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I really just want to confirm a few things. I have an HP laptop, and I have got mixed information.

First off, this is the laptop I own:

HP Pavilion dv6-6153ea

I ran the Crucial system scanner and it told me the maximum RAM I can have is 8GB. However I joined the HP Support forums, and they showed me some documentation that says this laptop with the Intel CPU can handle 16GB.

Here is the documentation that says 16GB for Intel chips, page 5 of the PDF file. Page numbers are in the bottom right on each page. It's actually page 13 as you scroll in GChrome.

The HP support forums are going by this documentation. However I found this support page that clearly says upgradable to 8GB (along with the Crucial scanner).

Crucial do have a disclaimer saying the 8GB in 2 slots is to "not exceed the manufacturer supported memory".

So can I go ahead with 16GB? Is there anything I can change software-wise so that it will read all 16GB if I were to buy it and install it? It obviously scanned my laptop and found 8GB somewhere, maybe a limitation put in by HP somewhere in the BIOS? Anything I can check?

The mixed messages are really confusing, which is why I'm asking in multiple places. I don't want to mess this up.

Thanks for advice you can offer, really appreciate it!

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2 Answers 2

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There are sometimes physical reasons why a system can only support up to X memory. Potential reason for that are:

  1. The memory controller (these days build into the APU or the CPU) does not support more.
  2. There are insufficient traces on the motherboard to connect to larger DIMMs.
  3. There is some software limitation. (e.g. the hardware can handle it but the BIOS will barf).

Aside from these hard limits there is also a soft limit: Namely there maximum memory that the manufacturer tested the system with. This is usually with the largest available DIMMs at the time of testing.

Sometimes bigger DIMMs become available and your system will work happily with them. As per my own experience this usually the case for no name motherboards. Its gets trickier with laptop and so called 'A-brand' systems which tend to be locked down more.

So, sadly the answer is: It depends. It probably works.

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  • Thanks for the answer. I think the best option in this case is to go buy from a reputable place with a good return policy. That way if it doesn't work I can return it. Worth testing if the reward is double the memory.
    – RED_
    Commented Apr 4, 2015 at 18:03
  • +1 and Marked as answer since it's well balanced and explains everything.
    – RED_
    Commented Apr 4, 2015 at 18:16
  • @RED_: Don't forget to report back here with the results.
    – Karan
    Commented Apr 8, 2015 at 2:52
  • Thanks for reminding me. My RAM just arrived. I got two 8GB sticks. Took 30 seconds to install, powered up my laptop and it recognised all 16GB! It's fantastic. Appreciate the advice given here which ultimately led me to risking it. If you come here from Google or whatever and you have the same laptop, check out the HP support forums and go for it! Weirdly my Windows experience index number went down from 5.9 to 4.4, not quite sure why.
    – RED_
    Commented Apr 9, 2015 at 15:06
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Mixed messages…

Apple said my machine could take 32GB - by simply trying it to see what happened, people discovered it will take 64GB…
Someone has to be first… though they're usually the ones who work at RAM suppliers.

If one person can do it, many can.
Go for it.
If it doesn't work, send it back

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  • Thanks. As a pre caution, is it as simple as putting in the 8GB sticks, if the PC doesn't boot, or recognise all 16GB, simply put the old RAM back in and all will be well? If putting in the wrong amount doesn't cause problems then I will give it a try.
    – RED_
    Commented Apr 4, 2015 at 17:53
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    I have to point out that I wasn't one of the first to try it on my machine - others had been there before me, but the general rule would be - it will work or not boot at all. If it doesn't boot, put the recommended RAM in instead. The overall cost may be if it will only take 4GB chips & you bought 8's - but as they're brand new you should be able to send them back, nothing lost but the postage. Mine should only take 4s but actually does work with 8s - I have some 8s in there now, some 4s & some 2s, all in matched pairs. [8 slots total]
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Apr 5, 2015 at 9:36

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