Can you upgrade the RAM on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme?

Can you upgrade the RAM on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme?

Best answer: Lenovo's 2nd Gen ThinkPad X1 Extreme can support up to 64GB of DDR4 SODIMM RAM and is user upgradeable if you're keen on doing the work yourself. A good upgrade is a 32GB kit of Corsair Vengeance RAM.Upgrade it yourself: Corsair Vengeance 32GB SODIMM DDR4 2666 MHz ($150 at Amazon)Get the laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (From $2,459 at Lenovo)

Make a beastly laptop even better

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme is a powerful laptop as it comes out of the box, with true flagship specs that include up to an Intel Core i9 processor, HDR displays, and a GTX 1650 GPU from NVIDIA. All wrapped up in the sleek, slim, light and incredibly durable exterior that ThinkPad X1 fans have come to know and love.

If you're getting one, the base specs include 8GB of RAM, which is fine, but the X1 Extreme supports up to 64GB. Since it's a professional-grade laptop there's a high chance you'll want more RAM to handle some intensive processes.

Thankfully, you can save a little upfront and make the upgrade yourself with relative ease. The RAM isn't soldered to the motherboard and uses the standard SODIMM DDR4 form memory sticks, so once you pop the laptop open it's a matter of seconds to make the upgrade.

Great RAM for the job

There's plenty of good RAM out there, but you can't go wrong with a Corsair Vengeance 32GB kit. Not only is it good quality and runs at 2666 MHz, it's also excellent value for a kit containing a pair of 16GB sticks.

Unless you know that you need to max out at 64GB for whatever your workload is, 32GB is a pretty substantial upgrade for any purpose, and thanks to RAM prices having stabilized over the past 12 months it's no longer a costly one to make.

Richard Devine
Managing Editor - Tech, Reviews

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine