What ram do I buy for XPS 17 L702x?

What do I buy ? I know ddr3 but I DONT want anything that would slow me down any cause the speed or whatever not good on the RAM thing.

This one Newegg.com - Kingston 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 Laptop Memory Model KVR1333D3SO/4GR

or this one? Newegg.com - Crucial 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Laptop Memory Model CT51264BC1067

 

1333Mhz is all you need since no matter what XPS you get it won't use above that.

 

is this a good brand? Newegg.com - CORSAIR 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 Laptop Memory Model CMSO4GX3M1A1333C9

 

Well thats what I ordered

 

Kingston, Crucial, Corsair are all good memory brands

 

I went for the HyperX 1866Mhz RAM - Windows rating went from 5.6 to 7.6. I understand there are reports that the HyperX give additional speed even though the bus operates at 1333Mhz.

ANDREW

 

My 1333 Mhz GSkill is also at 7.6

 

It's the additional memory that boosts the score, for most people the increased speed isn't making any difference in the 702x.

 

HyperX is basically useless on the XPS since Dell has locked the RAM speed to 1333 max. Yes, you might get slightly lower timings with the HyperX downclocked, but not worth roughly double the price IMO, the speed difference isn't really noticeable. And yes, 8GB RAM will net you a 7.6 in the XPS. Also bumps the Windows graphics score up to 6.8/6.9 depending on the GPU...

I went through 2 packs of 2x4GB 1333MHz Crucial RAM that both had issues in my system. I got tired of that game and ordered 2x4GB Corsair and they worked great. That said, Crucial IS great RAM, I almost always get Crucial, I guess I just got 2 bad packs in a row or something else weird was going on (the system refused to stay stable for more than about 2 minutes with both sticks in, it was fine with one...I tired of troubleshooting ).

 

I got two of these, no problems so far.


Newegg.com - Patriot Signature 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Laptop Memory Model PSD34G13332S

 

Might I ask why people get different RAM from what comes with the system?

 

Dell massively overcharges for RAM upgrades. Many get the minimum they can from Dell then buy good stuff for cheap on Newegg and the like. For example, Dell wanted like $150 to upgrade from 4GB to 8GB. You can get 8GB for half that easily...

 

I see. I was looking at the "Impressive Value" configuration of the xps 17 where 6GB is standard and you can upgrade to 8GB for $60.

A bit of an overcharge I'm sure, but nothing horrendous.

 

Except 2 x 4GB sticks of ram can easily be had for $60 shipped. By not upgrading, you get 6GB of extra ram that you can use for your other laptop/netbook.

My replacement XPS 15 came with 6GB, I swapped it out for 8 GB then stuck 6GB into my Lenovo x120e netbook.

 

Of course, most people only have 1 laptop. I'm not strapped for cash so again, saving a few bucks when you are shelling out over $1500 is a bit like the difference between a 2.9 ghz and 3.0 ghz processor...fast is fast and the difference is negligable. Now, if you could pop 10 or 12MB of RAM in and actually make good use of it, I could see the argument.

I read a review of the xps 15 which said it was terribly difficult to get inside and do things like add RAM. Is the XPS17 any easier?

 

The 17 is a piece of cake to add HDD or RAM. One screw to pull off the bottom hatch and you see both Hard Drive bays and the RAM slots. That's all you have to do to get at the RAM, for the HDDS, you have to unscrew the caddies form the mobo. Still pretty simple, nothing like the XPS 15.

 

Changing RAM on XPS 15 is as simple as changing it on XPS 17. Unscrew one plate on the bottom.

However, changing XPS 15 hard drive is relatively more difficult. You have to popout the power trim/touchpad (which is easy but not unscrew 4 screws easy).

 

Yea, HDD is what I meant for the 15. RAM is an easy switch on just about every computer out there, with the exception for a few sticking some of the slots under keyboards...

 

That's great to hear! I take it there are only two slots to hold RAM? I don't recall anyone saying anything about totalling 10 or 12MB though that extra would probably be mostly wasted. Since you can't get beyond the 1333 RAM, I was thinking a little extra might go a ways towards 'approximating' the 1600 RAM in some applications.

 

Two slots in all but the XPS 17 3D system. Theoretically you might be able to use 8GB sticks, but they are crazy expensive and kinda pointless...Get the full 2x4GB upgrade either through Dell or aftermarket via Newegg or the like (highly recommend getting it yourself, you'll save a bunch of money and you can sell the old sticks if you want and probably get most of the money back!).

 

You can buy 8GB single DIMM strips from Samsung but they're going to cost you $600/ea. I have 2x4GB strips of 1333 Crucial and I get 7.6 Memory and 6.9 graphics. I might get an SSD at some point but I don't see the need at the moment.

 

I just ordered the XPS 17 with 3D screen, 2630 processor and 2x2GB ram.

There are supposed to be 4 ram slots present and I would like to upgrade to 12GB ram by adding 2x4GB Corsair DDR3-1333 sticks.

Is this a good idea or is it safer to add 2x2GB?

 

Should be fine. Just make sure you have the 4 slots before you order, Dell likes to claim 4 RAM slots, but you only get it with Quad i7, 3D screen, 555m GPU. Sounds like you might be good though, you have 2 of the 3 mentioned.

When adding the RAM sticks, make sure you populate both channels with equal amounts just to ensure Dual-Channel works correctly. Channel one is one bay, Channel 2 the other. Put one of each size stick in each bay, the same one on top on both sides. It will work in any configuration, but this will get you the best performance.

 

Heres mine now from 4 to 6 and now to 8

 

Yeah I went into a chat session before I ordered my non-3D XPS and asked if it came with 4 slots....the sales rep of course said yes. I knew it only came with 2 but now I had a record of them saying it had 4. Sooo after I got my XPS I went into another chat session and said Dell lied to me saying it had 4 and I was going to send it back for a refund. I graciously excepted the $100 coupon they offered and I just ordered a SwissGear Pegasus Backpack ($79.99) & Targus HD3 Gaming Chill Mat ($56.99)... for $17.58 using the $100 coupon plus 10% & 20% off coupons Love working the system

 

Well played sir. Meant to ask what you did when it came, I saw your comment that you were waiting to yell