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    RAM for the 17x R3

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by grossman, Jul 29, 2011.

  1. grossman

    grossman Newbie

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    Hi guys.
    I'm purchasing the famous 17x R3, and I would like to upgrade the RAM.
    I think there are 2 cards connected the the motherboard, but I would like to know what frequency I can use (1333MHz, 1600MHz, 1866MHz ???).

    Thanks to all,

    grossman.
     
    grossman, Jul 29, 2011
    #1
  2. livid

    livid Notebook Consultant

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    Your gaming performance won't be affected by memory speeds (and hush to those that say different or call BS. It's been proven in various reviews).

    Many people here are using Kingston HyperX DDR3-1866 in their notebooks, and the i7 will use it at that speed. For a 2-3 FPS difference in games, it's not worth the money. Save your upgrades for a faster processor or higher end graphics.
     
    livid, Jul 29, 2011
    #2
  3. steve1ddd

    steve1ddd Notebook Evangelist

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    just to add a comment.... if you are ADDING ram, use all the same exact speed and preferably brand......if you are replacing, you can go with the higher speeds.
     
    steve1ddd, Jul 29, 2011
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  4. TostitoBandito

    TostitoBandito Notebook Evangelist

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    If you want to upgrade from the 1333 stock RAM, the 1600 Kingston HyperX plug and play is probably the best bet unless you want to spend a lot more for 1866. 8GB of the 1600 runs about $110 from Newegg, I think.
     
    TostitoBandito, Jul 29, 2011
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  5. ewitte12

    ewitte12 Notebook Evangelist

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    You can get 16GB of 1333 for around the same price
     
    ewitte12, Jul 29, 2011
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  6. BruteLeo

    BruteLeo Notebook Enthusiast

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    would 16gb of ram even make a difference in performance over 8gb or the difference not be noticeable?
     
    BruteLeo, Jul 29, 2011
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  7. james_2k

    james_2k Notebook Evangelist

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    not unless you do some crazy video editing or massive multitasking
     
    james_2k, Jul 29, 2011
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  8. ewitte12

    ewitte12 Notebook Evangelist

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    I'm using it for everything including work so yes I will use it :D Hope I can get ESX working off USB boot for testing. They just released 5. We don't want to experiment with clients yet. Plus I edit 1080/60p in Premiere pro.
     
    ewitte12, Jul 29, 2011
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  9. giantclam

    giantclam Notebook Enthusiast

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    Outside of 4GB the rest won't be noticed for gaming or general use. Doubt a 1600 is noticeably different to a 1333.
     
    giantclam, Jul 29, 2011
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  10. ewitte12

    ewitte12 Notebook Evangelist

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    Its also a "why not?" situation. You could just get 4GB and add 8GB for $55 and that gives you 12GB. Especially since 4 --> 16GB on Dell's website costs $360. Crazy.
     
    ewitte12, Jul 29, 2011
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  11. CleanSweep

    CleanSweep Notebook Geek

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    Having 12gb disables dual channel memory, that is not a good idea. I would replace your modules with 8gb of 1600 HyperX PnP, it is the best you can get for your notebook, unless you want to pay extra for 1866 which is not worth it. If you want 16gb of memory just get two 8gb kits, I havent had any problems with this memory yet!
     
    CleanSweep, Jul 30, 2011
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  12. ewitte12

    ewitte12 Notebook Evangelist

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    Its not standard if it does. On most computers 2GB*2 and 4GB*2 is dual channel.
     
    ewitte12, Jul 30, 2011
    #12