Ram 4GB vs 6GB

Hi again, I was near to do my Dell xps order and i have one last quiestion.

is real neccesary uptade from 4gb to 6 gb ?

the laptop spec will be I7 2630qm gt540m o a win 7 home premiun

waht do you thinks? is much better upgrade to the 6gb ram for (60us) or not?

thanks again

 

what do you use the computer for?

i personally never really seen my computer use over 2gb unless im playing a game...but some ppl need 6gb for video editing and stuff.

check this thread for advice

http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/565170-how-much-ram-everyone-buying.html

most ppl seem to buy the minimum and then plan for an upgrade later as buying ram not from dell is cheaper

 

As stated, it really depends on what you are doing. More RAM can never hurt, but if you never hit the upper limit then it really doesn't matter.

 

if 4 gigs isn't enough, I suspect that 8 gigs is a better solution than 6

 

There's no need to mention because if you don't know how much memory bandwidth you need, then whatever you have is more than enough.

But....6GB uses a 4GB/2GB kit, so there is only a "fake" dual-channel. You get more bandwidth than single-channel, but less than dual-channel. Unless the new models have 3/4 DIMM slots, so maybe 2x3GB?

 

I upgraded from 4 to 6 because of a bad stick of ram. I see no real difference.

 

Don't bother upgrading via Dell. They charge ridiculous prices on ram upgrades.

Just go to newegg.com and you should be able to get 8gb of ram for $60-80 bucks. Then just install it yourself or get a friend.

 

Yes, listen to homeruner.
There's only one rule when buying a Dell laptop: NEVER ever get ram from Dell. They charge ridiculous prices and upgrading ram yourself is almost as easy as switching a battery.

 

It's true.

Go with 4GB. If you're concerned, monitor your ram usage when you get the laptop, and if necessary, upgrade for less money later.

 

Just a few things, whenever you have two sticks, irregardless of what amounts they are, you will run in dual channel. There is nothing fake about it. The only difference is that when you have matched amounts, it's called synchronous dual channel (as opposed to asynchronous, which runs synchronous dual channel on the amount of the smaller stick). Also, there is no such thing as a 3GB stick of memory. AFAIK no Dell machine has 3 DIMM slots (only a few makers with desktop CPUs have this), though their 17" Precision has 4 DIMM slots. The rest are 2 DIMM slots.

 

Yeah, I have 6GB, but that is only because it was the minimum amount that Dell was selling with the EPP package at the time. 4GB runs full dual-channel, and the extra 2GB is only half-speed. It's kinda silly. Save yourself money and get the 4GB, and if it later feels slow to you, then buy your own 8GB from newegg.com. Dell charges you more to upgrade from 4GB to 6GB then it costs to buy a brand new 8GB kit elsewhere.

 

The 6GB RAM upgrade on Dell costs $60
an 8GB RAM kit on Newegg costs $80, and you get to keep your old 4GB kit as well.

I say save your money for the B+RGLED 1080p display and upgrade the RAM later. The 1920x1080 display is the most important upgrade, and it's what makes the Dell XPS 15 worth it. Don't stick with the 1366x768 screen. It's really difficult to find the exact part and upgrade it later, whereas the CPU and RAM parts are easy to find.

 

8 gigs shipped from newegg $64.99

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Laptop Memory Model F3-8500CL7D-8GBSQ

 

That DDR3 is clocked at 1066MHz, and the memory I was talking about was 1333MHz. 8GB (2x4GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 generally costs around $80, and since all SandyBridge processors support 1333Mhz I generally recommend going with 1333MHz memory if you can.

 

i wasnt disputing you i just happened to see it at newegg today. a good deal for those interested and reading this thread.

 

Thanks for the clarification.

What I'm talking about is Intel Flex Memory, which may just be a marketing name for what you're talking about.

I did not know that about 3GB sticks; I just looked it up and, yup, those 3GB kits I was talking about are just 1GBx3.

2 DIMM slots, all right; I'll keep that in mind.

~Ibrahim~

 

i finally do my order:

1 225-0675 XPS 15
1 317-6408 2nd generation Intel Core i7-2630QM processor 2.00 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
1 317-6414 6GB,DDR3,2 DIMM
1 331-2465 Backlit Internal Keyboard - Spanish
1 320-1673 15.6FHD TLF B+RGLED LCD L501X
1 421-3874 Camera Software 2.X, Factory Install
1 421-3642 Basic Stage
1 421-4060 Fast Access Facial Recognition 3.0 SW Application
1 320-2120 NVIDIA GeForce GT540M 2GB graphics with Optimus
1 342-2369 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
1 318-0490 Elemental Silver Aluminum (WLAN)
1 420-6576 DELL WELCOME,Software Dimension/Inspiron
1 420-9691 DataSafe Local BackUp
1 420-6436 PC-Restore, Dim/Insp
1 330-6222 Windows 7 Label
1 421-1384 Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, SPANISH
1 421-0092 DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
1 421-0757 Skype VOIP Application
1 421-4289 Dell Support Center Software 3.0
1 318-0392 Windows Live Wave 4
1 331-1674 Resource DVD (L502X)
1 430-4038 Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card
1 410-1883 Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 Multi-Language
1 318-0427 8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
1 318-0434 Roxio Creator Starter, FI
1 318-0138 JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
1 430-4047 Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1030 and Bluetooth 3.0
1 421-4736 Wireless Display Software
1 410-9452 McAfee Platinum, 30 Day, MUI
1 312-1186 92 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1 430-3893 No Mobile Broadband L501X
1 410-0487 Microsoft Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word and Excel with ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook
1 937-9312 Next Business Day Service Initial Year
1 937-9262 Dell Hardware Limited Warranty Service Inital YR
1 916-1247 NO WARRANTY YRS 2-3 (NBD) LA/BZ

I'm confused of the 6 GB of ram are "Shared Dual Channel DDR3 6GB" and what meas in the order "6GB,DDR3,2 DIMM" its the same? both of them are at 1333?

2 dimm = 2 rams of 3gb? or one of 2gb and other o 4gb?

Did u really believe it was an unnecessary expense? i mean upgrade 4gb to 6gb of ram for 60 US?

i gonna us this laptop for gamming

anyway its better have 6gb of ram than 4gb or not?

thanks

 

My question is... I've been told by a US Dell Representative that the RAM installed will most likely be Kensington. SO if I would like to upgrade later could 4 gb RAM from another brand, for instance Kingston, would work together with the Kensington RAM as nicely, or would I better get two 4 GB RAM from Kingston to replace the single 4 GB Kensington RAM?

 

@koca12

Look at sgogeta4's response. DIMMS only come in even-GB sizes. So, it's 2GB + 4GB. Both are @ 1333Hz. AFAIK, all memory in any computer have to be running at the same speed. I do not think you can independently set memory speed for each stick.

4GB vs 6GB: I didn't notice a difference.

@meurglys0

It isn't the brand that matters, but the SPD settings. Usually, if the timings/speed/voltage match your original stick, you're golden. You can find out your current SPD settings using CPU-Z.