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    Memory upgrade stock R3

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by ryan_calif, May 3, 2011.

  1. ryan_calif

    ryan_calif Notebook Consultant

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    I bought my R3 with 8gb. Alienware website says (4 dimms) for the 8 gb model... Does that mean they are using 4x2 configuration (4 2gb sticks) or 2x4 (2 4gb sticks)?

    Planning to upgrade to 16gb

    Ps: disregard the 12gb in my signature... That was my original goal :p
     
  2. HerrKaputt

    HerrKaputt Elite Notebook User

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    4 dimms means they use 4 modules of 2 GB each, which is 4x2.

    2x4 would mean using 2 dimms, i.e., 2 modules of 4 GB each.
     
  3. ryan_calif

    ryan_calif Notebook Consultant

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    Thanks... DDR3 Pc10600 204pin type right?
     
  4. bwrainey

    bwrainey Notebook Enthusiast

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    If you ordered 8GB of RAM from Dell/Alienware it most likely came as 4 DIMMs of 2GB each.

    Since your laptop came with 2GB sticks you would have to scrap it all and start fresh to get up to 16GB (4x4GB).

    If you wanted to upgrade to 16GB you would need to order 4 DIMMs of 4GB each, or two 2x4GB kits such as this:

    Amazon.com: Corsair 8 GB DDR3 Laptop Memory Kit CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9: Electronics

    Yes, the technical specs you would look for to match stock speed/type would be:

    RAM Memory Technology: DRAM, DDR3 SDRAM
    Form Factor: SO DIMM 204-pin
    Memory Storage Capacity: 8192.0 MB
    Memory Speed: 1333 MHz
    Memory Specification Compliance: PC3-10600