T430 Ram Slots

The Laptop has 2 Slots to install memory, already with 4GB standard memory installed. For best Lenovo ThinkPad T430s Laptop performance use the maximum amount of 16GB, fill all the slots with the max allowed memory per slot for your Laptop. The NVS 5400M has 96 shader units (Fermi architecture), a core speed of 660 MHz (can be boosted up to 800 MHz) and a 128-bit memory slot, which is equipped with a 1 GB DDR3 VRAM (900 MHz) on the T430. How many total memory slots to install memory? The Server has 12 Sockets to install memory, already with 16GB(Removable) standard memory installed. For best PowerEdge T430 Tower Server Server performance use the maximum amount of 384GB, fill all the slots with the max allowed memory per slot for your Server.

Your system supports DDR4 registered DIMMs (RDIMMs). It supports DDR4 voltage specifications.


NOTE: MT/s indicates DIMM speed in MegaTransfers per second.

Memory bus operating frequency can be 2133 MT/s, 1866 MT/s, 1600 MT/s, or 1333 MT/s depending on:

  • DIMM type ( RDIMM or LRDIMM (This step might be required for future releases)

    Number of DIMMs populated per channel (This step might be required for future releases)

    System profile selected (for example, Performance Optimized, Custom, or Dense Configuration Optimized)
  • Maximum supported DIMM frequency of the processors

Your system contains 12 memory sockets split into four sets— two sets of 4 sockets and two sets of 2 sockets each. DIMMs in sockets A1 to A8 are assigned to processor 1 and DIMMs in sockets B1 to B4 are assigned to processor 2. Each 4-socket set is organized into two channels and each 2–socket set is organized into one channel. In each channel of the 4-socket set, the release levers of the first socket are marked white and those of the second socket are marked black. In the 2-socket set, each release lever is marked white.

Memory channels are organized as follows:

T430 Ram Slots Free

channel 0: slots A1 and A5
channel 2: slots A3 and A7
Processor 2
channel 1: slot B2
channel 3: slot B4

The following table shows the memory populations and operating frequencies for the supported configurations.

T430 Ram Slot



DIMM TypeDIMMs Populated/ChannelOperating Frequency (in MT/s)Maximum DIMM Rank/Channel
1.2 V
RDIMM12133, 1866, 1600, and 1333Single rank or dual rank
2

The oldest-model computer in my stable is a Lenovo ThinkPad T430 (pictured above). Released in 2012, it’s a business workhorse powered by a dual-core i5-3230M processor running at 2.6 GHz (suitable for writing TPS reports and even playing older 3D games) that’s still issued to worker bees at offices everywhere. I acquired mine in 2013 in lieu of payment owed to me from a deadbeat, and since then, it’s been performing yeoman service in its role as a backup machine for tasks that specially require Windows or Linux.

It came with a stock 4GB RAM, which has caused me to run into some limitations, especially with heavier-weight development tools such as Visual Studio and Android Studio, the video capture and recording tool Camtasia, and to a lesser extent, graphic design and audio tools. It was time for that most effective and universal of computer upgrades: more RAM!

Ram

T440 Ram Slot

The T430 takes two 1600 MHz PC3-12800 SO-DIMMs and supports up to 16GB memory. I ordered a pair on NewEgg for less than $100, which came with two-day free shipping. The DIMMs arrived via FedEx Friday morning, and like any geek with a new tech toy, I took out my set of teeny computer screwdrivers and got to work on installing them right after they arrived.

The first step was to remove the battery. ThinkPads from that era (I’m not certain about present-era ones) followed the old-school philosophy to batteries and kept them external and easily swapped out:

T430 ram slots download

I remembered seeing a RAM upgrade on one of these computers years ago, so I knew that there was a RAM slot located on the bottom of the machine, just underneath the central panel…

…and only two screws stand between you and a RAM upgrade…

…and until you realize that there’s just one RAM slot there. Upon seeing this, I looked around, confirmed that there was only one RAM slot under that panel, and then checked the online specs for the T430. It says two SO-DIMM slots. Where’s the other one?

Here’s the interesting thing about adding RAM to the T430: its two RAM slots are in quite different places with different levels of difficulty to access.

The second RAM slot — where the factory-installed RAM goes — is under the keyboard, and getting to it takes a little more work. My guess is that Lenovo’s engineers expected most users to buy a single DIMM to expand their machine’s RAM, and that they’d install it into the easier-to-access slot at the bottom of the machine.

Even if you have no plans to add or remove RAM from the more easily accessed underside, you still need to open the central panel at the bottom of the machine to access the RAM under the keyboard. That’s because there are two screws inside the central panel that you have to remove in order to get under the keyboard:

These two screws anchor the keyboard, and if they’re in place, you won’t be able to access the RAM slot underneath it.

When you’ve removed those two screws, you can remove the keyboard. Pry it up gently, starting with the edge closest to the trackpad. I used a metal ruler to help me with the process, taking care not to scratch the casing:

Lift the keyboard. You’ll see that it’s connected to the motherboard by a short strip of ribbon cable. There’s a thin piece of dark, slightly translucent plastic to the left of where the ribbon cable meets the motherboard; the RAM slot is underneath it:

To make it easier to pop in the RAM, I disconnected the keyboard. You might not have to do it in order to insert the RAM, but it was pretty easy:

I flipped back the panel, where the factory-installed 4GB DIMM lived…

…and replaced it with the new 8GB DIMM.

With the RAM installed, I reversed my steps, fired up the ThinkPad, and checked my RAM the fun way: by asking Cortana using my voice. Here was her response:

Success! The ThinkPad is back in action, and ready for development work. In the short time with maxed-out RAM, I’ve found that Visual Studio, Android Studio, and Camtasia work wonderfully, and video performance is improved as well (my model has integrated graphics, which relies on system RAM).

Dell Poweredge T430 Ram Slots

If you prefer a video walk-through of the ThinkPad T430 RAM upgrade procedure, try this one:

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