Lessons learned about upgrading / swapping DDR5 RAM

hsehestedt · Jun 22, 2023

In the "old days", it used to be that when you wanted to upgrade RAM, you popped out the old RAM, replaced it with new RAM, and powered on the system. It might take you into the BIOS when the system saw a change in the amount of RAM, but that was about it.

It seems that with at least some new systems based on DDR5 RAM, you have to be very patient after a RAM upgrade.

A good friend just purchased a new laptop a few weeks ago that shipped with 16 GB RAM, but he wanted to upgrade it to 64 GB. I did the memory swap for him, then powered on the system, but saw no activity. I waited at least a minute, but still nothing. Tried it more than once.

I put the original RAM back in and he was planning to ship the new RAM back.

Fortunately, we did some more research. It seems that it is not unusual for systems with DDR5 RAM to take several minutes to boot after a RAM swap. So, tonight, we tried it again. Sure enough, if I had to guess, it took about 3 minutes after powering on the system for any activity to be seen. After that, the new RAM worked like a charm.

So, the lesson: when swapping or adding RAM to a DDR5 system, allow several minutes after powering on before you conclude that there is a problem.

So, that brings up a question for me: Is this the norm for DDR5 based systems or is this something that happens only on some systems? I'm just curious and would love to know what experience others have had. This is literally the first system that I have worked with using DDR5 RAM, so I'm just looking to educate myself on this.

Marcus Vinicus · Jun 23, 2023

Hi @hsehestedt

What you observed during the bootup is what is with DDR5 'training the ram'. My new PC is no different. If I put different ram it takes 3-5 minutes to do the same. Typically the computer may reboot one or more times during the process.

See this link for more information.

DDR5 systems may require training

A small number of DDR5 systems and motherboards require a period of "training" newly installed memory to work with the system and allow access to the UEFI, or otherwise to complete the system's power-on self-test (POST).

www.crucial.com

Marcus Vinicus · Jun 23, 2023

Or this, see the section down the page about training modes for ddr5

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/boosing-memory-performance-age-ddr5-introduction-ddr-training-modes/

hsehestedt · Jun 23, 2023

Marcus Vinicus said:
Hi @hsehestedt

What you observed during the bootup is what is with DDR5 'training the ram'. My new PC is no different. If I put different ram it takes 3-5 minutes to do the same. Typically the computer may reboot one or more times during the process.

See this link for more information.

DDR5 systems may require training

A small number of DDR5 systems and motherboards require a period of "training" newly installed memory to work with the system and allow access to the UEFI, or otherwise to complete the system's power-on self-test (POST).

www.crucial.com

Fantastic! That was very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Marcus Vinicus · Jun 23, 2023

For anyone who wants to learn in much more detail about setting up ram on Intel or AMD based systems there is this video where an Asus tech guy goes through how it all. It is 100 minutes long but is well worth looking at.

Marcus Vinicus · Jun 23, 2023

hsehestedt said:
Fantastic! That was very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

One can never stop learning about ram... :wink:

hsehestedt · Jun 23, 2023

Marcus Vinicus said:
One can never stop learning about ram...

All too true. It's not just RAM, something seem to change almost daily. My next thing to play with will be "Modern Standby". I have never had a machine that supported Modern Standby before, but I now have a new laptop on order that has it, so this could be interesting.

My desktop was fully supported by Windows 11, but none of my laptops were officially supported, although they all run Win 11 great. Now I'll have an officially supported Win 11 laptop as well

.

My understanding is also that Windows 11 now has a "USB4 Hubs and Devices" settings page which I have never seen but I'll finally be able to see that on this laptop as well.

I can't myself, I have to admit I live to play with new stuff. I'm like a kid in a candy store.

Having a computer habit is rough. I'm pretty sure a drug habit would be much cheaper

.

Check USB4 Capabilities and Attached Peripherals in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to find information about the system’s USB4 capabilities and attached peripherals in Windows 11. A USB (Universal Serial Bus) port is a standard cable connection interface for computers and electronics devices. USB4 enables new productivity scenarios for...

www.elevenforum.com

Ghot · Jun 23, 2023

hsehestedt said:
So, the lesson: when swapping or adding RAM to a DDR5 system, allow several minutes after powering on before you conclude that there is a problem.

I have the same problem.
I got my first smart phone last week, and my "brain" has taken days to show any activity.
It must be in "training".

Wisewiz · Jun 23, 2023

@Ghot:

Your first smart phone??? Now that's surprising!

...

Ghot · Jun 23, 2023

Wisewiz said:
@Ghot:

Your first smart phone??? Now that's surprising! ...

Yep. My very first. I held out as long as I could.

Order Placed! - (Your latest online purchase.)

Oh, and I got this for storing documents, medicines, firearms, and other valuables. The fingerprint reader is nice. It comes with an external backup pack in case the main batteries die.

www.elevenforum.com

Now of course... I'm addicted to Woodoku. Not the ads... just the game.

Woodoku

Wisewiz · Jun 23, 2023

Silly me! I clicked your link on my main desktop PC, and was promptly told I had no devices for the game. I'll have to use my phone to get into it, I guess. Shoulda knowed.

Ghot · Jun 23, 2023

Wisewiz said:
Silly me! I clicked your link on my main desktop PC, and was promptly told I had no devices for the game. I'll have to use my phone to get into it, I guess. Shoulda knowed.

It has ads after each level.
Apparently there's a Woodoku Mod APK without ads, and free, but I can't figure out how to download/install it.

With just the regular ad version... after you figure it out... do the "Journeys".

Marcus Vinicus · Jun 23, 2023

Ghot said:
I have the same problem.
I got my first smart phone last week, and my "brain" has taken days to show any activity.
It must be in "training".

@Ghot Has your brain had any reboots yet?

:zany:

bobkn · Jun 23, 2023

The first time I had that happen in my desktop PC, it worried me. The amber LED for RAM stayed on for quite a while. I eventually figured out that what I was seeing was normal.

PCs are getting to be too advanced for my feeble skills.

Ghot · Jun 23, 2023

Marcus Vinicus said:
@Ghot Has your brain had any reboots yet?

I reboot it all the time... it doesn't help. LOL

Steve C · Jun 24, 2023

That caught me put in my recent new build. I thought I had done something wrong when the PC didn't seem to boot but all was fine after a while. The Dynamic memory Boost feature causes a boot hagf for me so I disabled it.

Scannerman · Sep 5, 2023

Ghot said:
Yep. My very first. I held out as long as I could.

This stubborn old coot has never owned a brick, a cell, or a smart phone. I'm straight-edge land line all the way.
Over time I've learned that this has bought me a substantial amount of peace of mind.

Ghot · Sep 5, 2023

Scannerman said:
This stubborn old coot has never owned a brick, a cell, or a smart phone. I'm straight-edge land line all the way.
Over time I've learned that this has bought me a substantial amount of peace of mind.

This old coot likes a "portable" phone. It gives me peace of mind to have a phone "with" me, when the inevitable "I've fallen and I can't get up", happens.

Or for those times, when I'm "out and about" and things like... gall or kidney stones, knee(s) issues, heart attack, broken hip, etc., happen.

When I was younger, no matter what happened, I would just "wrap it with duct tape", and drive myself to the emergency room. But those days were a while ago.

When my mother was 85 or so, she fell down the cellar steps and broke her hip. She lay there for three days, until someone found her.

Scannerman · Sep 5, 2023

Ghot said:
This old coot likes a "portable" phone. It gives me peace of mind to have a phone "with" me, when the inevitable "I've fallen and I can't get up", happens.

Or for those times, when I'm "out and about" and things like... gall or kidney stones, knee(s) issues, heart attack, broken hip, etc., happen.

I hear you. That's why I can count on folks like yourself should that day come for me. If not, then it would likely be my time to go anyway. Can't give what I ain't got and can't lose it either. Mind, I live half a block from the hospital and I don't get out much these days. Friend of mine got a $2000 phone and just lost it. He's still trying to figure out how to get it back. It's nice to go down town for a coffee and have an actual conversation with the guy. You know, I'm contemplating on making the words "user preference" my motto.

Ghot · Sep 5, 2023

Scannerman said:
I hear you. That's why I can count on folks like yourself should that day come for me. If not, then it would likely be my time to go anyway. Can't give what I ain't got and can't lose it either. Mind, I live half a block from the hospital and I don't get out much these days. Friend of mine got a $2000 phone and just lost it. He's still trying to figure out how to get it back. It's nice to go down town for a coffee and have an actual conversation with the guy. You know, I'm contemplating on making the words "user preference" my motto.

For the past 25 years, all I've had is a dumb, flip phone.
But Samsung came out with a mid-range, decent phone, and Cricket has a flat-rate plan.

Galaxy A54 5G

Granted, I've spent the last two months decrapifying the phone, but I needed something to do anyway.