Been thinking about upgrading my laptop memory. According to the memory checker CPUID-CPUZ, my laptop is currently running with a CL latency of 21 at 1.20 volts. If I drop down to CL's of 16, say for example using Crucial Ballistic memory, it looks like the voltage on the chips ups to 1.35.
Is this voltage increase due to the lower CL or are there motherboards that run at a higher voltage?
Do I have to stick with only chips that run at 1.2 volts or could I go for better CL timings and run 1.35 volts?
My laptop is a Lenovo Legion series 5 (17IMH05H) with an 10th Gen i7 10750H processor and dual channel DDR4-3200 SODIMM ram.
I know we got some computer experts here on the forum and I'm wondering if you could steer me in the right direction.
Jeff, although I have built all my computers since 1983, I've never experimented with overclocking or anything comparable, so I can't help with that kind of question. I value stability over speed in digital audio.
Just curious again, even if you can change the CPU, have you looked at a CPU comparison chart to see how much speed you would really get with a different CPU, without changing the motherboard and RAM? I'm guessing less that twice what you have now, or in other words, not worth doing it.
And won't your current setup run Windows 11 ok?
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Been thinking about upgrading my laptop memory. According to the memory checker CPUID-CPUZ, my laptop is currently running with a CL latency of 21 at 1.20 volts. If I drop down to CL's of 16, say for example using Crucial Ballistic memory, it looks like the voltage on the chips ups to 1.35.
Is this voltage increase due to the lower CL or are there motherboards that run at a higher voltage?
Do I have to stick with only chips that run at 1.2 volts or could I go for better CL timings and run 1.35 volts?
My laptop is a Lenovo Legion series 5 (17IMH05H) with an 10th Gen i7 10750H processor and dual channel DDR4-3200 SODIMM ram.
I know we got some computer experts here on the forum and I'm wondering if you could steer me in the right direction.
Thanks,
Jeff
It's possible that lowering the CAS Latency value might require upping the voltage, as the RAM will be working harder and might need a little more juice. Googling that particular Lenovo, it specifies RAM voltage at 1.2v so I'd say you're better off sticking with that - because as Matt said:
Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
I value stability over speed in digital audio.
Stability is far more important than any minor gain in speed you might get. I have literally never seen any noticeable speed increase in any audio software by tweaking RAM timing or overclocking or anything - it really comes down to amount of ram and speed of storage (SSD or RAID-0).
Originally Posted By: eddie1261
You have me thinking now Matt. I don't think I have ever seen a laptop with a ZIF socket. Always soldered.
There are some. I've had older Thinkpads and HP Elitebooks that had ZIF sockets - was quite nice to get a cheap dual-core laptop and be able to toss in a quad-core i7. I haven't seen a laptop with a socketed CPU in years though, I kinda assumed they stopped making them that way.
Appreciate all the help here guys. I'm a tweaker by nature and looking to get the last remaining bit out of this new laptop.
Where I'm at issues with this is that this new laptop, even though running a 10th Gen i7 with an NVME SSD and a separate mechanical HD; it actually runs slower that my 7th Gen i7 desktop. The desktop also has an NVME SSD and mechanical HD. While buss speeds are the same, the desktop has better CL timings, but slower DDR4 RAM.
The desktop also has 32 gig of ram whereas the laptop has 16. With all of my music software the laptop never seems to use more than 25% of the RAM...but why would it be slower??
Could be a power management setting somewhere. The 10750H benchmarks around 30% higher than the 7700K.
Have you run any benchmarks on it to see where the bottleneck is? Run a CPU benchmark, GPU, and disk speed test on both machines, that might yield the answer.
Could also be preloaded software - many new computers come with a lot of bloat. Could be worth uninstalling some things, or reinstall the OS fresh. That's a bit of a heavy-handed solution though.
Last edited by Simon - PG Music; 09/08/2111:10 AM.
This might make a few of you cringe, but my work desktop has an i5-3550 which has a Passmark score of 4,760, with 16gb ram, 256gb SATA-3 SSD, and the integrated Intel graphics. It runs BIAB and RealBand quite nicely, so I'd say anything above that should be good.
Could go even lower though - I briefly tried BB on a very "lightweight" laptop not too long ago, which had a Intel Core m3-6Y30 sub-1ghz CPU, benchmark is around 1,947 and it seemed fine.
By comparison, Jeff's i7-10750H benchmarks at 12,522 and the 7700K is around 9,708.
Last edited by Simon - PG Music; 09/08/2101:24 PM.
Simon, I haven't seen Passmark mentioned in a long time. I use to recommend Passmark hardware and software packages to students for use in field testing pc components and I/O ports. Their USB port test can recognize a USB port with a weak power or data connection better than any other test I'm aware of.
Some good suggestions there Simon...back to the studio to try and figure this out!
Thanks!
Jeff
No prob Jeff, let us know how it goes!
Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
Anyone still using the Geekbench 4 single-core score as a standard?
I don't typically use Geekbench scores, though since I'm a Mac guy I see them often on EveryMac.com which I use as a rough comparison when troubleshooting someone's system. I only look at the Passmark site since it basically lists every CPU from the last - I dunno - 20 years or so? It offers a good comparison.
Originally Posted By: Jim Fogle
Simon, I haven't seen Passmark mentioned in a long time. I use to recommend Passmark hardware and software packages to students for use in field testing pc components and I/O ports. Their USB port test can recognize a USB port with a weak power or data connection better than any other test I'm aware of.
Interesting device, looks really cool with the USB monitoring. A bit expensive for me though - I bought one of the testers below, which works well enough for me. Gotta be careful with it though, since it's possible to dial up a 4.5amp load which can easily fry a computer USB port - USB2 ports are usually limited to 500ma max and USB3 can be as low as 900ma.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.
The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.
The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.
Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!
Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.
Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean