3 Things to Know About Mixing 8GB and 16GB RAM in a T480

It works fine The T480 supports flex mode, so the first 8GB of the 16GB stick runs dual-channel with the 8GB stick, and the remaining 8GB runs single-channel. You won’t notice the difference in everyday work, browsing, or light gaming.

24GB beats 16GB for real-world use A 2x8GB kit gives perfect dual-channel but caps at 16GB. The tiny performance bump from full dual-channel rarely matters unless you’re doing video editing or high-FPS gaming. More RAM is far more useful for juggling tabs, VMs, or Docker containers.

You can upgrade later If you outgrow 24GB, swap to 2x16GB sticks. For now, the bigger stick gives you more headroom without locking you into a dead end.