Single-DIMM SODIMM Laptop Memory Kits - Tests and Benchmarks
A note on the performance-result tables to follow: We organized the tables by highest total capacity, followed by highest data rate.
A comparison of the Transcend and Super Talent modules shows that, when scoring overall value (the "Performance Per Capacity Per Dollar" table), a lower price has a bigger impact than any meaningful improvement in performance does.
Digging a little deeper into our Overall Performance chart, we find that games are the best place to see the dual-rank Transcend DDR4-2400 outpacing the single-rank Super Talent DDR4-2400, and that the Patriot Viper's combination of dual-rank design and higher data rate is best.
Our timed workloads (Adobe CC, Microsoft Office) were barely affected by our test kits' variances in data rate or module design, apart from the fact that PCMark's heavy workload for Photoshop is optimized for more than 8GB of DRAM. Sandra's bandwidth-dependent Cryptography bench, meanwhile, is a near-perfect reflection of bandwidth in these single-channel configurations. You can see the clear stepping from 2400 to 2600 modules.
Following from these tests are our individual assessments of the three single-DIMM kits we tested. In short, the Patriot kit is a fine performance pick if all you have to work with is a single SODIMM slot, and your target laptop can handle the timings; the Super Talent makes sense if all that you're after is capacity.
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