Quick Fix: Identifying older SODIMMs/DIMMs

If you're handed down the task of sorting out memory modules from old industrial motherboards, legacy desktops and old laptops/netbooks, there's every likelihood you would need to identify the properties of the DIMMs and SODIMMs before you can reuse the parts. Although the basic properties of memory modules are understood by most computer users, sorting out discontinued but usable DIMMS/SODIMMS is not an easy or simple task. Hynix, Samsung and Kingston all have varying ways of labeling and classifying their memory products. Part numbers are broken down based on many properties such as country, voltage, production process, bit size, depth, buffered/unbuffered, size and many more.

Where the memory modules were purchased contributes a great deal as to how easy it is to identify the memory type - the printed sticker labels can be very informative. However, there will always be a part number which you can type in to Google or Bing to find the memory properties. Part numbers are alphanumeric and can easily be identified on the label. Bing Search was able to immediately pull up the data sheet for a Hynix SODIMM through the part number. Google, on the other hand, can pull up an informative Amazon page with basic memory information for a legacy Kingston SODIMM.


Use the Memory part Number option at the Kingston web site


If you really need specific details about the RAM or SODIMM, however, you can visit the Part Number Decoder web page found in the Kingston, Hynix and Samsung Memory Components website. Samsung's interactive part number decoder is exceptionally efficient at identifying all their memory products. By sequentially entering the sets of the memory part number, the web page provides the necessary information a user needs.


Searching through Samsung's Memory Part Number tool


Kingston, on the other hand, lets you search for the part number directly on their web site while the Hynix web site lets you filter across their whole memory product line. All three companies also provide downloadable PDFs for manually interpreting memory part numbers.


Hynix Part Number Decoder


Links for the part number decoders and memory search options for Samsung, Kingston and Hynix are as follows:

1. Hynix Memory Decoder
   
2. Kingston Memory Search
3. Samsung Part Number Decoder