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M15x Aftermarket RAM

post #1 of 13
6/1/08 at 12:45am
Thread Starter 
I was shopping and i found a 2Gb stick of ram. I wanted to know:

1) If it's compatible W/ My M15x that should be coming in in the next few weeks.
Specs:
Centon
SO-Dimm, 200 Pin
DDR2-6677/533/400
"Compatible w/ PC2-5300, PC2-4200, PC2-3200, DDR2-667, DDR2-533, DDR2-440.

2)Does it void warranty

3) How to install. I do have experience in installing desktop Ram.

--Thanks
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post #2 of 13
6/1/08 at 12:49am
RAM is very easy to install... it will not void your warranty on ur computer just if they have to fix ur laptop and the aftermarket ram is the issue then they wont fix ur RAM and it would be up to u... If you buy you need to get like RAM like 2x1 gig or 2x2 gigs so you will have dual channel which is better...

Some people have used Geil or G. Skill Ram and it seems to work well and its not expensive either...
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post #3 of 13
6/1/08 at 12:39pm
Thread Starter 
Is the stock RAM that comes with the Alienware dual channel? And is 3 or 4Gb of average RAM faster than the 2GB that are already in the M15x?
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post #4 of 13
6/1/08 at 8:54pm
if it is the same size like 2x1 or 2x2 then it will be dual channel...
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post #5 of 13
6/1/08 at 9:32pm
Memory is memory, the single or dual channel is a motherboard function. The memory companies sell "dual memory kits" which are just matched sticks of memory.

As for the higher memory being helpful, 2G should be plenty, but as always the more memory the better.
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post #6 of 13
6/2/08 at 12:31am
Thread Starter 
Ok, assuming the M15x's MOBO supports duel channel RAM, i can replace one of the 1Gb sticks with the new 2Gb one, and eventually match it with any 2Gb stick?
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post #7 of 13
6/2/08 at 12:38am
I would get the same clock speeds...
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post #8 of 13
6/2/08 at 1:21am
Technically speaking, the more ram you have the slower it is (on a per lookup basis) because you have a larger "Table of Contents"(not the technical term haha) to search through.

Yet the more ram you have, the more can be stored there, equating to less lookups on the hard drive which are extremely slow compared to a ram lookup.

Speeds and sizes dont necessarily have to match, although this is sometimes the case, but there is increased performance when the sizes, speeds (bus and latency) and the manufacturer/brand are the same.

The most important thing to match is bus speed, everything else is measured in milli/micro/nano seconds and the only real world difference you will see is an increase in your e-penis.
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post #9 of 13
6/2/08 at 3:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by archalien View Post
Technically speaking, the more ram you have the slower it is (on a per lookup basis) because you have a larger "Table of Contents"(not the technical term haha) to search through.

Yet the more ram you have, the more can be stored there, equating to less lookups on the hard drive which are extremely slow compared to a ram lookup.
To rephrase what he said a little:

When you look up data, your processor first checks the cache, which is VERY fast. If the data isn't found there, it checks RAM next. RAM is not as fast as the cache, but much faster than your HD. Large amounts of RAM means you can store more there, so you don't have to check the HD as often. However, if the data being searched for is not in the RAM, it will take marginally longer to realize that and go search for it on the HD. But that should never be a reason to not get more RAM, as having more RAM is almost always better*.

* Unless you're running a 32-bit OS, in which case any RAM over 3gb won't be seen.


The process itself is trivial:
Turn off, unplug and remove battery.
Turn over and place on a soft surface.
Discharge yourself of electricity.
Use a screwdriver to remove the bottom center panel, something like 8 screws. Remember where EACH SCREW goes. There's 3 types of screws used, 2 of which look very similar but are not in fact the same.
Remove the bottom panel, spot the existing RAM, remove it, put in new RAM.
Do the above steps in reverse order to put your computer back together.
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post #10 of 13
6/2/08 at 2:17pm
Thread Starter 
So as long as were on the subject of upgrading my M15x, I was looking at this article is it possible to eventually upgrade the processor or graphics card. And is the hard drive user replaceable with any 2.5" SATA notebook drive?
You have to understand that i was working under a budget but want to be able to upgrade in the future. I have a fair amount of knowledge about desktop hardware but obviously don't know much about laptops.
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post #11 of 13
6/2/08 at 2:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wraith88 View Post
So as long as were on the subject of upgrading my M15x, I was looking at this article is it possible to eventually upgrade the processor or graphics card. And is the hard drive user replaceable with any 2.5" SATA notebook drive?
You have to understand that i was working under a budget but want to be able to upgrade in the future. I have a fair amount of knowledge about desktop hardware but obviously don't know much about laptops.
Yes, you will be able to replace your processor with another Penryn.

So in the future, when/if the X9000 becomes cheaper and they fix the overheating issues with them, you could buy one and swap it in.

The graphics card is MXM III, so yes you can also change that out... theoretically. MXM is a standard, but it's not followed very closely. But yes, if you buy the card through AW, you'll be able to upgrade to a 9800 or something in the future.

And finally, yes, the HD can be replaced.

Basically, anything besides the monitor for which you have multiple options for this computer, you can replace.

That includes the wireless mini-pcie card, keyboard, etc etc.
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post #12 of 13
6/2/08 at 3:49pm
Upgrading your cpu will void the warranty, but everything else you can upgrade.
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post #13 of 13
6/2/08 at 5:55pm
Dont expect a great upgrade path as, although delayed. Montevina platform parts from intel will hit this summer (Quad Core CPU, 1066mhz FSB, DDR3) all of which will terribly outclass even the best stuff you can throw into the 15x at the moment, none of which you will be able to upgrade to.

While most have attributed the overheating/cracking/downclocking to the x9000 cpu, the inability to handle its thermals may not bode well for replacing a faster hotter grfx card like m98/9900's.

I think the ONLY upgrade option that will not be severely outclassed in the next 2 months is the hard drive.

Of course you can upgrade all the specs the 15x currently has to their max but dont expect any future upgrades being unveiled as, as a platform all its max specs are already available, and all the newer upgrades will be targeted to the Montevina platform.
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