Hi, can the 3350 be upgraded to 8 gigs? Is there an Express Card slot?

Hi, first post, had a question.

I am about to pull the trigger on a Dell Vostro 3350 w/ i5-2410M and the basic config, but wanted to upgrade the ram. Is 6 gigs the max allowed as shown on the Dell webpage where you customize the options or could I add a second 4 gig 1333 RAM to the second DIMM slot and get dual channel. Other than using a 64 bit OS like Windows 7, do I need to do anything in the bios to have all 8 gigs noticed and utilized? Thanks!

Oh, and is there an express card slot for the Vostro? I was wanting to add a firewire card for an audio interface. Thanks!

 

Welcome to the NBR forums!

Theoretically the chipset supports 8 GB, though Dell's site for some reason or another only lists 6 GB. Crucial lists 8 GB as the max, and I don't see a reason why it wouldn't accept 8 GB. Just get the cheapest 8 GB kit you can get or if you get a single 4 GB DIMM just get another 4 GB stick. As long as your machine POSTs and passes memtest, honestly it doesn't matter. All 8 GB should be recognized, unless you opt for the Intel HD GPU, then it will deduct VRAM from your RAM.

Tech specs don't show an ExpressCard slot, which isn't uncommon on entry level laptops.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome and post!

I do not game and wanted to make the laptop quite efficient, like eventually adding a SSD to reduce heat, power use, boot and app load times. That was my reason for the not opting for the ATI card. But now that I think about it, if I'm going to use this for audio, maybe I should get the card to reduce CPU stress and not have the onboard GPU. I would like to partition my drive for Linux, so I'd have to do some research on ATI drivers as well.

Thanks again, hope to add to these forums!

Edit: I was checking the gallery and on the left hand side of the laptop is a 8-1 card reader and express slot it says? If it is not on paper why is it the photo lol! I was watching some youtube videos I guess it does not, not a deal breaker! BTW, I'm somewhat computer knowledgeable but, what does it mean when you mention, "unless you opt for the Intel HD GPU, then it will deduct VRAM from your RAM"? Thanks!

Another edit: So the 3450 has an express card reader? I was looking at the specs on Dell's site and and says it does. Maybe that would be a better choice!