Alienware m15x HDD and RAM Upgrade Questions

Hey Everyone,
Being new to the forums here I apologize in advance if I break any rules.

I am currently using a 2 Year old Alienware m15x and would like to upgrade it as soon as possible, but I am running into an issue.

Does the m15x use any specific type of RAM, or will a brand like corsair work fine?

Example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...5238&cm_re=corsair_ram-_-20-145-238-_-Product

Also, does the m15x use a specific type of HDD? Or could I just use any laptop hard drive?

And finally, this is more of an operating system question, if I am using Windows Vista 32-Bit, will it accept 4GB, or will it be forced to use less?

If it won't work, what is the max allowed in a 32-bit windows? In a 64-bit?

Thanks for your time.

 

Any brand of RAM should do, as long as it's DDR2 and at least PC2-5300 in a SODIMM (notebook) format. Note that you cannot use DDR3 - the pin layout is different, and it won't fit. You can use faster RAM than PC2-5300, but it will downclock to 5300 speeds, so just get the cheapest that's at least 5300 (unless you plan to overclock or otherwise play with your RAM, at which point you'll need someone else's advice). For the HDD, any 2.5" 9.5mm height notebook hard drive should work.

Your notebook will accept 4 GB no matter which OS you use, however, if you stick with a 32-bit OS, the OS will only be able to address and use about 3-3.5 GB if that memory, so any memory you have past that is "wasted". A 64-bit OS will be able to address far more memory than you could stuff in a m15x, so that's no longer a worry.

 

u need any DDR2-800 RAM which will work... now for the 32bit vs 64bit... u need a 64bit system to use the full 4GB... u'd be able to install the 4GB but 32bit OS will only see 3GB and use that much... anyways , a 64bit system is faster generally so ur better off getting that.. and get windows 7 ... it will be better than vista... now for hard drive any SATA hard drive will work... ur best bet will be 500GB Hitachi 7K500... which is fastest mobile hard drive.. of course u can get a soldi state drive which will be way faster and also have a bigger pricetag...