Can You Upgrade a Laptop From DDR4 to DDR5 Memory?
Is it possible to upgrade your older DDR4 laptop to use DDR5 memory?
No. DDR4 and DDR5 SODIMM memory sticks are not interchangeable.
The pin layout is different between DDR4 and DDR5. This means it’s not physically possible to install DDR5 RAM sticks in a DDR4 laptop or vice versa, they will not fit.
The image below demonstrates this. The top two sticks are the same DDR4 kit and the bottom two sticks the same DDR5 kit. Regardless of which way the sticks are flipped, the cut out space in the pin area down the bottom is in in a different spot. This will prevent you even attempting to install DDR5 into a DDR4 laptop.
Which Laptops Support DDR5 Memory?
As of early 2022, AMD Ryzen 6000 laptops or Intel 12th gen laptops support DDR5 memory.
AMD’s latest mobile processors only support DDR5, while Intel 12th gen CPUs can support either DDR4 or DDR5 memory.
Unfortunately this does not mean you have the choice of using DDR4 or DDR5 memory. Although the processor technically supports either DDR4 or DDR5 RAM, it’s up to the laptop maker to pick one. The motherboard for the specific product will be designed with either DDR4 or DDR5 memory in mind, it will not be possible for you to swap between them.
Find out if you should buy a gaming laptop with DDR4 or DDR5 in this video:
16 Comments
Charles Tristan Dale Aspiras Certeza
Hello. I have been following your YT channel for a while now. I just want to ask your opinion on how sustainable do you think is a GTX 1650TI? I got an HP Pav gaming 15 with AMD ryzen 5. I usually play mmorpgs and solo rpgs only though.
Jarrod
I’d try and go for something higher personally, but ultimately it depends on your budget.
Jasim
Hey Jarrod! I have been following on you recently, have gotten plenty of information from you. I would like to know max tgp for rtx 3060 and which laptop do you think is best for it. From your channel and some other searches i have only come to know about legion 5 (2021) and g15, which company models make laptops with higher tgps? Suggest me a laptop with rtx 3060. I don’t need it for competitive fps games so screen will not be an issue for me, if it can cut the price.
Thanks!
Jarrod
Legion 5 is a good one from last year and still great today. In 2022 I believe the max dynamic boost was increased by 10W from 130W to 140W, but haven’t yet had any 3060 laptops this year to confirm this.
Pierre
Hi Jarrod,
I’ve been watching your content on youtube and you are hands down the most thorough and interesting reviewer I have seen out there. Congrats !
I was wondering if you were planning on reviewing the new MSI GS77, and in particular compare the performance with the latest GE76. I’d be interested to see if the thinner chassis and lower max power result in a significant performance drop (and higher temperature), given that both models can be equipped with the latest RTX3080Ti and Intel I9-12900H.
Thanks for your work !
Jarrod
It really depends on MSI, they haven’t yet offered that model to me. Right now I have the GP66, so hopefully I can get it after, but I can’t promise anything unfortunately as it just comes down to what they have available in my country.
Pierre
I see, thanks for the quick reply.
Then based on your experience, what you know of the MSI brand and the potential tests on previous generations of GE vs GS series you might have done, what would be your gut feeling?
Do you expect lower max power and thinner chassis will result in a significant performance drop, assuming same GPU and CPU? (e.g. more than 20% fps drop)
If you don’t feel comfortable giving an opinion without having actually tested the machine, no worries.
Thanks again !
Jarrod
GE will absolutely do better, how much though I cannot say. Personally when I’m using a 17″ machine I don’t really care if it’s thinner, it still takes up quite a bit of space in terms of width and depth so the extra thickness of the GE wouldn’t bother me a whole lot. Of course I would prefer to let the data speak for itself once I have the GS.
Pierre
Makes sense, thanks for taking the time !
Nkandu
Hey Jarrod, I’ve been following your YouTube channel trying to find out whether I should get the HP pavilion 15 gaming laptop, Acer nitro , Asus Tuf or an older model of the Lenovo legion. Considering performance in the long run and ordinary use, which one do you think is best?
Jarrod
Depends on the year of TUF, if 2020 probably not, 2021 was better. Legion has been the best for the last few years of that bunch but depends on price difference and what specs they have.
Ion
Hello Jarrod! you’re the guy i can trust the most with laptops, so i want you to help me pick between asus tuf with ryzen 6800h + rtx 3060 and the hp omen with ryzen 5900hx+rtx 3070, they’re at the same price here right now. The reason why i’m asking this is because i don’t know if the tuf could outperform the omen with the mux switch.
Jarrod
If it’s just for gaming then the 3070 will perform better, the CPU difference isn’t that big as GPU difference.
Dem
Hey Jarod, I upgraded the DDR5 ram on my new tuf laptop with ryzen 6800H & rtx3070 from 16gb one stick, to two sticks of total 64gb (needed for work). This gave me 15% boost in CPU score in TimeSpy. This somehow contradicts your ddr5 testing.
Oscar Vivas
Hiii bro!! I bought the Lenovo ideapad gaming 3i, is the dame laptop of your video and I have a question for you, Will there be a problem if i use the WD_BLACK Ssd Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280
Please help me 🥺
Jarrod
What year model is it? It might only support PCIe Gen 3, but I think it should still work, just won’t max out the speed. If the laptop supports Gen 4 then all good.