Can a CPU support more ram, than specified by intel?
Solution 1:
That CPU is indeed not able to address more than 32 GB RAM.
The extra RAM will not be usable.
It will simply not be visible/usable by any OS.
So buying it with the larger RAM option would be a waste of money.
Why is it being sold like that anyway?
Without asking the vendor this is only a guess, but...
Plenty of people are not technically savvy enough to notice that they are not using the whole RAM they paid for.
Even those that do realize what is going on may not take further action (it is too much effort to do or they are too embarrassed to admit they fell for this).
Only a small number will actually complain/request a refund.
The vendor probably makes enough of a margin on the >32GB version to offset any returns/complaints by unsatisfied customers.
And the vendor doesn't really do anything wrong.
All the information is in the specifications. The vendor doesn't claim the RAM >32GB is actually useful.
You are probably not even entitled to a refund because the product is not misrepresented at all.
Solution 2:
To answer the overarching question: "Intel Ark is usually right, but not always."
Some specifications from any product sheet can be considered to be "usual-case," whereas external factors can limit or increase performance. For example, the Intel i7-8550U lists its base clock speed as 1.80GHz. But, one can exceed this limit by overclocking with supporting hardware.
To answer the specific question about the Intel i7-8550U, some Intel 8th Generation U-series processors may support 64GB of memory natively.[1]
Quoted from [1], Section 2.1.1.1, Table 2-5:
Supported DDR4 Non-ECC SODIMM Module Configurations (H/U-Processor Lines)
| Raw Card Version | DIMM Capacity | DRAM Device Technology | DRAM Organization | # of DRAM Devices | # of Ranks | # of Row/Col Address Bits | # of Banks Inside DRAM | Page Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | 32 GB | 16 Gb | 2048M x 8 | 16 | 2 | 17/10 | 16 | 8K |
By using two such 32GB DIMMs, 64GB system memory can be achieved.
Also, to see it in practice, here is the exact hardware configuration you are referring to detecting and utilizing 2x32GB system memory:
Environment is one of your aforementioned hardware devices running Debian Linux
root@debian:~# dmidecode -qs system-product-name
FW6E
root@debian:~# uname -a
Linux debian 5.10.0-0.bpo.3-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 5.10.13-1~bpo10+1 (2021-02-11) x86_64 GNU/Linux
CPU is i7-8550U
root@debian:~# dmidecode -qs processor-version
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8550U CPU @ 1.80GHz
Memory is 2x32GB DIMMs
root@debian:~# dmidecode
Handle 0x0035, DMI type 16, 23 bytes
Physical Memory Array
Location: System Board Or Motherboard
Use: System Memory
Error Correction Type: None
Maximum Capacity: 64 GB
Error Information Handle: Not Provided
Number Of Devices: 4
Handle 0x0036, DMI type 17, 40 bytes
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x0035
Error Information Handle: Not Provided
Total Width: 64 bits
Data Width: 64 bits
Size: 32 GB
Form Factor: SODIMM
Set: None
Locator: ChannelA-DIMM0
Bank Locator: BANK 0
Type: DDR4
Type Detail: Synchronous Unbuffered (Unregistered)
Speed: 2667 MT/s
Manufacturer: Kingston
Serial Number: C792668A
Asset Tag: 9876543210
Part Number: 9905744-067.A00G
Rank: 2
Configured Memory Speed: 2400 MT/s
Minimum Voltage: 1.2 V
Maximum Voltage: 1.2 V
Configured Voltage: 1.2 V
Handle 0x0037, DMI type 17, 40 bytes
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x0035
Error Information Handle: Not Provided
Total Width: Unknown
Data Width: Unknown
Size: No Module Installed
Form Factor: Unknown
Set: None
Locator: ChannelA-DIMM1
Bank Locator: BANK 1
Type: Unknown
Type Detail: None
Handle 0x0038, DMI type 17, 40 bytes
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x0035
Error Information Handle: Not Provided
Total Width: 64 bits
Data Width: 64 bits
Size: 32 GB
Form Factor: SODIMM
Set: None
Locator: ChannelB-DIMM0
Bank Locator: BANK 2
Type: DDR4
Type Detail: Synchronous Unbuffered (Unregistered)
Speed: 2667 MT/s
Manufacturer: Kingston
Serial Number: C2A27761
Asset Tag: 9876543210
Part Number: 9905744-031.A00G
Rank: 2
Configured Memory Speed: 2400 MT/s
Minimum Voltage: 1.2 V
Maximum Voltage: 1.2 V
Configured Voltage: 1.2 V
Handle 0x0039, DMI type 17, 40 bytes
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x0035
Error Information Handle: Not Provided
Total Width: Unknown
Data Width: Unknown
Size: No Module Installed
Form Factor: Unknown
Set: None
Locator: ChannelB-DIMM1
Bank Locator: BANK 3
Type: Unknown
Type Detail: None
Handle 0x003A, DMI type 19, 31 bytes
Memory Array Mapped Address
Starting Address: 0x00000000000
Ending Address: 0x00FFFFFFFFF
Range Size: 64 GB
Physical Array Handle: 0x0035
Partition Width: 2
[...]
Handle 0x003F, DMI type 20, 35 bytes
Memory Device Mapped Address
Starting Address: 0x00000000000
Ending Address: 0x007FFFFFFFF
Range Size: 32 GB
Physical Device Handle: 0x0036
Memory Array Mapped Address Handle: 0x003A
Partition Row Position: Unknown
Interleave Position: 1
Interleaved Data Depth: 2
Handle 0x0040, DMI type 20, 35 bytes
Memory Device Mapped Address
Starting Address: 0x00800000000
Ending Address: 0x00FFFFFFFFF
Range Size: 32 GB
Physical Device Handle: 0x0038
Memory Array Mapped Address Handle: 0x003A
Partition Row Position: Unknown
Interleave Position: 2
Interleaved Data Depth: 2
[...]
Memory is allocated by the OS
root@debian:~# free -h
total used free shared buff/cache available
Mem: 62Gi 156Mi 62Gi 24Mi 486Mi 61Gi
memtester verifies this is not a mistake, securing 61Gi of memory
root@debian:~# memtester 61Gi
memtester version 4.3.0 (64-bit)
Copyright (C) 2001-2012 Charles Cazabon.
Licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2 (only).
pagesize is 4096
pagesizemask is 0xfffffffffffff000
want 62464MB (65498251264 bytes)
got 62464MB (65498251264 bytes), trying mlock ...locked.
Loop 1:
Stuck Address : ok
Random Value : ok
Compare XOR : ok
Compare SUB : ok
Compare MUL : ok
Compare DIV : ok
Compare OR : ok
Compare AND : ok
Sequential Increment: ok
Solid Bits : ok
Block Sequential : ok
Checkerboard : ok
Bit Spread : setting 109^C
(Process killed because this would take many hours to fully complete)
[1]: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/processors/core/8th-gen-core-family-datasheet-vol-1.html 8th and 9th Generation Intel® Core™ Processor Families and Intel® Xeon® E Processor Families Datasheet, Volume 1 of 2; Revision 008
Disclaimer: I work for the company that produces one of the computers you have referenced in your question.