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    Looking to Upgrade RAM

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by derin11, Dec 9, 2012.

  1. derin11

    derin11 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I currently have a m17x r3, 460m GTX, 8gb ram, core i7 2.2ghz. Windows 7 64bit

    I wanted to upgrade my RAM to a 16GB or 32GB kit with heatsheilds. Can anyone give me a link to the proper RAM for my system?

    Thank you!
     
    derin11, Dec 9, 2012
    #1
  2. Dusk Star

    Dusk Star Notebook Consultant

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    To the best of my knowledge, laptop ram does not use heatshields... But if you want to upgrade your ram, I would recommend buying a 2x8gb kit, and swapping out only two of your ram modules. Dell's 8gb is installed as 4x2gb, so you will end up with 20gb total. In terms of what ram to use, just search Newegg and look for something with good reviews. Also, stuff like this goes on sale for really good discounts- I got a set of G-Skill for $35, 2x8gb, 9-9-9-24 timings.

    Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Memory, Laptop Memory, 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM, 16GB (2 x 8G)
     
    Dusk Star, Dec 9, 2012
    #2
  3. derin11

    derin11 Notebook Enthusiast

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    so your saying only swap out the 2 modules by the battery with 8gb each slot? and leave the 2x2gb underneath the keyboard
     
    derin11, Dec 9, 2012
    #3
  4. Dusk Star

    Dusk Star Notebook Consultant

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    Well, why get rid of ram you don't have to? Not to mention getting to ram slots 3&4 is a major pain.
     
    Dusk Star, Dec 9, 2012
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  5. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Just be aware that the ram will default to the slowest speed of any installed sticks you have.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Dec 9, 2012
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  6. derin11

    derin11 Notebook Enthusiast

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    im assuming 8gb kit from factory is 1333mhz? would it support 1600mhz?
     
    derin11, Dec 9, 2012
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  7. Dusk Star

    Dusk Star Notebook Consultant

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    The original would probably OC to support 1600, but comes stock supporting only 1333 and lower. And anyways, your CPU doesn't. (at least not officially)

    The difference in performance is almost nonexistent anyways...
     
    Dusk Star, Dec 9, 2012
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  8. James D

    James D Notebook Prophet

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    Yeah, officially it doesn't but who cares if in real life it does?
    And if you are talking about that kind of perfornance difference like decoding , gaming, archieving then yeah, difference is small like 2-4%. But if we are talking about general experience and difference in feeling, using laptop overall then it definitely is.
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...m-full-speed-help-screenshots-appreciate.html
     
    James D, Dec 9, 2012
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  9. Dusk Star

    Dusk Star Notebook Consultant

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    You know, I completely forgot about the ram overclocking menu... Time to update my signature! (running at 1600 now, might up it to 1866 later if it ends up being stable)
     
    Dusk Star, Dec 9, 2012
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  10. James D

    James D Notebook Prophet

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    1866 on 1333? I doubt even with CL12.
     
    James D, Dec 9, 2012
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  11. Dusk Star

    Dusk Star Notebook Consultant

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    Better to try and end up getting an annoying BSOD or two than to not try in the first place, right?
     
    Dusk Star, Dec 9, 2012
    #11
  12. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I've done it.

    It was stable enough to get into windows, but wouldn't pass the intel XTU mem stress test.
     
    moral hazard, Dec 16, 2012
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  13. Alienware-L_Porras

    Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative

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    They'll all work on the lowest speed one. It is always better to match the speeds to avoid any issues. If you need upgrades for this an any other component you can get them by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
     
    Alienware-L_Porras, Dec 18, 2012
    #13