Intel Core i7-3520M Processor
Total Memory 4 GB DDR3 - 1600MHz (1 DIMM)
Keyboard Keyboard Backlit - US English
Fingerprint Reader UltraNav without FingerPrint Reader
Camera 720p HD Camera
Hard Drive 320GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
Battery 6 Cell ThinkPad Battery X44+
Power Cord 65W AC Adapter - US (2pin)
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 with Antenna
Integrated WiFi Wireless LAN Adapters ThinkPad 1x1 b/g/n

I'd like to add memory but don't have much money. Can I buy a single 8GB (or maybe 16GB, but 1 DIMM) for the second slot? The various forums seem contradictory about this point. I've read the manual, and it says nothing about matching the modules. Can this be done? If so, how do you buy them? I can't seem to find any single modules, they all seem to be pairs.

Thanks.

- Jim

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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#8 Post by ZaZ » Mon May 27, 2013 1:34 am

jmcbri wrote:Display Type 12.5" HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna
Hey Jim -

No IPS? That's the best use of your money. The hard drive and memory you can upgrade later. The i7 won't make much of a difference unless you're running the CPU at or near capacity all the time. Even then, it'll be marginal.

To the best of my knowledge, which is very limited, there are no 16GB memory sticks, though I'm sure they're coming at some point.

You could just see how it goes with the 4GB of memory unless you've got a specific need for more than 4GB of memory, which some do. My X220i has 4GB and I've never felt the need for more. To answer your question, the size of the modules doesn't matter much. You can mix and match them any way you like. If you're strapped for cash, I usually find the best prices on memory to be used on eBay, especially if you can wait out an auction.

Congrats on the X230. It's a fantastic ultraportable. Good luck and welcome to TPF.
ThinkPad L14 - 2.1GHz Ryzen 4650U | 16GB | 256GB | 14" FHD | Win11P
ProBook 470 G5 - 1.6GHz Core i5 | 16GB | 2.2TB | 17" FHD | Mint

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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#9 Post by jmcbri » Mon May 27, 2013 11:33 am

Thanks ZaZ.

Now you're making me think I made a mistake ; ) Why do you value the IPS? Which X230's are IPS? About 98% of my use is likely to be docked, connected to two external monitors.

On the use of the memory, I mostly use linux, so I don't need a huge amount, but I do virtualize, and that's where the memory comes in. I'm also thinking that for $70 bucks for a 8GB (or more $ for a 16GM) ram stick, which will be usable in the future, I hope that the memory will act as a cache while I save up for a 500GB (or at least 320GB) SSD.

So many difficult choices, particularly when you don't know what you're doing?!?

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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#10 Post by ZaZ » Mon May 27, 2013 1:07 pm

jmcbri wrote:Why do you value the IPS?
Better image quality and it's only $50, but if you're only going to use it as a notebook 2% of the time, then perhaps forgoing it makes sense.

Looks like you can pick up a 8GB stick on eBay for less than $50, maybe less if you can wait out an auction. 16GB is going for about $100.

You might want to consider the mSATA SSD if you're not planning on doing WWAN. They come in sizes up to 480GB. The mSATA SSD plugs into the miniPCI slot on the motherboard located under the palm rest. The benefit of doing this is it allows you to use the SSD as a boot drive for speed and keep the hard drive in the main bay for storage where speed is not as important. I have this setup in my X220i. It's quite slick.
ThinkPad L14 - 2.1GHz Ryzen 4650U | 16GB | 256GB | 14" FHD | Win11P
ProBook 470 G5 - 1.6GHz Core i5 | 16GB | 2.2TB | 17" FHD | Mint

lead_org
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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#11 Post by lead_org » Tue May 28, 2013 8:01 am

Current ThinkPad: T430u, T430s, X1 Carbon, X1, X230t, X220t, X230, X220, X201t, W520, W701ds, T500, T420 and many more

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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#12 Post by jmcbri » Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:52 am

Lead_org/ZaZ -

Thanks. I didn't see the pics until today and my laptop is going to be here tomorrow, so probably too late.

I don't think I'll miss the IPS too much though, if I use it the way I expect I will, mostly docked.

Can either of you direct me to more info on the mSATA SSD miniPCI plugin? Specifically, I'll be dual booting Windows/Linux (mostly running LInux). Somewhere Lenovo says only use as a caching drive, not a regular drive. Is that reasonable? If I do use as a caching drive, does that happen completely in hardware or will I need to worry about how my partitions are setup and whether linux will support it?

Thanks.

- Jim

ZaZ
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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#13 Post by ZaZ » Sun Jun 02, 2013 2:07 am

That is incorrect. The mSATA is seen as a normal hard drive. Windows installs just as it would using a hard drive. I'm not sure about Linux, but would presume it's the same.
ThinkPad L14 - 2.1GHz Ryzen 4650U | 16GB | 256GB | 14" FHD | Win11P
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trhbme1
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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#14 Post by trhbme1 » Sat Jun 22, 2013 1:41 pm

TechGuyLA wrote:Does anyone know who makes the memory for the x230? I purchased mine with the standard 4GB as Lenovo wanted, I believe $140 for an additional 4GB. I'll purchase this 4GB on my own, but, I like to match RAM. I believe Samsung makes it for them, but, I'm not sure. If anyone knows, appreciate the help.
Lance
Acutual memory ICs on the module are, like most memory modules, from Samsung. The manufacturer of the module, in my x230, however is Hynix. I upgraded my with a pair of high quality modules from Kingston. My recommendation, if you can afford it 2 x 8GB and if not then 2 x 4GB, is to purchase a pair of memory modules from the same manufacturer. Well known names such Patriot, Corairs, Kingston, etc are good.

Upgrading the memory modules on the x230 is easy. Both slots are on the back so just open 1 cover and you are at this. This is different from the T430 where 1 slot is under the keyboard.

Good luck.

trhbme1
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Re: ThinkPad x230 memory

#15 Post by trhbme1 » Sat Jun 22, 2013 1:51 pm

jmcbri wrote:Lead_org/ZaZ -

Thanks. I didn't see the pics until today and my laptop is going to be here tomorrow, so probably too late.

I don't think I'll miss the IPS too much though, if I use it the way I expect I will, mostly docked.

Can either of you direct me to more info on the mSATA SSD miniPCI plugin? Specifically, I'll be dual booting Windows/Linux (mostly running LInux). Somewhere Lenovo says only use as a caching drive, not a regular drive. Is that reasonable? If I do use as a caching drive, does that happen completely in hardware or will I need to worry about how my partitions are setup and whether linux will support it?

Thanks.

- Jim
The mSata slot for the x230 is found in the lower right hand corner of the palm rest. You will have to remove the palm rest in order to install the mSata module. It is next to the WLAN mini PCIe card. Once installed, the mSata will be seen as HDD2 in the BIOS of the x230 but reported as disk 0 in the Windows' Disk Manager. To Windows, mSata is just another hard drive so you can boot from it.

You should use imaging software such Norton Ghost or True Image to image your x230 for future uses. I have the true image, bootable from both CD or USB. Obviously the x230 has no DVD but if you can get your hand on a portable DVD/CD then you can use the bootable imaging CD to do that. If not the USB is always a better option.

PM me if you want the bootable imaging.

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