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    Quick Upgrade Question

    Discussion in 'Alienware 14 and M14x' started by Dan09, Oct 30, 2011.

  1. Dan09

    Dan09 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hello everyone, I ordered a M14 last week with the LCD upgrade, the i7 2670, and Killer Wireless-N 1103.

    The only upgrades I left out that I really would have liked were a RAM and SSD upgrade.

    As far as RAM goes I've been looking at these:

    Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 HyperX Plug n Play Laptop Memory Model KHX1600C9S3P1K2/8G

    Newegg.com - Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 Laptop Memory Model KVR1333D3SOK2/8GR

    Newegg.com - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model F3-12800CL11D-8GBSQ
    Any suggestions on which i should choose? Is 1333 drastically different than 1600?

    As far as an SSD goes, I'm totally clueless. All I know is I'd like to stay within the 100-120GB range if at all possible (in order to keep the cost down). Does anyone have any suggestions in that area?

    Thanks in advance! Any help is greatly appreciated. :D
     
    Dan09, Oct 30, 2011
    #1
  2. JimboJet

    JimboJet Notebook Guru

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    Corsairs force gt120gb seems like excellent value for money. Available for £123 from my usual online retailer. Good speeds and sata III! Not sure on how it would work with the m14x. Perhaps someone can clarify whether sata III is now working properly on the newer m14x's?
     
    JimboJet, Oct 30, 2011
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  3. PhAyzoN

    PhAyzoN Notebook Guru

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    A lot of folks around here recommend the HyperX RAM, and just as many say 4GB is plenty unless you're doing intense video editing. I ordered mine with 8GB so I'm neither of those parties :)

    As for an SSD, I got the 256GB Crucial M4 and it works great at SATA III speeds for me. I'd recommend the 128GB flavor if you're going to stay small and same some money.
     
    PhAyzoN, Oct 30, 2011
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  4. custom90gt

    custom90gt Doc Mod Super Moderator

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    I'd get the Gskills and a crucial M4 ssd
     
    custom90gt, Oct 30, 2011
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  5. Dan09

    Dan09 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Awesome, thanks for the ideas guys! Now I just have to play the horrible waiting game...My notebook is scheduled to be shipped Nov.1st and be delivered by the 11th (which seems like a crazy long shipping time, but meh).

    Does anyone know of any links to a guide/howto showing how to install RAM or a HD? I'm fairly competent, but still with a computer as expensive as this I'd rather err on the side of caution.
     
    Dan09, Oct 30, 2011
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  6. PhAyzoN

    PhAyzoN Notebook Guru

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    There's a thread around here that is a complete teardown/upgrade guide. Search is still broken or I'd link it to you. And, there's actually a PDF manual on your M14x that covers RAM and HDD upgrades. I havent checked but I imagine it'd be in the physical copy as well.
     
    PhAyzoN, Oct 30, 2011
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  7. Dan09

    Dan09 Notebook Enthusiast

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    One more question guys,

    Is it worth getting the 1866 RAM over the 1600? Is there a significant performance increase with my current CPU (i7 2670)?

    Thanks in advance!
     
    Dan09, Nov 11, 2011
    #7