Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2016 April 8

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April 8

SSD form factor on Apple laptops

Apple used to use proprietary form factors for their SSD drives[1]. Has the situation changed in 2016? Do they use the standard M.2 connector or their own proprietary form factors? If they switched to M.2, which year did the switch happen? I'm looking for a new laptop and parts interchangeability is a huge factor.Johnson&Johnson&Son (talk) 02:39, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

I dont know especially about Apple but i did learn it is common to use proprietary form factors in Notebooks and it seems Manufacturers try to establish as a rule that you are not supposed to partially upgrade your Notebook but buy a new one. Therefor you definitely should not simply try out if it works but make very shure it will. Given these Manufacturers also somehow seem to keep such details secret it may be hard to verify. --Kharon (talk) 23:42, 9 April 2016 (UTC)

RAM voltage questions

I am using an Intel Core i7-2600K on an Asus P8Z77V-LX motherboard, along with some random DIMMs at 1.5V. I am planning for a RAM upgrade and need some help:

1. My first option is to get DDR3L modules (1.35V). Do my motherboard and memory controller support DDR3L?
2. My second option is to get some factory overclocked Corsair Vengeance Pro DIMMs at 1200 Mhz (2400 MT/s, 1.65V). Same question: will they work, and if they do, is it guaranteed to reach 1200 Mhz via Intel X.M.P?
3. Is it possible to mix my existing 1.5V modules with 1.35V and/or 1.65V ones?

Livy (talk) 17:27, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

If the motherboard supports the required voltages and clock rates it will support the corresponding modules. Ruslik_Zero 20:29, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

Go to crucial.com, and click your way through to a list of compatible options for you. Do not try to guess what is the right choice, nor rely on outdated documentation nor on random people on the internet. --Scicurious (talk) 22:00, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

Samsung Green MV-3V4G3D/US, which are DDR3L (L for low voltage) modules, run just fine on an i7-2600K. If i where you id try to find some of these gems on ebay. With "factory overclocked" Brands you never really know what you get. Infact all these Brands dont put these unremovable Ramcoolers on their models because else the chips get to hot but just so you will never find out they sold you cheap DDR3-1600 modules made to barely run at DDR3-2400, just like these Samsung Green MV-3V4G3D do without(!) any ramcoolers. Infact im running 4 such modules on DDR3-2200 for some time here now and i got these fairly cheap on top. --Kharon (talk) 06:02, 9 April 2016 (UTC)

P.S.: Mixing different modules is generally a bad idea. It may work but just like running ram on 1.65 volts or even higher it will atleast tear down your system stability and at worst prevent your Motherboard from booting up. Also do not only look at "seems to run at 2400" as there are "hidden system events" like Page fault that may be caused in exessiv numbers for example by running ram beyond your systems capabilities, which then may result to your computer running slower with OC instead of faster than normal. --Kharon (talk) 06:31, 9 April 2016 (UTC)

Computer mainboards use a programmable voltage regulator for usually all the memory. The memory bus usually is handled by a single memory controller, located in the north bridge which is a part in the cpu today. Such ressources can't be splitted up, but if all components are specified to tolerate the higher operating voltage, Your question moves to the compatibility of the individual combination of components by models, some gratanteed or reccomended in manufacturers compatibility lists. --Hans Haase (有问题吗) 10:18, 12 April 2016 (UTC)

Display driver keeps failing and fixing itself

A have a new Dell Inspiron 13-7353. Once or twice a day popups inform me that the display driver has failed but has recovered. Do I need to do anything? If so, what? --Halcatalyst (talk) 19:21, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

What is the operating system? I assume Windows 10. It could be a bug in the driver. From experience, I tend to blame intermittent problems on memory until I've proven it is something else. If it is a bug in the driver, keep downloading updates until the problem (hopefully) goes away. If it is bad memory, and the system is new, argue with Dell until they send you a new one (or send someone to replace the bad hardware). 209.149.113.119 (talk) 19:37, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

For what it's worth, this message is produced by Timeout Detection and Recovery. I agree with 209.149.113.119's advice. -- BenRG (talk) 20:45, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

If nothing happens other than the popup messages, it's probably a false positive you can just ignore. If it's annoying you can probably turn off the message somewhere in Windows's innards, but I don't know how off the top of my head. Maybe someone more familiar with Windows can post how. You could check for Windows updates and driver updates from Dell, and if any are available that you haven't installed, see if they fix it. --71.110.8.102 (talk) 21:16, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

• I noticed the message said it was a Windows 8 driver, and I have Windows 10, so I called Dell. Got through right away, and a tech took over my screen. He first checked that the hardware was OK, and then started on the software. It must have been more than the driver, since he changed everything, from the bios to a new install of Win 10. He sent me an email with his personal return address and encouraged me to report any problems to him directly. --Halcatalyst (talk)