ThinkPad T410 works fine with 4Gb RAM, freezes with 8Gb

I've a strange problem with my trusty T410 (2537-26G) which has been working great with the factory-standard 4Gb RAM stick in the machine's only slot. I've tried replacing the stick with various 8Gb sticks, but am getting consistent freezes no matter which brand etc. I am trying. I have gone through three different sticks now (all brand new, and from different brands and vendors over more than a year) and they all show the same behaviour:

• When I boot the machine and let it run, it freezes within a few minutes.
• When I boot the machine into a memory testing program, it will freeze within seconds.

Prior to freezing, I am able to verify that it does indeed report 8Gb of memory. I am 100% sure that the memory I have bought is correct in relation to clock speed, etc.

Putting in my old 4Gb stick immediately fixes all problems except my need for more memory. So I am wondering: could there be a hardware fault in the laptop itself? Might this be a known issue? I have been unable to dig up similar complaints on the 'net so that's why I now ask here. (Not that I think it's an OS issue, but I want to state that the behaviour is the same across three different Linux OS'es.)

Solution 1:

The new RAM must be unsuitable for the ThinkPad T410.

RAM selection is very touchy, as the RAM must obey very strict limitations imposed by the motherboard, and in addition some specs are never published.

The Lenovo page of Detailed specifications - ThinkPad T410 says :

The specification of "1 GB, 2GB, or 4GB memory" is the most important, as it seems to mean that the motherboard does not support one RAM stick of more than 4 GB.

An important support for this understanding of the phrase comes from the Crucial analyzer, which does not offer any 8GB stick for your computer. The only 8GB combination it offers is the Crucial 8GB Kit (2 x 4GB) DDR3L-1600 SODIMM, which has two sticks of 4 GB.

Solution 2:

What you don't know is that Lenovo T410 has two slots, one is beneath the keyboard while the other one is under the laptop I.e. When you turn the laptop upside down. So the solution to achieving either 6GB or 8GB is buying additional 4GB or 2GB RAM of the same specification of the on you have already installed on the laptop.