Can Intel Optane memory compensate for less RAM?












26














I currently have a laptop that is about two years old, and has 8 GB of RAM. I use my laptop for internet browsing, productivity applications, and programming, including data science within Spyder or RStudio.



I usually sit around 65% memory usage, or 5 GB roughly.



I recently purchased, but haven't yet received, a laptop which has 4 GB of standard RAM, and 16 GB of Intel Optane memory. The laptop was marketed as having 20 GB of RAM, but after reading more about Optane memory, it seems that it serves more as a low-latency cache than as RAM.



For the purpose of running several memory-intensive programs simultaneously (e.g. browser with many tabs, data science IDEs) which average 5 GB of RAM usage, will decreasing RAM from 8 GB to 4 GB but adding 16 GB of Optane memory cause a performance slowdown?



Here's a snapshot of my current memory profile if it's helpful:



mem profile






windows-10 memory hardware-rec optane







share|improve this question









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  • 4




    I'm no expert, but your question made me curious, so thanks! There's a helpful article about this here. It suggests to me that 4gb RAM + 16gb Optane memory wouldn't be ideal as compared to 8gb RAM.
    – Steve Rindsberg
    yesterday






  • 1




    That's a really interesting question. However, 4GB of RAM seems to be not enough. I would expect from an answer to explain how a semi-cache memory like Optane improves performance in relation to the RAM size.
    – zx485
    yesterday








  • 1




    My Dell W7 64 bit workstation has 8 cores and 16GB of DDram. It is overkill for most office apps, but when using LabVIEW as a video editor or even Photoshop I can use up 6 to 10GB very fast, mostly as buffers for compositing frames. If you plan to work with video, get at least 16 to 32GB of DDram.
    – Sparky256
    13 hours ago






  • 1




    From reading on how it works, Optane makes sense if your machine don't use SSD but your workload needs to do a lot of disk access. If your workload needs a lot of RAM, then Optane will be much slower compared to adding real RAM. AFAICS, Optane is meant to fill a gap for budget systems that don't use SSD but requires the performance of SSD. I'd suggest that if you're going to reinstall a new system on a new hard-disk but thinks that going full SSD is too expensive for your storage requirement, you might as well get a Hybrid SSD+HD, it's simpler and have much of the same benefits.
    – Lie Ryan
    11 hours ago






  • 1




    @Maw Arrghh. Sorry, here's the new improved here: howtogeek.com/317294/what-is-intel-optane-memory
    – Steve Rindsberg
    3 hours ago
















26














I currently have a laptop that is about two years old, and has 8 GB of RAM. I use my laptop for internet browsing, productivity applications, and programming, including data science within Spyder or RStudio.



I usually sit around 65% memory usage, or 5 GB roughly.



I recently purchased, but haven't yet received, a laptop which has 4 GB of standard RAM, and 16 GB of Intel Optane memory. The laptop was marketed as having 20 GB of RAM, but after reading more about Optane memory, it seems that it serves more as a low-latency cache than as RAM.



For the purpose of running several memory-intensive programs simultaneously (e.g. browser with many tabs, data science IDEs) which average 5 GB of RAM usage, will decreasing RAM from 8 GB to 4 GB but adding 16 GB of Optane memory cause a performance slowdown?



Here's a snapshot of my current memory profile if it's helpful:



mem profile






windows-10 memory hardware-rec optane







share|improve this question









New contributor




N4v is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 4




    I'm no expert, but your question made me curious, so thanks! There's a helpful article about this here. It suggests to me that 4gb RAM + 16gb Optane memory wouldn't be ideal as compared to 8gb RAM.
    – Steve Rindsberg
    yesterday






  • 1




    That's a really interesting question. However, 4GB of RAM seems to be not enough. I would expect from an answer to explain how a semi-cache memory like Optane improves performance in relation to the RAM size.
    – zx485
    yesterday








  • 1




    My Dell W7 64 bit workstation has 8 cores and 16GB of DDram. It is overkill for most office apps, but when using LabVIEW as a video editor or even Photoshop I can use up 6 to 10GB very fast, mostly as buffers for compositing frames. If you plan to work with video, get at least 16 to 32GB of DDram.
    – Sparky256
    13 hours ago






  • 1




    From reading on how it works, Optane makes sense if your machine don't use SSD but your workload needs to do a lot of disk access. If your workload needs a lot of RAM, then Optane will be much slower compared to adding real RAM. AFAICS, Optane is meant to fill a gap for budget systems that don't use SSD but requires the performance of SSD. I'd suggest that if you're going to reinstall a new system on a new hard-disk but thinks that going full SSD is too expensive for your storage requirement, you might as well get a Hybrid SSD+HD, it's simpler and have much of the same benefits.
    – Lie Ryan
    11 hours ago






  • 1




    @Maw Arrghh. Sorry, here's the new improved here: howtogeek.com/317294/what-is-intel-optane-memory
    – Steve Rindsberg
    3 hours ago














26












26








26


3





I currently have a laptop that is about two years old, and has 8 GB of RAM. I use my laptop for internet browsing, productivity applications, and programming, including data science within Spyder or RStudio.



I usually sit around 65% memory usage, or 5 GB roughly.



I recently purchased, but haven't yet received, a laptop which has 4 GB of standard RAM, and 16 GB of Intel Optane memory. The laptop was marketed as having 20 GB of RAM, but after reading more about Optane memory, it seems that it serves more as a low-latency cache than as RAM.



For the purpose of running several memory-intensive programs simultaneously (e.g. browser with many tabs, data science IDEs) which average 5 GB of RAM usage, will decreasing RAM from 8 GB to 4 GB but adding 16 GB of Optane memory cause a performance slowdown?



Here's a snapshot of my current memory profile if it's helpful:



mem profile






windows-10 memory hardware-rec optane







share|improve this question









New contributor




N4v is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











I currently have a laptop that is about two years old, and has 8 GB of RAM. I use my laptop for internet browsing, productivity applications, and programming, including data science within Spyder or RStudio.



I usually sit around 65% memory usage, or 5 GB roughly.



I recently purchased, but haven't yet received, a laptop which has 4 GB of standard RAM, and 16 GB of Intel Optane memory. The laptop was marketed as having 20 GB of RAM, but after reading more about Optane memory, it seems that it serves more as a low-latency cache than as RAM.



For the purpose of running several memory-intensive programs simultaneously (e.g. browser with many tabs, data science IDEs) which average 5 GB of RAM usage, will decreasing RAM from 8 GB to 4 GB but adding 16 GB of Optane memory cause a performance slowdown?



Here's a snapshot of my current memory profile if it's helpful:



mem profile






windows-10 memory hardware-rec optane




windows-10 memory hardware-rec optane






share|improve this question









New contributor




N4v is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




N4v is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 4 hours ago





















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asked yesterday









N4v

23936




23936




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New contributor





N4v is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






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Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 4




    I'm no expert, but your question made me curious, so thanks! There's a helpful article about this here. It suggests to me that 4gb RAM + 16gb Optane memory wouldn't be ideal as compared to 8gb RAM.
    – Steve Rindsberg
    yesterday






  • 1




    That's a really interesting question. However, 4GB of RAM seems to be not enough. I would expect from an answer to explain how a semi-cache memory like Optane improves performance in relation to the RAM size.
    – zx485
    yesterday








  • 1




    My Dell W7 64 bit workstation has 8 cores and 16GB of DDram. It is overkill for most office apps, but when using LabVIEW as a video editor or even Photoshop I can use up 6 to 10GB very fast, mostly as buffers for compositing frames. If you plan to work with video, get at least 16 to 32GB of DDram.
    – Sparky256
    13 hours ago






  • 1




    From reading on how it works, Optane makes sense if your machine don't use SSD but your workload needs to do a lot of disk access. If your workload needs a lot of RAM, then Optane will be much slower compared to adding real RAM. AFAICS, Optane is meant to fill a gap for budget systems that don't use SSD but requires the performance of SSD. I'd suggest that if you're going to reinstall a new system on a new hard-disk but thinks that going full SSD is too expensive for your storage requirement, you might as well get a Hybrid SSD+HD, it's simpler and have much of the same benefits.
    – Lie Ryan
    11 hours ago






  • 1




    @Maw Arrghh. Sorry, here's the new improved here: howtogeek.com/317294/what-is-intel-optane-memory
    – Steve Rindsberg
    3 hours ago














  • 4




    I'm no expert, but your question made me curious, so thanks! There's a helpful article about this here. It suggests to me that 4gb RAM + 16gb Optane memory wouldn't be ideal as compared to 8gb RAM.
    – Steve Rindsberg
    yesterday






  • 1




    That's a really interesting question. However, 4GB of RAM seems to be not enough. I would expect from an answer to explain how a semi-cache memory like Optane improves performance in relation to the RAM size.
    – zx485
    yesterday








  • 1




    My Dell W7 64 bit workstation has 8 cores and 16GB of DDram. It is overkill for most office apps, but when using LabVIEW as a video editor or even Photoshop I can use up 6 to 10GB very fast, mostly as buffers for compositing frames. If you plan to work with video, get at least 16 to 32GB of DDram.
    – Sparky256
    13 hours ago






  • 1




    From reading on how it works, Optane makes sense if your machine don't use SSD but your workload needs to do a lot of disk access. If your workload needs a lot of RAM, then Optane will be much slower compared to adding real RAM. AFAICS, Optane is meant to fill a gap for budget systems that don't use SSD but requires the performance of SSD. I'd suggest that if you're going to reinstall a new system on a new hard-disk but thinks that going full SSD is too expensive for your storage requirement, you might as well get a Hybrid SSD+HD, it's simpler and have much of the same benefits.
    – Lie Ryan
    11 hours ago






  • 1




    @Maw Arrghh. Sorry, here's the new improved here: howtogeek.com/317294/what-is-intel-optane-memory
    – Steve Rindsberg
    3 hours ago








4




4




I'm no expert, but your question made me curious, so thanks! There's a helpful article about this here. It suggests to me that 4gb RAM + 16gb Optane memory wouldn't be ideal as compared to 8gb RAM.
– Steve Rindsberg
yesterday




I'm no expert, but your question made me curious, so thanks! There's a helpful article about this here. It suggests to me that 4gb RAM + 16gb Optane memory wouldn't be ideal as compared to 8gb RAM.
– Steve Rindsberg
yesterday




1




1




That's a really interesting question. However, 4GB of RAM seems to be not enough. I would expect from an answer to explain how a semi-cache memory like Optane improves performance in relation to the RAM size.
– zx485
yesterday






That's a really interesting question. However, 4GB of RAM seems to be not enough. I would expect from an answer to explain how a semi-cache memory like Optane improves performance in relation to the RAM size.
– zx485
yesterday






1




1




My Dell W7 64 bit workstation has 8 cores and 16GB of DDram. It is overkill for most office apps, but when using LabVIEW as a video editor or even Photoshop I can use up 6 to 10GB very fast, mostly as buffers for compositing frames. If you plan to work with video, get at least 16 to 32GB of DDram.
– Sparky256
13 hours ago




My Dell W7 64 bit workstation has 8 cores and 16GB of DDram. It is overkill for most office apps, but when using LabVIEW as a video editor or even Photoshop I can use up 6 to 10GB very fast, mostly as buffers for compositing frames. If you plan to work with video, get at least 16 to 32GB of DDram.
– Sparky256
13 hours ago




1




1




From reading on how it works, Optane makes sense if your machine don't use SSD but your workload needs to do a lot of disk access. If your workload needs a lot of RAM, then Optane will be much slower compared to adding real RAM. AFAICS, Optane is meant to fill a gap for budget systems that don't use SSD but requires the performance of SSD. I'd suggest that if you're going to reinstall a new system on a new hard-disk but thinks that going full SSD is too expensive for your storage requirement, you might as well get a Hybrid SSD+HD, it's simpler and have much of the same benefits.
– Lie Ryan
11 hours ago




From reading on how it works, Optane makes sense if your machine don't use SSD but your workload needs to do a lot of disk access. If your workload needs a lot of RAM, then Optane will be much slower compared to adding real RAM. AFAICS, Optane is meant to fill a gap for budget systems that don't use SSD but requires the performance of SSD. I'd suggest that if you're going to reinstall a new system on a new hard-disk but thinks that going full SSD is too expensive for your storage requirement, you might as well get a Hybrid SSD+HD, it's simpler and have much of the same benefits.
– Lie Ryan
11 hours ago




1




1




@Maw Arrghh. Sorry, here's the new improved here: howtogeek.com/317294/what-is-intel-optane-memory
– Steve Rindsberg
3 hours ago




@Maw Arrghh. Sorry, here's the new improved here: howtogeek.com/317294/what-is-intel-optane-memory
– Steve Rindsberg
3 hours ago










3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















39














Intel Optane "memory" is a misnomer. It is just a cache memory card that can turn
a simple hard disk into a hybrid disk, by adding a RAM cache that can work at the
speed of an SSD disk.



Optane memory isn’t a random-access computer memory, or RAM.
Instead, it's meant to work as a cache memory bridge between RAM and storage,
allowing for faster data transfer between the memory, storage, and processor.
As such, it's magnitudes faster than a spinning hard drive and can work at the
speed of a budget SSD. And like SSD, it doesn’t erase itself when powered off.



Conclusion: You did make a mistake by falling for a commercial hype.
In addition, 4 GB of RAM is ridiculously low in our current state of hardware
and software. I would advise canceling the order for this laptop,
if you still can.






share|improve this answer

















  • 1




    @BloodPhilia: What part don't you agree with?
    – harrymc
    yesterday






  • 10




    @BloodPhilia: Like what?
    – harrymc
    yesterday






  • 3




    Good answer. +1. Additionally, I would like to suggest this article, which compares access speeds to human reference scale, from 1 clock cycle -> 1 second, RAM -> 4 minutes and Optane -> 7 hours. This really shows how much scale difference there is between for example L1 cache and disk access speeds...
    – agtoever
    yesterday






  • 3




    It's not actually a misnomer, since there's a version that uses DDR4 interface and replaces actual RAM arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/05/…
    – phuclv
    17 hours ago






  • 3




    @iBug It is. For a new device, which is what this question is about. Especially if, as in this case, the older laptop had twice as much RAM.
    – Kakturus
    11 hours ago



















10














The other answers cover the gist of the situation but I'd like to add some context.



For a long time, RAM has been often called 'memory' in laptops targeted at the layperson. This is usually helpful and hasn't caused issues, until recently. The same companies that started this practice are now lumping Optane cache and RAM under the same name 'memory' with the intention of tricking you into thinking that the laptop has more RAM than it actually has. Optane technology is still relatively new and unknown so this deception is very easy to fall for. Looking deeper into a product listing will usually reveal the truth.



Optane cache doesn't, and wasn't meant to, replace RAM. They both help speed up a computer, but operate differently and in different situations. Having Optane won't alleviate the heavy slowdown of only having 4GB of RAM when normal use requires at least 5GB.



You've fallen victim to intentionally deceptive marketing. I recommend purchasing a different laptop (with 8GB or more of RAM) to satisfy your use case. Perhaps one from a more upfront manufacturer.






share|improve this answer








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    1














    Only 4 GB? I hate to break it to you, but to the full extent of my knowledge (which isn't much) Intel Optane is not like memory aka RAM; it's like an SSD that takes the applications you use most and puts them on a faster drive so they load faster.



    So an Intel Optane drive might eliminate the need for an SSD (please feel free to correct me on this). Your manufacturer probably put an Optane drive in your laptop and marketed it as RAM because 20 GB of Intel Optane is cheaper than 20 GB of RAM*, but maybe you can manually change the RAM to 8 GB for about $80.



    *24 GB of laptop RAM $182
    24 GB of laptop RAM



    4 GB of laptop RAM and 16 GB of Intel Optane memory $87
    laptop RAM
    Intel Optane memory






    share|improve this answer










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      3 Answers
      3






      active

      oldest

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      3 Answers
      3






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      39














      Intel Optane "memory" is a misnomer. It is just a cache memory card that can turn
      a simple hard disk into a hybrid disk, by adding a RAM cache that can work at the
      speed of an SSD disk.



      Optane memory isn’t a random-access computer memory, or RAM.
      Instead, it's meant to work as a cache memory bridge between RAM and storage,
      allowing for faster data transfer between the memory, storage, and processor.
      As such, it's magnitudes faster than a spinning hard drive and can work at the
      speed of a budget SSD. And like SSD, it doesn’t erase itself when powered off.



      Conclusion: You did make a mistake by falling for a commercial hype.
      In addition, 4 GB of RAM is ridiculously low in our current state of hardware
      and software. I would advise canceling the order for this laptop,
      if you still can.






      share|improve this answer

















      • 1




        @BloodPhilia: What part don't you agree with?
        – harrymc
        yesterday






      • 10




        @BloodPhilia: Like what?
        – harrymc
        yesterday






      • 3




        Good answer. +1. Additionally, I would like to suggest this article, which compares access speeds to human reference scale, from 1 clock cycle -> 1 second, RAM -> 4 minutes and Optane -> 7 hours. This really shows how much scale difference there is between for example L1 cache and disk access speeds...
        – agtoever
        yesterday






      • 3




        It's not actually a misnomer, since there's a version that uses DDR4 interface and replaces actual RAM arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/05/…
        – phuclv
        17 hours ago






      • 3




        @iBug It is. For a new device, which is what this question is about. Especially if, as in this case, the older laptop had twice as much RAM.
        – Kakturus
        11 hours ago
















      39














      Intel Optane "memory" is a misnomer. It is just a cache memory card that can turn
      a simple hard disk into a hybrid disk, by adding a RAM cache that can work at the
      speed of an SSD disk.



      Optane memory isn’t a random-access computer memory, or RAM.
      Instead, it's meant to work as a cache memory bridge between RAM and storage,
      allowing for faster data transfer between the memory, storage, and processor.
      As such, it's magnitudes faster than a spinning hard drive and can work at the
      speed of a budget SSD. And like SSD, it doesn’t erase itself when powered off.



      Conclusion: You did make a mistake by falling for a commercial hype.
      In addition, 4 GB of RAM is ridiculously low in our current state of hardware
      and software. I would advise canceling the order for this laptop,
      if you still can.






      share|improve this answer

















      • 1




        @BloodPhilia: What part don't you agree with?
        – harrymc
        yesterday






      • 10




        @BloodPhilia: Like what?
        – harrymc
        yesterday






      • 3




        Good answer. +1. Additionally, I would like to suggest this article, which compares access speeds to human reference scale, from 1 clock cycle -> 1 second, RAM -> 4 minutes and Optane -> 7 hours. This really shows how much scale difference there is between for example L1 cache and disk access speeds...
        – agtoever
        yesterday






      • 3




        It's not actually a misnomer, since there's a version that uses DDR4 interface and replaces actual RAM arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/05/…
        – phuclv
        17 hours ago






      • 3




        @iBug It is. For a new device, which is what this question is about. Especially if, as in this case, the older laptop had twice as much RAM.
        – Kakturus
        11 hours ago














      39












      39








      39






      Intel Optane "memory" is a misnomer. It is just a cache memory card that can turn
      a simple hard disk into a hybrid disk, by adding a RAM cache that can work at the
      speed of an SSD disk.



      Optane memory isn’t a random-access computer memory, or RAM.
      Instead, it's meant to work as a cache memory bridge between RAM and storage,
      allowing for faster data transfer between the memory, storage, and processor.
      As such, it's magnitudes faster than a spinning hard drive and can work at the
      speed of a budget SSD. And like SSD, it doesn’t erase itself when powered off.



      Conclusion: You did make a mistake by falling for a commercial hype.
      In addition, 4 GB of RAM is ridiculously low in our current state of hardware
      and software. I would advise canceling the order for this laptop,
      if you still can.






      share|improve this answer












      Intel Optane "memory" is a misnomer. It is just a cache memory card that can turn
      a simple hard disk into a hybrid disk, by adding a RAM cache that can work at the
      speed of an SSD disk.



      Optane memory isn’t a random-access computer memory, or RAM.
      Instead, it's meant to work as a cache memory bridge between RAM and storage,
      allowing for faster data transfer between the memory, storage, and processor.
      As such, it's magnitudes faster than a spinning hard drive and can work at the
      speed of a budget SSD. And like SSD, it doesn’t erase itself when powered off.



      Conclusion: You did make a mistake by falling for a commercial hype.
      In addition, 4 GB of RAM is ridiculously low in our current state of hardware
      and software. I would advise canceling the order for this laptop,
      if you still can.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered yesterday









      harrymc

      253k12263564




      253k12263564








      • 1




        @BloodPhilia: What part don't you agree with?
        – harrymc
        yesterday






      • 10




        @BloodPhilia: Like what?
        – harrymc
        yesterday






      • 3




        Good answer. +1. Additionally, I would like to suggest this article, which compares access speeds to human reference scale, from 1 clock cycle -> 1 second, RAM -> 4 minutes and Optane -> 7 hours. This really shows how much scale difference there is between for example L1 cache and disk access speeds...
        – agtoever
        yesterday






      • 3




        It's not actually a misnomer, since there's a version that uses DDR4 interface and replaces actual RAM arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/05/…
        – phuclv
        17 hours ago






      • 3




        @iBug It is. For a new device, which is what this question is about. Especially if, as in this case, the older laptop had twice as much RAM.
        – Kakturus
        11 hours ago














      • 1




        @BloodPhilia: What part don't you agree with?
        – harrymc
        yesterday






      • 10




        @BloodPhilia: Like what?
        – harrymc
        yesterday






      • 3




        Good answer. +1. Additionally, I would like to suggest this article, which compares access speeds to human reference scale, from 1 clock cycle -> 1 second, RAM -> 4 minutes and Optane -> 7 hours. This really shows how much scale difference there is between for example L1 cache and disk access speeds...
        – agtoever
        yesterday






      • 3




        It's not actually a misnomer, since there's a version that uses DDR4 interface and replaces actual RAM arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/05/…
        – phuclv
        17 hours ago






      • 3




        @iBug It is. For a new device, which is what this question is about. Especially if, as in this case, the older laptop had twice as much RAM.
        – Kakturus
        11 hours ago








      1




      1




      @BloodPhilia: What part don't you agree with?
      – harrymc
      yesterday




      @BloodPhilia: What part don't you agree with?
      – harrymc
      yesterday




      10




      10




      @BloodPhilia: Like what?
      – harrymc
      yesterday




      @BloodPhilia: Like what?
      – harrymc
      yesterday




      3




      3




      Good answer. +1. Additionally, I would like to suggest this article, which compares access speeds to human reference scale, from 1 clock cycle -> 1 second, RAM -> 4 minutes and Optane -> 7 hours. This really shows how much scale difference there is between for example L1 cache and disk access speeds...
      – agtoever
      yesterday




      Good answer. +1. Additionally, I would like to suggest this article, which compares access speeds to human reference scale, from 1 clock cycle -> 1 second, RAM -> 4 minutes and Optane -> 7 hours. This really shows how much scale difference there is between for example L1 cache and disk access speeds...
      – agtoever
      yesterday




      3




      3




      It's not actually a misnomer, since there's a version that uses DDR4 interface and replaces actual RAM arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/05/…
      – phuclv
      17 hours ago




      It's not actually a misnomer, since there's a version that uses DDR4 interface and replaces actual RAM arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/05/…
      – phuclv
      17 hours ago




      3




      3




      @iBug It is. For a new device, which is what this question is about. Especially if, as in this case, the older laptop had twice as much RAM.
      – Kakturus
      11 hours ago




      @iBug It is. For a new device, which is what this question is about. Especially if, as in this case, the older laptop had twice as much RAM.
      – Kakturus
      11 hours ago













      10














      The other answers cover the gist of the situation but I'd like to add some context.



      For a long time, RAM has been often called 'memory' in laptops targeted at the layperson. This is usually helpful and hasn't caused issues, until recently. The same companies that started this practice are now lumping Optane cache and RAM under the same name 'memory' with the intention of tricking you into thinking that the laptop has more RAM than it actually has. Optane technology is still relatively new and unknown so this deception is very easy to fall for. Looking deeper into a product listing will usually reveal the truth.



      Optane cache doesn't, and wasn't meant to, replace RAM. They both help speed up a computer, but operate differently and in different situations. Having Optane won't alleviate the heavy slowdown of only having 4GB of RAM when normal use requires at least 5GB.



      You've fallen victim to intentionally deceptive marketing. I recommend purchasing a different laptop (with 8GB or more of RAM) to satisfy your use case. Perhaps one from a more upfront manufacturer.






      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




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        10














        The other answers cover the gist of the situation but I'd like to add some context.



        For a long time, RAM has been often called 'memory' in laptops targeted at the layperson. This is usually helpful and hasn't caused issues, until recently. The same companies that started this practice are now lumping Optane cache and RAM under the same name 'memory' with the intention of tricking you into thinking that the laptop has more RAM than it actually has. Optane technology is still relatively new and unknown so this deception is very easy to fall for. Looking deeper into a product listing will usually reveal the truth.



        Optane cache doesn't, and wasn't meant to, replace RAM. They both help speed up a computer, but operate differently and in different situations. Having Optane won't alleviate the heavy slowdown of only having 4GB of RAM when normal use requires at least 5GB.



        You've fallen victim to intentionally deceptive marketing. I recommend purchasing a different laptop (with 8GB or more of RAM) to satisfy your use case. Perhaps one from a more upfront manufacturer.






        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        sm9sn1 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.





















          10












          10








          10






          The other answers cover the gist of the situation but I'd like to add some context.



          For a long time, RAM has been often called 'memory' in laptops targeted at the layperson. This is usually helpful and hasn't caused issues, until recently. The same companies that started this practice are now lumping Optane cache and RAM under the same name 'memory' with the intention of tricking you into thinking that the laptop has more RAM than it actually has. Optane technology is still relatively new and unknown so this deception is very easy to fall for. Looking deeper into a product listing will usually reveal the truth.



          Optane cache doesn't, and wasn't meant to, replace RAM. They both help speed up a computer, but operate differently and in different situations. Having Optane won't alleviate the heavy slowdown of only having 4GB of RAM when normal use requires at least 5GB.



          You've fallen victim to intentionally deceptive marketing. I recommend purchasing a different laptop (with 8GB or more of RAM) to satisfy your use case. Perhaps one from a more upfront manufacturer.






          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          sm9sn1 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.









          The other answers cover the gist of the situation but I'd like to add some context.



          For a long time, RAM has been often called 'memory' in laptops targeted at the layperson. This is usually helpful and hasn't caused issues, until recently. The same companies that started this practice are now lumping Optane cache and RAM under the same name 'memory' with the intention of tricking you into thinking that the laptop has more RAM than it actually has. Optane technology is still relatively new and unknown so this deception is very easy to fall for. Looking deeper into a product listing will usually reveal the truth.



          Optane cache doesn't, and wasn't meant to, replace RAM. They both help speed up a computer, but operate differently and in different situations. Having Optane won't alleviate the heavy slowdown of only having 4GB of RAM when normal use requires at least 5GB.



          You've fallen victim to intentionally deceptive marketing. I recommend purchasing a different laptop (with 8GB or more of RAM) to satisfy your use case. Perhaps one from a more upfront manufacturer.







          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          sm9sn1 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer






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          answered 17 hours ago









          sm9sn1

          1113




          1113




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              1














              Only 4 GB? I hate to break it to you, but to the full extent of my knowledge (which isn't much) Intel Optane is not like memory aka RAM; it's like an SSD that takes the applications you use most and puts them on a faster drive so they load faster.



              So an Intel Optane drive might eliminate the need for an SSD (please feel free to correct me on this). Your manufacturer probably put an Optane drive in your laptop and marketed it as RAM because 20 GB of Intel Optane is cheaper than 20 GB of RAM*, but maybe you can manually change the RAM to 8 GB for about $80.



              *24 GB of laptop RAM $182
              24 GB of laptop RAM



              4 GB of laptop RAM and 16 GB of Intel Optane memory $87
              laptop RAM
              Intel Optane memory






              share|improve this answer










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                1














                Only 4 GB? I hate to break it to you, but to the full extent of my knowledge (which isn't much) Intel Optane is not like memory aka RAM; it's like an SSD that takes the applications you use most and puts them on a faster drive so they load faster.



                So an Intel Optane drive might eliminate the need for an SSD (please feel free to correct me on this). Your manufacturer probably put an Optane drive in your laptop and marketed it as RAM because 20 GB of Intel Optane is cheaper than 20 GB of RAM*, but maybe you can manually change the RAM to 8 GB for about $80.



                *24 GB of laptop RAM $182
                24 GB of laptop RAM



                4 GB of laptop RAM and 16 GB of Intel Optane memory $87
                laptop RAM
                Intel Optane memory






                share|improve this answer










                New contributor




                rpi-noob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.





















                  1












                  1








                  1






                  Only 4 GB? I hate to break it to you, but to the full extent of my knowledge (which isn't much) Intel Optane is not like memory aka RAM; it's like an SSD that takes the applications you use most and puts them on a faster drive so they load faster.



                  So an Intel Optane drive might eliminate the need for an SSD (please feel free to correct me on this). Your manufacturer probably put an Optane drive in your laptop and marketed it as RAM because 20 GB of Intel Optane is cheaper than 20 GB of RAM*, but maybe you can manually change the RAM to 8 GB for about $80.



                  *24 GB of laptop RAM $182
                  24 GB of laptop RAM



                  4 GB of laptop RAM and 16 GB of Intel Optane memory $87
                  laptop RAM
                  Intel Optane memory






                  share|improve this answer










                  New contributor




                  rpi-noob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                  Only 4 GB? I hate to break it to you, but to the full extent of my knowledge (which isn't much) Intel Optane is not like memory aka RAM; it's like an SSD that takes the applications you use most and puts them on a faster drive so they load faster.



                  So an Intel Optane drive might eliminate the need for an SSD (please feel free to correct me on this). Your manufacturer probably put an Optane drive in your laptop and marketed it as RAM because 20 GB of Intel Optane is cheaper than 20 GB of RAM*, but maybe you can manually change the RAM to 8 GB for about $80.



                  *24 GB of laptop RAM $182
                  24 GB of laptop RAM



                  4 GB of laptop RAM and 16 GB of Intel Optane memory $87
                  laptop RAM
                  Intel Optane memory







                  share|improve this answer










                  New contributor




                  rpi-noob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer








                  edited 14 hours ago









                  iBug

                  2,36941739




                  2,36941739






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                  answered 20 hours ago









                  rpi-noob

                  301




                  301




                  New contributor




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                  New contributor





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