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I have a M17x-R2 with 4GB. Will 8Gb make much difference?

post #1 of 11
2/4/11 at 7:00pm
Thread Starter 
I was thinking about upgrading my M17x-R2 to 8GB DDR3 1333 memory.

My windows score on memory is a 5.9.

Will 8GB DDR3 1333 make a different that I will really notice? An will my system score on the memory go up past 5.9?

Thanks all!!!
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post #2 of 11
2/4/11 at 7:07pm
Depending on what you are doing, 4GB is plenty. And I don't think that more ram would move up the score, but better ram speed module is.

cheers ...
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post #3 of 11
2/4/11 at 7:20pm
Thread Starter 
What would be a better ram speed module?
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post #4 of 11
2/4/11 at 7:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RedFireFly View Post
What would be a better ram speed module?
You can install DDR3 1333 module in there if you have not done so. Download CPU-Z and see what it says. Sticking with brand name (crucial, kingston) can also be helpful

cheers ...
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post #5 of 11
2/4/11 at 7:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by qhn View Post
Depending on what you are doing, 4GB is plenty. And I don't think that more ram would move up the score, but better ram speed module is.

cheers ...
Using CPU-Z my memory timings are:

DRAM Frequency 532.1Mhz
FSBRAM 4:16
CAS# Latency (CL) 7.0 clocks
RAS# to CAS# Delay (tRCD) 7 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 7 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) 20 clocks
Row Refresh Cycle Time (tRFC) 60 clocks
Command Rate (CR) 1T

Not sure what all that means. The memory I was going to buy is this one :

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-DDR3-L...6859258&sr=1-1

What do you think as far as timing and speed difference? Thanks!!!
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post #6 of 11
2/4/11 at 7:47pm
It might improve system performance. According to CPU-Z you probably have DDR3 1066 modules in at the moment.

cheers ...
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post #7 of 11
2/4/11 at 7:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by qhn View Post
It might improve system performance. According to CPU-Z you probably have DDR3 1066 modules in at the moment.

cheers ...
Thanks!!!
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post #8 of 11
2/4/11 at 7:55pm
A couple things to keep in mind:

You are only likely to notice a performance improvement with a RAM upgrade if you're regularly using over half of your available RAM. If you're only using 1.5GB out of 4 on a regular basis, then you're probably not going to see much of a benefit.

Also, only the quad-core i7 processors support 1333 Mhz RAM. I believe the dual-core variants only support up to 1066 Mhz, so if you have a dual-core processor, you might be as fast as you can go.
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post #9 of 11
2/4/11 at 8:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Djembe View Post
A couple things to keep in mind:

You are only likely to notice a performance improvement with a RAM upgrade if you're regularly using over half of your available RAM. If you're only using 1.5GB out of 4 on a regular basis, then you're probably not going to see much of a benefit.

Also, only the quad-core i7 processors support 1333 Mhz RAM. I believe the dual-core variants only support up to 1066 Mhz, so if you have a dual-core processor, you might be as fast as you can go.
Mines a i5 processor so that could be why the memory is not running at 1333 like it should be. So i'll hold off on the memory. Thanks!!!
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post #10 of 11
2/4/11 at 8:20pm
Thread Starter 
One more question.

What do you guys think of this hard drive:

Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s 32 MB Cache 2.5 Inch Solid State Hybrid Drive ST95005620AS-Bare Drive

Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Moment...dp/B003NSBF32/

Thanks again!!!
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post #11 of 11
2/4/11 at 9:00pm
The Momentus XT has received pretty good reviews. It's a good performer as long as you don't expect it to act like an SSD all the time.
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