Anyone with experience using DDR5 sodimm to dimm adapters? Need help with a decision
Posted by Eyphio@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 18 comments
TLDR: have existing 2x 16g 4800 sodimms, deciding between two options
1: minisforum bd795m (or i), which supports sodimms by default
2: building from a 7800 x3d, using sodimm to dimm adapter, and hope the larger l3 cache can pick up the slack for the post adapted sodimms
Further context:
Been a long time laptop user, but some recent events crashed my confidence in laptop stability, and is looking to build something that is more reliable, but memory cost is a concern and I wouldn't want to overspend.
Normally residing in Canada, recently on work/travel/visit to China and they do have quite a bit of selection here. (pricing in parenthesis with "~" is RMB conversion to CAD) At first the minisforum bd795 modts caught my attention because they can natively use sodimms, which is a boon in my case. The lack of cpu upgrade path (soldered 7945hx) is not a deal breaker for me here, but I've read that the matx version (~460CAD) have some tolerance with the heat sink, and it lacks type C. The itx version fixes that but is a bit pricier (~540CAD)
I kept looking around and noticed that for roughly the same price (~550CAD) I can get an OEM 7800x3d (~380CAD by itself) plus B650/850 mobo as a bundle. Which I think is a good deal as getting 7800x3d in Canada would be over 500CAD. Plus I don't need the multi-core performance of the 7945hx, and future upgrade potential. Downside being my distinct lack of desktop ram.
I've dug around and read that x3d chips, thanks to their larger l3 cache, is less reliant on memory speed. So I'm thinking of using sodimm to dimm adapters to put my existing sodimms to use. I'm fine with 4800 speed and have no intention of tinkering/overclocking. However most adapter demos use much faster sodimm (5600+) and I have no reference how a 4800 sodimm would function in the adapter.
Unfortunately, selling the sodimms is not a short term option because a. they are in the laptop that I'm currently travelling around with b. I do not plan on hauling an entire PC back to canada, cpu + mobo is all I can realistically bring on flight, rest of the component will be sourced back in Canada. c. The second hand market in my area isn't strong, and even less so for laptop memory.
Realistically speaking, the build isn't all that urgent, as my current laptop is still functional. Maybe the play is to pick up the 7800x3d oem + mobo anyway, since I doubt I can get them for comparable price in Canada even on sale. If the adapters work decently well, great. If they don't (they only cost ~16CAD here so its not too much loss) I can try to sell the sodimms in canada while waiting to see if ram price drops, and keep using my laptop in the mean time.
Any insights will be appreciated.
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kuroshiki5@reddit
Might be a little late to discussion, but want to share my experience. I recently build pc with Ryzen 5 7500X3D + 5070 Ti using the adapter. The default speed is really, really low for DDR5 (running at 3200). Tried to increase the speed to its rated 5600, but memtest shows like 1000 errors. Using other than 3200 and 5600 for some reason make my PC does not boot and need to reset my Cmos.
However, all of the game i tested running very well and zero crash although running at 3200. Testing it with Cyberpunk 2077, Stalker 2, CS2, RE: Requiem and everything is running smooth. Tried looking up some benchmark video for these games and they perform exactly the same.
Eyphio@reddit (OP)
Any and all discussion on this topic is welcome, as given the current ram pricing I suspect I'm far from the only one exploring this option.
I think it would be good to know what motherboard you are using?
I finally just received my PSU a few hours ago and managed to get the system to boot into windows, haven't done any additional testing yet nor gaming, as my GPU is still enroute...
I'm using 7800x3d + MSI B850M Gaming Wifi + RVS5689 adapters, samsung 4800mhz ddr5 soddim produced in 2023
It took me a few tries to get the system running, had to reseat and clean the adapters quite a few times to get both channels to work.
Once the system booted into windows, it defaulted me to 3200, but I was able to get it back to 4800 in bios and booted fine. Need to look into memtest a bit later when I have time
kuroshiki5@reddit
I am using Gigabyte B850M Gaming X WIFI6E, the same adapter with Crucial Classic 5600 32GB (16x2). Are you just changing the ram speed or do you change anything else that you able to boot in full speed?
I suspect that this is also can be happened with me, cause using the rated full speed will still able to boot. However it will be very unstable and might ended up making your system unreliable and crash a lot. Memtest with 0 error always indicate that your system is be stable, so i am wondering how you ram fare with full speed and want to use that as reference so i can use the ram with more speed.
Eyphio@reddit (OP)
I changed the ram speed via the overclocking function in the MSI bios. It seemed to be stable after running AIDA64 stress test for 10 mins and memtest64 for 10 mins. Haven't ran a memtest outside of windows environment yet since I don't have a spare USB drive that isn't already loaded with other boot stuff.
But my sodimms were 4800 to begin with, and overclocking them further feels risky.
Interesting observation though, another user u/Procrastinando in this thread couldn't boot using a b650i board, while we were able to with B850M. I chose the MSI b850 board based on recommendations from bilibili user's comments in a related video, saying that MSI boards are known for their better tuning with memory overclocking.
Will let you know once I get a proper memtest done
Procrastinando@reddit
OP let's keep in touch about the build, I had similar plans.
I already have 2x16gb 4800mhz sodimm from my miniPC + eGPU setup that I want to convert to a small desktop.
Initially I had planned to buy a MinisForum bd775i, then changed my mind and decided to go for a "normal" motherboard with sodimm-dimm adapters, for upgradability.
I've ordered a Soyo b650i motherboard, JET-5689 ddr5 adapters and a 7700x CPU.
I was earlier considering a 7800x3d to make up for the slow RAM but prices have increased in the past months.
Eyphio@reddit (OP)
a quick update for you, I've got the 7800x3d and msi b850 gaming wifi motherboard.
since I have not purchased a PSU yet (getting a PSU in china is cheaper but i expect support hell once i haul it back to canada, decided to wait until i head back to purchase the PSU), I went to a local repair shop and asked to borrow their PSU to test it out.
I was able to boot into windows, but did not stress test/memtest due to time constraints and lack of a cpu cooler.
My sodimms are samsung M425R2GA3BB0-CQKOD. Adapters are jet rvs 5689.
I chose the msi b850 board, based on a comment chain in bilibili on a video of the same subject, MSI boards supposedly has better tuning for memory overclocks. However I don't know if that is b850 specific.
One thing to note is that it took me a few attempts before the system booted. Had to reseat the ram (and reseat the sodimm in the adapter) a few times to ensure proper connection. The repair shop owner suggested cleaning the sodimm pins with rubber eraser for better result.
I plan to do a full overview of my experiences once the build is complete, but that will probably be mid-late april the earliest.
Procrastinando@reddit
Unfortunately I didn't get my build to boot. Both the CPU and RAM leds on the motherboard keep showing an error.
I'm thinking of returning everything and getting a MinisForum motherboard. I have a feeling that even if I got the RAM adapters to work they wouldn't be stable, and the prices for RAM aren't really going down.
Eyphio@reddit (OP)
That's unfortunate, if you are looking at minisforum, you can take a look at this build for reference
Procrastinando@reddit
Thanks, cool build :)
Procrastinando@reddit
Thanks for the update, I'll probably also complete my build around mid-late April.
I'll be using a Corsair SF750 PSU.
fkrkz@reddit
I have 2x 32GB DDR5-5600 SO-DIMM as spare (dev laptop currently not in used) and was also thinking about using adapter kit for desktop use for KVM server. Looking at the comments, I think I will just not risk it.
noluckjim@reddit
There's a lot to consider here.
Adapters
They work, but YMMV and not all adapters are made the same. Hardware Canucks did a video on some, worthwhile watching. I'm using such adapters on my mitx 'budget' builds to get by, works just fine. And you're fine with running at 4800 so I see no issue in using adapters.
Minisforum Boards
Sounds great on paper but there are tradeoffs to consider.
The ITX version has it's own custom heatsink, so you're stuck with it's performance (or lack of and everything in between). Also, no SATA ports, if that's important. The MATX version lets you use your own Intel cooler and has a couple of SATA ports so it's more forgiving in that regard. I'd choose this for extra compute on a budget. Also, good luck with support.
7800x3d
Overkill for light gaming, but excellent resale value. And you can swap out the processor for Zen 6 in the future. Assuming the motherboard is well supported, of course. I'd pick this for gaming, especially if I knew my game runs well on x3d.
Laptop
If portability is important to you then maybe just get a new laptop? Can't really travel with a desktop in the same way you can a laptop.
TLDR; if you have SODIMMs and need adapters, just do it. You don't have to stick with a minisforum board. The bigger question is what you want your proposed PC to do.
Eyphio@reddit (OP)
Thank you for the detailed response.
I have not seen the hardware canucks video, that's some very good information.
I'm aware of the pros and cons of the minisforum board. I've seen reports of the matx board having tolerance issues with coolers, plus the lack of usb C (granted I can get an adapter for the front header). And while looking at the itx version I noticed the price is similar to a 7800x3d + board bundle, hence me considering the x3d + adapter option.
I've done some research for the main game I play, while it is not that graphically demanding, it benefits greatly from having a large l3 cache. Plus I can get it at a similar price point to the bd795itx (which is a budget range I accept).
Portability used to be important, however recently I have been using my laptop with external monitor, keyboard, and even sound card. It has become a desktop in all but name and cooling capacity. However long story short it died just right outside the warranty period (I'm on a cheap used one for travel) which prompted me into looking to build.
I am considering attempting an matx slim build which will allow some portability (im ripping the screen out of my old dead laptop to repurpose as portable screen). It can be long-ish and/or tall-ish, but I would want it to be on the narrow side so it fits with my current room set up. But that's something to consider later once I decide which route to go with.
Leaning towards the x3d if the adapter can work, the only upside to the minisforum is the assurance that my current sodimms will work.
noluckjim@reddit
Cool, it sounds like the 7800x3d build is probably your way forward. The main thing with the adapters, as others have mentioned, is that you're unlikely to be able to run at rated MT speeds because the tolerances for signaling are constrained. But you're fine with that and they absolutely do work. The other advantage of a regular motherboard is that the BIOS will usually have a much better UI and more tweaking options for CPU and memory. Anyway, hope this helps.
HankHippoppopalous@reddit
Yup, they're shotty at high speeds. I've used DDR3 once which worked perfect, DDR4 ones which usually worked, and I've got 2 DDR5 ones that only work when Venus is in the microwave (I've only had them work on a 13th Gen i5 non-K CPU)
You're gonna have trash support for them on AM5 which LOVES high speed memory.
Also the BD795M is a laptop screwed into a desktop board. You're not gaining anything there. They're also expensive as sin
Eyphio@reddit (OP)
I'm aware that the bd795 is a laptop 7945hx on a rather-basic-features-wise board. However I'm pretty sure it will be an upgrade over my existing laptop i7-12650H. Plus it does have pciex16 which allows for a dedicated graphics card upgrade and better cooling options compared to laptop chassis.
As for price, I'm currently able to get them at local chinese RMB pricing which is a good deal, plus not having to go through the hassle of trying to get desktop ram.
If 7800x3d doesn't work well with adapted ddr5 sodimm, then the minisforum is looking like a more attractive option for me.
mmomarkethub-com@reddit
sodimm to dimm adapters for ddr5 are wild tbh the signal integrity issues alone at those speeds will likely cause massive instability just sell them and buy proper desktop ram
Plane_Put8538@reddit
Not used the DDR5 models, but I have the DDR4 version of the adapter and they would not work with my MSI B350M board/Ryzen 3400G. They work just fine in a Lenovo ThinkCentre M710 though. YMMV. I've found Ryzen to be a bit touchy with RAM, not sure how the newer setups would be but I'd assume they are about the same.