Been quite some time since I have been here.

Hello again guys and gals, oldies and newbies!

I haven't been on here in quite some time now! With work and the kiddies, I think last time I was here my son was about to be born... cannot remember, but anyways.

I am in need of some advice/insight from people who have experience with 12G of RAM or more who use CAD and programs like it, as well as large files in Photoshop and other editing programs alike.

I would like to know what RAM you are using, and how much of a difference it was for you?

As for my M17x R3, it has the stock 4G still.

Besides that request, my overall experience with my M17x R3 has been pretty damn good, especially as of recently updating my ATI drivers. I WAS getting BSOD almost daily for awhile, then I realized I was on some OLD/stock I think drivers. Did an update and it fixed everything, I had also upgraded my BIOS to A08 I think it is, been awhile that I had done that. but yeah, they rig is doing great for having a daughter that likes to clean her hands off on it since it is so soft.. lol

 

Hi Zog,

welcome back.

I often work with large files when i shoot 14 megapixel pics with my slr camera. 12 megs of ram is more than enough.

i assume that you have ddr3 1333 that came stock with your m17x. I ordered my laptop with the default 4gigs of ddr3 1333 and I bought a 2x4gig ddr3 1333 sodimm kit for a total of 12 gigs of ram...this one:

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Laptop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSQ

I've been tempted to get more expensive 1600 or 1866 memory, but logic is preventing me from doing that. You won't see any practical performance increase going to 1600 or faster and perhaps 1-2% in a benchmark

 

Welcome back dude

 

Isnt it risky to remove the keyboard cover to fit in the ram in the slots there?

 

Nope. Its just a little more work.

Watch this video, its not hard at all.

Alienware M17X R3 Swapping RAM - Easy guide on changing RAM on the M17X R3 - YouTube

 

thanks! it wasnt that hard.

btw, are the screws on an alienware normal? or do u need some special screw driver.

Ill have to order everything including the cleaning kit and accessories from US when i order my lappy. Cuz we don't get much stuff in India

 

you should just need a smaller Philips head screw driver and you should be good to go.

 

And if you don't have one and you're going to go buy a small screwdriver for the job, get one with a magnetic tip. It will save you the pain of hunting down the screws that have fallen on the floor while you were trying to get them out of the holes. Because they will fall on the floor and the floor eats them and they are gone forever. I think it's one of the laws of physics. I'm pretty sure I saw that written down somewhere.

 

ZOG, welcome back!

 

I certainly would agree! whenever i open up something i end up losing atleast 1 or 2 screws.... Once they fall on the ground, they're gone -.-

Btw, im worried, wont the magnetic ones mess up the gear? as in since the screws are close to the gpu, cpu, hdd , ssd, ram ?

 

I don't think so. I've never had any trouble like that. The magnetic attraction of the tip of a screwdriver that size is minimal. It barely holds onto that tiny screw. At least that's how mine is. It's enough to hang onto the screw if my hands aren't really shaky but only just enough. I like the kind with the swivel part on the handle and a magnetic tip to hold onto the screw.

You know, I don't know what it is about those screwdrivers. If my hands are a little shaky the screws are falling right off of it but if I'm trying to get a screw off of it one handed to set it on the desk it's stuck on there like glue. Murphy's law I guess.

Also, the magnetic sensitivity of equipment is mythologically exaggerated in my opinion. I work in an industry where our process generates massive magnetic fields and we have no trouble at all with hard drives and things like that even when they are pretty darn close to the process. What it did screw up fairly regularly for us was CRT monitors which most people don't consider terribly sensitive to magnetism. Laptops and suchlike never presented much of a problem. We're talking magnetism that would take an eight pound sledgehammer away from you. I wouldn't go set my laptop on the magnetic field or anything but I don't worry too much about being five or ten feet away from it even though it is impressively strong. It's anecdotal evidence so take it for what its worth which isn't much.