Lenovo V570 RAM Upgrade

Question

Currently, I have 5.7 GB of memory (RAM) on my Lenovo V570 laptop running Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. I popped the hood and I see and a 4 GB and a 2 GB chip.

I did some research and found out there I might have some options to chose from.

1. Corsair CMSO8GX3M1A1333C9 8GB 1X8GB DDR3-1333MHZ CL9-9-9-24 204PIN SODIMM Memory Kit (source).
2. Crucial RAM options (source)

Based on the claims made in the Lenovo forums post, I am assuming that I can install 16 GB of max RAM on my laptop.

My Board:

Physical Memory Array
    Location: System Board Or Motherboard
    Use: System Memory
    Error Correction Type: None
    Maximum Capacity: 16 GB
    Error Information Handle: Not Provided
    Number Of Devices: 4

4 GB RAM

Memory Device
    Array Handle: 0x0034
    Error Information Handle: Not Provided
    Total Width: 64 bits
    Data Width: 64 bits
    Size: 4096 MB
    Form Factor: SODIMM
    Set: None
    Locator: ChannelA-DIMM0
    Bank Locator: BANK 0
    Type: DDR3
    Type Detail: Synchronous
    Speed: 1333 MT/s
    Manufacturer: Samsung
    Serial Number: 005001BA
    Asset Tag: 9876543210
    Part Number: M471B5273CH0-CH9  
    Rank: Unknown

2 GB RAM

Handle 0x0039, DMI type 17, 28 bytes
Memory Device
    Array Handle: 0x0034
    Error Information Handle: Not Provided
    Total Width: 64 bits
    Data Width: 64 bits
    Size: 2048 MB
    Form Factor: SODIMM
    Set: None
    Locator: ChannelB-DIMM0
    Bank Locator: BANK 2
    Type: DDR3
    Type Detail: Synchronous
    Speed: 1333 MT/s
    Manufacturer: Samsung
    Serial Number: ***** censored ***
    Asset Tag: 9876543210
    Part Number: M471B5773CHS-CH9  
    Rank: Unknown

My question is:

What is the difference between DDR3 PC3-12800 and DDR3 PC3-14900? And most importantly, how do I find which one to use for my laptop?

Answer 1

The PCx-xxxxx stand for:

• PC3 (DDR3) --> RAM Type
• xxxxx --> BUS max transmission data rate (per channel)

Answering your question, the PC3-12800 has a max trans. rate of 12,8GB/s, on the other hand, the PC3-14900 has a transmission rate of 14,9GB/s

With that being said, it goes down only on your choice/budget and on your need.

If you're planning to use virtualization software, light gaming or more generally "RAM-eater" software (i.e. Audio/Video/Photo Editing...), I will go for the PC-14900, BUT if you're going to upgrade your ram because you're going short on the number of programs you can open at the same time, take this a personal thought, I will go with the PC-12800 one...

Hope this clears your doubt.