m17x RAM upgrade?

I am reading this page on the Kingston website about the memory configuration of Alienware m17x laptop which I am about to buy:

http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/con...re-M17x+Notebook&distributor=0&submit1=Search

When ordering the Alienware laptop from their website, it has a default of 4 GB of dual channel DDR3 RAM at 1033 Mhz. There are options to upgrade to 6 GB and 8 GB of dual channel DDR3 RAM at 1033 Mhz, but I read I should order (and install myself) the additional RAM directly from Kingston since Alienware charges a large amount for these upgrades compared to the price of ordering the RAM from Kingston.

My question is about the part on the Kingston website that says, "MODULES MUST BE ORDERED AND INSTALLED IN PAIRS for Dual Channel mode." I'm not really sure what that means I should do. If I order the laptop with the default of 4 GB of memory, and then order two units (i.e., a Qty of 2 in the shopping link for $45.00 each for a total of $90.00) of the KVR1066D3S7/2G memory module from Kingston that is linked to off Kingston's web page about the Alienware m17x laptop, and then install both 2 GB sticks in my laptop, is that the correct way to upgrade my laptop to 8 GB of memory? Or is there something else I need to do to make sure the dual channel works, like ordering a special kit?

I apologize if I have not used the right terminology. I have not done this before and just want to make sure I am ordering the right thing and was hoping someone here would be able to help since the people here seem to know a lot. Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

The RAM used in the Alienware is made by Samsung. Upgrading yourself will be cheaper but you need to make sure you get the same performance RAM than the Samsung offers.

 

Basically kingston is saying that it is best to use the same sticks in pairs for the dual channel setup to run correctly.

In theory this is the best choice, but you can match different vendor's sticks as long as they are the same specs (which is what really matters most).

 

Does anyone know if putting in two KVR1066D3S7/2G memory modules would work in the laptop?

It says on the page I linked to that they are

2GB 1066MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL7 SO DIMM

So they have the same speed (1066Mhz) as and are DDR3 like the memory that comes with the laptop. I don't know about the Non-ECC and CL7 stuff though. And I know that SO DIMM is just what laptops use for memory. Is that enough to mean it will work with the laptop? Does it matter if the laptop ships with two sticks of 2 GB Samsung memory and I put in two sticks of 2 GB Kingston memory?

 

no it would not matter but why would you buy it with 4 gigs then buy 4 gigs and end up with 4 gigs

you do know there is only 2 slots ....?

Any DDR3 ram WILL WORK!!!!!

 

Well the laptop comes with 4 GB of memory installed right? And it has two slots for adding more memory right? So I would order two sticks of RAM (aka memory modules), each with 2 GB of memory, and put them in the two slots. So wouldn't I end up with 8 GB of memory? I've seen your other posts around the forum The_Moo and you seem to know a lot so please help me out especially if I'm mistaken here! I think they just add up simply to give me 8 GB of total RAM?

 

you are VERY mistaken

there is only 2 slots

when you buy it you already have 2x 2 gig sticks in



so if you want 8 gigs you need to buy 2 4 gig sticks

 

So there are only two slots in the laptop, and they are both already USED when the laptop ships? So to get 8 GB of RAM I have to take their sticks OUT and put my sticks IN since there isn't any extra room?

 

yes

you need to buy 2 4 gig ddr3 sticks from newegg take out the ones it comes with then install the 2 4 gig sticks

 

to get 8gb of ram you need like around $350 per 4 gig stick from the building site atleast. id honestly wait a bit for prices to come down for that. but yes stick with either 2 2gb sticks or a 2gb and a 4gb. but 4gb is plenty really, in most cases id say. but im not a pro. Go read the building site and look again. but goto newegg like posted above.

 

Thanks guys. I will be sticking with 4 GB. Really happy I posted here, now I won't be wasting money on RAM sticks I don't even have slots for. I can't believe how expensive the 4 GB sticks are compared to the 2 GB sticks...

 

how do you mess up a ram upgrade?

I made a videot to do it as well

 

So Alienware just told me that I had 2 2GB 1033 SO DDR3 Dimms in my m17x. I thought they only used 1066...is there an easy way to verify this in Windows 7? I have Everest installed but can't find it in there.

I'm a little lost since Kingston doesn't seem to sell 4GB sticks of 1033 which I'd need two of if I wanted 8GB of ram...

 

why you need 8gb? ram that is the question you need to ask yourself, if you really need it you should wait until the prices come down because 4gb modules are super expensive

 

8GB for a laptop is really too much, Most high end desktops go for 6 GB because you really dont need more at this point.

What dont you put on video hehe.

 

Am I the only one that sees the irony in saying "you don't need really need 8GB" when both of you own some of the most disgustingly powerful (and expensive) gaming laptops on the market?

Let's not kid ourselves. We need it for the same reason we need our m17x's.

Now if someone could answer my previous question I'd appreciate it. I want to get my extra 4GB of ram dammit!

 

You're completely mistaken. The extra processor power is usable. The extra graphics power is usable. The extra RAM does absolutely nothing. Unless you're doing some ridiculous emulation/etc, you don't need it. At all.

 

Different users have different usage profiles. I'll be running 4 simultaneous VMs + web development tools (Adobe CS), a ColdFusion server, SQL server, not to mention all of the other background processes and crap. Some people can and will use 8 GB of RAM for multi-tasking. Is this a normal usage profile? Of course not, but there are a lot of "not normal" users in this forum.

 

You could open the system and count the chips. If you have 2 chips and you have 4gb of ram then there ya go. 2gb per chip. Have you checked the BIOS? It would have the most info on the chips loaded.

 

I know I have 2 chips of 2GB, what I don't know is the other specs of the ram to make sure I buy something compatible. I'm also having a hard time finding 1033mhz ram in the size I want for this machine...

 

Ok I'll answer your question. They were wrong. It's not 1033MHz, its 1066MHZ that you have. You can install either 4-8GB of 1066 or 1333 DDR3 204pin RAM.

 

Hey someone told me it was possible to put 14 gb dual channel ram into the m17x, I called bs cuz I thought that 8 was the max. Was there any truth to what he was saying?

 

^that someone is wrong. 8GB max

 

Yes, it's limited by the chipset, you can look it up on the Intel site.

 

Well you can't go to 14GB because the M17x only supports two dimms, and they only make 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB dimms, so theoretcally you can go to 16GB of RAM. Below is a screen shot from the Dell Precision M6500 customization menu. Given that the M17x is operating a 64bit OS, you can go above 8GB. Your limitation is going to be being limited to two dimms.

 

^ wow adding 32 GB is $8,669.00