i7 CPU & 1600MHz Memory Upgrade - A Few Questions

[c00lkatz]

Hi All,

I have a Probook 4530s running 10.9.1, specs are in my signature. I have an i7 2720QM inbound which should get here just in time for a weekend project (along with the highly touted AUO B156HW01 V.4 LCD). I have a few questions:

1) I know people are running this processor already; how are the temps? My i3 2350M tends to get up near 70+ *C when running intensive programs (and has gone near 80*C). Can the stock heatsink keep up if the i7 is topping out for an extended period of time? (i.e. encoding, compiling, etc.) Do the Probooks that come with the i7 natively use the same heatsink for all processors?

2) Looking at the specs for the i7 Probooks it looks like they include the 9-cell batteries and 90W power adapters. Is this a necessity when upgrading a Probook that came with the 6-cell and 65W power adapter, or would there be any benefits?

3) The i3, i5, and i7 up to the 2670QM are only spec'd to 1333MHz RAM. The 2720QM and up are spec'd to 1600MHz RAM. I know the Probook has issues recognizing RAM above 1333MHz due to HP locking it down, based on other posts I have read via Google. A lot of them were reverting to an older revision BIOS, but they were also running an older BIOS to begin with other than what is available now (F41). With the latest BIOS does the Probook recognize the 1600MHz+ RAM with the i7 2720QM and up?

4) Does Windows still have issues with slow boot/operation with 16GB RAM in the Probook? I've read old posts that suggested 16GB works fine in OS X but is very slow in Windows. I dual boot Windows 8.1 and OS X 10.9.1, so it would definitely be an issue. I am still debating whether or not to perform this "upgrade" considering I use zero swap and no memory is being compressed as everything sits now. I do run a couple virtual machines every now and then, so I figure it may help with that. Or finally see what all the RAM disk fuss is about lol!

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[appleiscool]

Hi All,

I have a Probook 4530s running 10.9.1, specs are in my signature. I have an i7 2720QM inbound which should get here just in time for a weekend project (along with the highly touted AUO B156HW01 V.4 LCD). I have a few questions:


3) The i3, i5, and i7 up to the 2670QM are only spec'd to 1333MHz RAM. The 2720QM and up are spec'd to 1600MHz RAM. I know the Probook has issues recognizing RAM above 1333MHz due to HP locking it down, based on other posts I have read via Google. A lot of them were reverting to an older revision BIOS, but they were also running an older BIOS to begin with other than what is available now (F41). With the latest BIOS does the Probook recognize the 1600MHz+ RAM with the i7 2720QM and up?

4) Does Windows still have issues with slow boot/operation with 16GB RAM in the Probook? I've read old posts that suggested 16GB works fine in OS X but is very slow in Windows. I dual boot Windows 8.1 and OS X 10.9.1, so it would definitely be an issue. I am still debating whether or not to perform this "upgrade" considering I use zero swap and no memory is being compressed as everything sits now. I do run a couple virtual machines every now and then, so I figure it may help with that. Or finally see what all the RAM disk fuss is about lol!

Thanks in advance for any help!

3. If the BIOS allows it, else 1333 is as good as it gets.

4. I use 16gb in my probook and have not experienced the issues you described. Windows works fine, you can set the windows swap file size to zero, or but not recommended just a fixed constant multiples of 8mb up to 128mb. this forces windows to switch on better and efficient memory management and usage, and battery life.

The bottom line is, what desktop system is going to be your main primary desktop osx or windows. you'll know after about a month or 2 of daily use specific to your own usage.

Tip. 4x30s pro books allow for selective boot choice, so you can boot up an OS from an usb ext drive, the speed will be slower since its usb. os maybe stuff for testing.

 

[c00lkatz]

Cool, thanks for confirming the 16GB in Windows isn't a problem. The main reason to upgrade for me would be the 16GB rather than just a small increase in frequency/speed.

I've been using OS X as my main OS for the better part of a year on this Probook, and actually ran without a dual boot for a long time. I just loaded it up again because I had so much free space I wasn't using on my 240GB SSD. As it turns out, I have found a couple uses for it so would like to keep it. Some things just work better in an actual Windows install rather than a virtual machine. I plan on doing an external GPU in the future and would need the Windows install for that as well (for "gaming" anyway).

As for the 1600MHz RAM, I figured I'd get the faster speed RAM (if I were doing the 16GB anyway) if the Probook can utilize it. If it can't, I don't know that it would be worth the extra cost. I can't seem to find a definitive answer that pertains to the current F41 BIOS and a processor that actually supports it (i7 2720qm and up).

 

[pitpan]

Hi!

I've upgraded my HP 4530s laptop from an i3 to an i7 (2820qm) and I'm also considering to upgrade RAM to 16GB and so I'm wondering if the computer will recognize 1600MHz DDR3.

As I've seen that you asked the same question on the forum, I'd like to know if you found a reliable answer to it or if you tried it by yourself.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thank you very much!

Ted Robsy