is it easy to upgrade ram in dell laptop

Sephiroth_dude

hey
i have a dell xps m1710 laptop,and i was wondering if anyone knew if it was expensive or worth the hassle to upgrade the ram to say 2gigs,i currently have 1024mb which is grand seeing as most of the games im playing at the moment only require 512mb,but games like crysis(requires 1gig for xp 1.5 for vista),bioshock,and more than likely cod4 and any games out next yr will require me to have a 1 gig of ram or more,any help would be much appreciated
cheers!

trout

On that model the RAM slots are on the underside, remove one screw and you're done.
It's well covered in the manual, and also on the Dell website.

There are two SODIMM slots under a square cover, dead centre of the underside.
RAM in these slots should be matched in terms of speed & size.

If you check your machine, you will have 2x512 Mb SODIMMS in the two slots. To increase your RAM you will have to replace these with 2x1Gb or 2x2Gb SODIMMS. You may be able to sell the 512 Mb sticks privately, to recoup some of the money.

If you've ever installed RAM in a desktop PC, the process is the same. Be aware, there is always a risk of damaging the RAM or your Laptop, so follow safe static procedures, you'll get an overview with the memory packaging, and there is also a section in the manual called Adding & Replacing parts which covers the safety aspects.

Having said that ... it's a straightforward process.

You can buy additional memory from Dell, but if you are already out of warranty you should shop around ... you may find a good deal on SODIMM DDR II sticks elsewhere. You should pickup 2Gb sticks for around 120 euros.

Good luck

matt-dublin

Service guide:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xpsm1710/en/SM/memory.htm#wp999869

big_show

try crucial.com , cheap as chips

Sephiroth_dude

Cheers for that dudes.....i mite bring it somewhere and pay someone to do it,id be to nervous being honest ,to be honest i did'nt think you could change the memory in a laptop

Ruu_Old

It is really a 5 minute job. Crucial.com as mentioned is great for RAM and will give you some that is compatible with your machine, shop4memory.com are also pretty good.

Conor108

Dell seem to charge alot for RAM on laptops. I was building an m1710 on the website for fun like I didn't buy it and to add 4gigs of RAM it was 664 euro!

Sephiroth_dude

664 euro?:O Thats pricey but sure thats how dell make there money......sorry if this is a stupid question but if i got 4gigs of ram that would run ok on my laptop ya?like once i have it in and i turn on the laptop everything would fine,my laptop would be able to handle it?

Ruu_Old

Yep, the laptop you have will accomodate 4GB but I think there are restrictions with Windows XP (unless you have 64bit version but I could be wrong).

mathias

Thats right , 32 bit XP or Vista will only see about 3.2 gig of the 4GB installed.

32 Bit OS's can only address about 4 GB of memory and it has to save some of that for system devices so will ignore some of the memory.

64 bit XP or Vista will see it all.

Sephiroth_dude

hmm not sure what version of xp i have......also was poking out around there earlier and somehow got on into my system properties and it says i have 1gd of ram even though i counld have sworn when i was ordering the laptop i just stuck with the 1024mb....also in that system properties menu it says i have "version 2002,service pack 2"is that the 32 bit version or the 64 bit version does anyboby know?

cheers for the help by the way

WellyJ

Sephiroth_dude wrote:

hmm not sure what version of xp i have......also was poking out around there earlier and somehow got on into my system properties and it says i have 1gd of ram even though i counld have sworn when i was ordering the laptop i just stuck with the 1024mb....also in that system properties menu it says i have "version 2002,service pack 2"is that the 32 bit version or the 64 bit version does anyboby know?

cheers for the help by the way

Pretty sure its 32bit.

And 1024mb IS 1GB of ram.

Sephiroth_dude

heh ya just realised that this morning man is my face red :P

AlmightyCushion

Sephiroth_dude wrote:

hmm not sure what version of xp i have......also was poking out around there earlier and somehow got on into my system properties and it says i have 1gd of ram even though i counld have sworn when i was ordering the laptop i just stuck with the 1024mb....also in that system properties menu it says i have "version 2002,service pack 2"is that the 32 bit version or the 64 bit version does anyboby know?

cheers for the help by the way

I seriously doubt you have the 64bit version. You'd know if you did.

dulpit

Ya, you need to go our of your way to get the 64-bit versions of Windows, right?

Also, 1024mb = 1gb (it's to do with binary & stuff...)

here.from.day.1

Upgrading the Ram in this thing is the easiest thing you can do, theres no need to pay anyone to do it. Just take your time and follow the instructions and your set.

I recently got a 2GB SoDimm from www.memoryc.ie which was the cheapest (and only place stocking single 2GB modules!) I could find. Anyway good luck in your ventures.

Sephiroth_dude

cheers man ^^^^^^^^^^

is it DDR2 SO-DIMM RAM IM looking for or is it DDR SO-DIMM OR does it make a difference?

here.from.day.1

Yes - PC2-5300/So Dimm/667mHz/DDR2.

DDR runs at 333mHz, DDR2 runs at 667mHz. Your machine is capible of DDR2 so make sure whichever one you do buy is DDR2.

This is the exact one I bought: Click.

You mentioned you currently have 1GB installed, this means you have two 512MB modules in the machine at the minute. To get up to 2GB Ram (your cheapest upgrade option) you to buy two 1GB modules, to get to 3GB you would need a 1GB and a 2GB module (may not run dual channel, not a big problem though) and obviously enough to get to 4GB you need two 2GB modules (not exactly cheap, limited to 3.25GB etc.)

Going from 1GB to 2GB you should notice quite a difference, so should suit you fine, upgrading from 2GB - 3/4GB the increase in performance is not so noticable.

This is along the lines of what you are looking for: 2 1GB modules, the specifications are correct for your machine.

Sephiroth_dude

thanks been most helpful ,have you an xps to?

here.from.day.1

I do indeed, great machine. New one is out on the 27th of August but it looks a state.

Sephiroth_dude

is it on the website?i got my last december,when did you get yours?

here.from.day.1

No. Its out on the 27th in America so id imagine it would not be long after that it would be available here. I got mine in June, im glad I did as the new M1730 comes with a nvidia 8600 GS which cant touch the 7950 GTX altough SLI is an option im sure it will be extremely expensive. Also the 1730 is quite a bit thicker than the 1710 due to the SLI support and its quite a bit uglier too.

Dell XPS M1730 spotted in the wild?

New Dell XPS M1730 pics pop-up

petes

Don't like the look of the 1730 much.

RoyalMarine

bought the m1710 myself. 2gb inside. going to upgrade to 4gb in a few weeks.

on that note, if any one wants, my brother is coming home from germany, and if anyone wants ddr2 ram, he wont mind picking it up. ( saves on delivery right! )
he's home mid september.

here.from.day.1

petes wrote:

Don't like the look of the 1730 much.

Thats the general concensus alright.

Clone

Hi All,

I've ordered my XPS M1710 last week, it has been delayed a week so I have resorted to reading all about to keep me sane while I wait. Can't Wait!!

FYI
Going back to the memory upgrade, on the crucial website there is a utility that will scan your hardware and bring up a cut down list of all hardware that will go into your lap/desk top; makes it easier if your not sure what RAMM etc. goes into your PC, they're great for price and delivery.

here.from.day.1

Clone wrote:

Hi All,

I've ordered my XPS M1710 last week, it has been delayed a week so I have resorted to reading all about to keep me sane while I wait. Can't Wait!!

FYI
Going back to the memory upgrade, on the crucial website there is a utility that will scan your hardware and bring up a cut down list of all hardware that will go into your lap/desk top; makes it easier if your not sure what RAMM etc. goes into your PC, they're great for price and delivery.

Yea Crucial arent bad but there are cheaper. Once you figure out what type of ram you have in your system its very easy to figure out what type of ram you can use. A utility like CPU-Z can tell you this quite quickly.

Yea I remember the anxiousness before getting mine haha, try looking at videos on youtube or searching m1710 over here. Enjoy!