Laptop Memory Upgrades - Can Desktop Memory Be Used in Laptops and Vice Versa?

Why it is not possible to use desktop memory in your laptop, notebook, sub-notebook or netbook (as these all apply here) and vice versa.

For those that seek the short answer

Unfortunately except in very finite cases, desktop computer memory cannot be used it laptops just as laptop computer memory cannot be used in desktop computers. There are a few reasons behind this and to find out why I recommend you read the longer answer below. Should you be struck for time however, just remember, laptop memory upgrades cannot be used as desktop memory upgrades and vice versa because they vary in size.

For those that desire a longer answer (recommended)

To appreciate why it is not possible to use laptop computer memory in desktop computers and vice versa, we first of all have to remove the single facet that breaks this rule. In the very old days when laptops were only just appearing they used memory that came on SIMM's, otherwise known as Single-Inline-Memory-Modules. These were indeed the same used in desktop computers at the time, either in 30pin or 72pin configurations. As laptops entered mainstream and so became less of a brick and more of a mobile tool did this facet change.

Ever since laptops became mainstream they have used a variation of the same computer memory used in desktop computers. For this reason it is common for you to stumble upon model names such as PC2100, PC2700, PC3200, PC2-3200, PC2-5300, and even more recently PC3-8500 etc. that you also find in desktop computer memory. The reason behind the all important "why" is that laptops are simply a subset of personal computers. They are designed around the same principles thus make use of a series of the same technologies. The "why" behind why they make use of a wide range of joint technologies is a topic on its own, but for now the best way for you to think of this is that as a result of these, they are made compatible and thus can run the same software and use very similar hardware.

So what are the differences you may ask? From the above we already know that the key differentiator does not lie within the memory technology. PC2100 DDR memory in laptop computers is just the same as PC2100 DDR memory in desktop computers, and the same holds true for PC2-5300 DDR2 laptop and PC2-5300 DDR2 desktop memory etc. The difference is actually in the memory module itself. If you recall from above, very old laptops used memory that came on 30/72pin SIMM's, just as desktops did back in the day. Modern laptop computer memory comes on DIMM's, otherwise known as Dual-Inline-Memory-Modules. This is not however the main difference, to find this we must introduce SO-DIMM's, which are the laptop variety of DIMM's.

SO-DIMM's are mini versions of DIMM's. Depending on the memory technology they carry onboard (have soldered onto their PCB - Printed Circuit Board) they will somewhat vary in size and the number of pins they feature. For this reason it is not only easy to tell apart laptop memory upgrades from desktop memory upgrades just by looking at them, but also appreciate why they cannot be used in desktop computers. Because SO-DIMM's have fewer pins, for example 144pins Vs 168pins in the case of laptop/desktop SDRAM memory, they are smaller and thus better suited to laptops. Incidentally because laptops have limited space inside, this explains why SO-DIMM's were devised and even goes as far as clarifying why some laptops today can be so thin and yet so powerful.

In summary

I hope the above has been useful and you may now explain this to your friends and colleagues should they ever be in doubt. In closing let's have a quick recap. Only very old laptops used the same memory as desktop computers. This was because they were big and heavy and space considerations inside laptops were not really an issue. As laptops became mainstream, and thus space did become an issue were computer designers forced to invent SO-DIMM's. These are considerably smaller than desktop DIMM's as well as now ancient SIMM's and feature fewer pins. Despite these differences, the memory technology they employ is identical to that of desktop computers. If you compact all the above together to come up with a shorthand answer it would simply be this - laptop memory upgrades cannot work in desktop computers because they are smaller, and as a result of this, will not fit inside the larger memory slots.

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