diff --git a/test/backend/test_schedule.py b/test/backend/test_schedule.py
index cf91290a9c..e4819bfe13 100644
--- a/test/backend/test_schedule.py
+++ b/test/backend/test_schedule.py
@@ -1018,7 +1018,8 @@ class TestSchedule(unittest.TestCase):
     a = Tensor.arange(16).contiguous().realize()
     GlobalCounters.reset()
     a[4] = 3
-    # TODO: update when this becomes lazy
+    self.assertEqual(GlobalCounters.kernel_count, 0)
+    a.realize()
     self.assertEqual(GlobalCounters.kernel_count, 1)
     self.assertListEqual(a.tolist(), [0, 1, 2, 3, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15])
 
diff --git a/test/backend/test_setitem.py b/test/backend/test_setitem.py
index 649757c90a..3f971202b6 100644
--- a/test/backend/test_setitem.py
+++ b/test/backend/test_setitem.py
@@ -162,6 +162,8 @@ class TestSetitem(unittest.TestCase):
     @TinyJit
     def f(t:Tensor, a:Tensor):
       t[2:4, 3:5] = a
+      # NOTE: without return t or an explicit realize, it's lazy and not captured
+      return t
 
     for i in range(1, 6):
       t = Tensor.zeros(6, 6).contiguous().realize()
diff --git a/tinygrad/tensor.py b/tinygrad/tensor.py
index e69db10c36..e529240135 100644
--- a/tinygrad/tensor.py
+++ b/tinygrad/tensor.py
@@ -1304,15 +1304,14 @@ class Tensor(OpMixin):
     if isinstance(v, Tensor) and v.dtype != self.dtype: raise RuntimeError(f"setitem dtype mismatch: {self.dtype=} != {v.dtype=}")
     if self.requires_grad or (isinstance(v, Tensor) and v.requires_grad): raise NotImplementedError("setitem with requires_grad is not supported")
     idx = [indices] if (isinstance(indices, list) and all_int(indices)) or not isinstance(indices, (tuple, list)) else list(indices)
-    is_disk = isinstance(self.device, str) and self.device.startswith("DISK")
     if any(isinstance(i, (Tensor, list, tuple)) for i in idx): # advanced setitem
-      if is_disk: raise RuntimeError("advanced setitem is not supported for DISK tensors")
+      if isinstance(self.device, str) and self.device.startswith("DISK"): raise RuntimeError("advanced setitem is not supported for DISK tensors")
       if not isinstance(v, Tensor): v = Tensor(v, device=self.device, dtype=self.dtype)
       self.assign(self._getitem(indices, v))
-    else: # basic setitem
-      if is_disk: self[indices].assign(v)
-      else:
-        self[indices].assign(v).realize()
+    elif self.uop.is_realized: # basic setitem, self is realized
+      self[indices].assign(v)
+    else: # basic setitem, self is not realized
+      self[indices].assign(v).realize()
 
   def __delitem__(self, indices) -> None:
     raise TypeError("Tensor does not support deleting items")