Is it possible to add RAM to Samsung ATIV One 5 all-in-one computer?

rritoch · Oct 7, 2014

It is my wife's computer that has become slow so I would like to add RAM to it. We've taken it to two service centers that are authorized Samsung service centers and neither of them know how to open the thing. I suspect the way into it is in the base but I'm an IT/MIS professional who doesn't think twice about scratches. My wife is very particular about scratches and doesn't want to risk me opening it and I'm hesitant to open it because it's still under warranty. We're completely frustrated that not even the service centers know how to open it. Is there a way into these computers, and if so is it possible to upgrade it to 8gb ram?

rritoch · Oct 7, 2014

anonymous1 :

The link you provided is a different model, I watched the youtube video on how that model is opened and it isn't similar enough to get into this computer. This computer is model DP505A2G and other than the base it has no visible screws. It also has no access panels for the hard drive or RAM. The only perceivable access panel is to the speakers near the base. The service center says the metal frame around the computer normally has a space to insert a screwdriver but this particular computer doesn't have one.

Here is a link to the model.

http://www.samsung.com/hk_en/consumer/computer-peripherals/personal-computers/ativ-one/DP505A2G-K01HK?subsubtype=ativ-one-5

starhopper · Nov 26, 2014

First, lay the computer screen face down on a table (I put a soft towel down to avoid scratches). Use a thin metal "spudger" (search for "metal spudger open pry tool" on ebay) as your tool to remove the back cover. Starting at the lower right, bottom side of the back of the computer near where it meets the stand (position #1 on the second pic), insert the blade of the spudger about 1/2" deep between the white plastic of the cover and the chrome band of trim at a 45% angle (see first pic). It will take some moderate amount of force to get it in there. Push down on the handle of the spudger to pry open the back of the cover (you'll hear "clicks") and do this all the way around the circumference of the cover to where it ends on the other side of the stand. Go in order of the numbers on the second pic. It's very similar to opening a can of paint with the little paint can opener! I actually used my fingers to slowly pull it open after I had snapped open the bottom right corner - it sort of makes an "unsnapping" sound as you pull off the back cover. Once you have the back cover removed, you have to remove a metal shield that covers the ram slots - this requires a small phillips head screwdriver. There are about 6 or seven screws holding it in place. You must carefully remove the wire wi-fi antenna that is attached to little rubber bumpers on the shield before you can lift the shield off. Be careful to not pull the wi-fi antenna out of it's connectors on the motherboard while doing this.

Getting the back cover back ON the computer took more force than getting it off! You have to press fairly hard with your thumb all the way around the cover, and you'll hear the clicking sounds as the cover snaps back into place.

Not difficult at all - took me all of about 10 mins to install ram.

WORD OF ADVICE: I wouldn't attempt to use a flathead screwdriver to do this - it may easily mar the edges - a spudger is only about $3 on ebay and is VERY thin, rigid, and has rounded edges so it doesn't ruin your plastic. It is much thinner than any screwdriver I own - even the ones I use for precision work.

Lyle

rritoch · Nov 27, 2014

starhopper :

Thank you for the elaborate response. We contacted Samsung about the problem and they contacted our local service center to instruct them on how to open the machine, probably the same instructions you just provided. The local service center said we had to wait for "some tool" to arrive, and they never said what type of tool was needed. We will probably have this done by the service center but it is very helpful to know how to do this ourselves in case the service center continues to have problems. The service center also told us it would take a day or two, so knowing it can be done in ten minutes will make it much easier for us to deal with the service center. My wife does online work and really can't go a few days without her computer which is why we haven't had it upgraded yet.

starhopper · Nov 27, 2014

You're quite welcome. The 4gb RAM stick costs me $42 on ebay. That, along with the $3 "spudger" brought my total cost to upgrade the RAM to $45.

While the RAM upgrade did speed up my system somewhat, what REALLY gave me a boost in speed was installing a 250gb Solid State Drive (SSD) that I bought online from Newegg for $99 last week. It's a Samsung EVO 840 model. I completely removed the very slow 1tb drive that came with the computer (that drive runs at 5400rpm - which is considered slow by any standard). Now, after pressing the power button, it's a matter of 10 seconds to get to the main screen (if that).

Even with the 8gb RAM and SSD, the system will never be very fast as it has a graphics chip that is integrated into the main CPU and it SHARES that RAM. I believe is uses at least 1gb of the RAM to operate. In my opinion, Samsung severely hobbled this machine when it decided to use the AMD processor with integrated graphics. Most of the better, faster computers have a "dedicated" graphics card that contains its own dedicated RAM. Unfortunately, this is not one of those machines. Remember, it's trying to render images on a HIGHDEF screen - and that requires some computing power.

Even now, web pages load slowly because the graphics engine is struggling to render (in HD) the graphics and videos that are imbedded in the webpages. These imbedded videos and pictures are increasing in number it seems (many are advertisements). You'll notice that when on these sites, your scrolling is not smooth, and it often lags.

In Windows 7, there is something called the "Windows Experience" number that tells you how your computer's speed compares to others running Windows 7. The highest number possible is 7.9 Well, they removed that function from Windows 8 - but the program is STILL in the system if you know where to find it! I ran it on this computer and got a score of 4.6 That is not a great score. The score reflects the speed of the slowest component in the computer. So, my SSD scored 7.9, and the CPU scored 5.9 - but the graphics scored 4.6 - hence the overall 4.6 score as the computer, even with a fast SSD and maxed out RAM, is slowed down by the graphics rendering engine.

Still, it is a nicely designed system and looks great in our Kitchen! Have a Happy Holiday

fabrice1k · Dec 9, 2014

Did you replace the original 4GB RAM stick or is there a second empty slot ?

starhopper · Dec 11, 2014

There was an empty slot for the additional 4gb stick.

BOSSYTEXASCHICK · Dec 26, 2014

starhopper :

All the ram i have tried does NOT work, not sure why. Can you list the EXACT RAM u purchased? (Even the ebay seller if you have it : ) Thank you!!!!

starhopper · Dec 26, 2014

i simply went on eBay and searched for the following...

Samsung 1Rx8 PC3L-12800S-11-12-B4

I purchased it from the vendor "lakeshorepc2010". - it is EXACTLY the same stick as what is in the first memory slot.

Legend100z · Jan 8, 2015

Hello, thank you for taking the time to post your upgrade process and to answer questions. Your posts have been truly helpful. I took your advice and ordered the 4gb ram and spudger. I however am truly a novice about hardware and when I went to Newegg to get the Samsung EVO 840 250gb ssd drive the search comes back with 30 items. You don’t happen to have the model number of the memory you used lying around do you?
Thanks Larry
larry.gerdts@paccar.com

starhopper · Jan 9, 2015

Larry - I purchased a Samsung Evo 840 250gbSSD, model MZ-7TE250BW. I recommend getting a larger SSD if you can afford it. The 500gb model is model #MZ-7TE500BW. I also recommend the new Evo 850 series - I understand they last even longer (SSDs tend to degrade over time) - I would have gotten one of those if they had been available (and affordable) at the time I needed the upgrade.

And FYI - Hard drives are called "storage" and RAM chips are called "memory". Think of memory (RAM) as a blackboard - the larger it is, the more space the programs have to "write" themselves and run faster. Your Hard Drive (storage) is like a file cabinet in which you store your files and programs until you are ready to pull them out and let them play on the blackboard. The larger the hard drive, the more files and programs you can store; the more RAM you have, the more programs you can allow to play on the blackboard.

Cheers,

Lyle

Silexy · May 18, 2015

starhopper :

Larry - I purchased a Samsung Evo 840 250gbSSD, model MZ-7TE250BW. I recommend getting a larger SSD if you can afford it. The 500gb model is model #MZ-7TE500BW. I also recommend the new Evo 850 series - I understand they last even longer (SSDs tend to degrade over time) - I would have gotten one of those if they had been available (and affordable) at the time I needed the upgrade.

And FYI - Hard drives are called "storage" and RAM chips are called "memory". Think of memory (RAM) as a blackboard - the larger it is, the more space the programs have to "write" themselves and run faster. Your Hard Drive (storage) is like a file cabinet in which you store your files and programs until you are ready to pull them out and let them play on the blackboard. The larger the hard drive, the more files and programs you can store; the more RAM you have, the more programs you can allow to play on the blackboard.

Cheers,

Lyle

Thank you very much, starhopper, for your clear explaining.
I will look into this SSD-upgrade too.

Peter.

Erwin Palacios · Jul 23, 2015

starhopper :

You're quite welcome. The 4gb RAM stick costs me $42 on ebay. That, along with the $3 "spudger" brought my total cost to upgrade the RAM to $45.

While the RAM upgrade did speed up my system somewhat, what REALLY gave me a boost in speed was installing a 250gb Solid State Drive (SSD) that I bought online from Newegg for $99 last week. It's a Samsung EVO 840 model. I completely removed the very slow 1tb drive that came with the computer (that drive runs at 5400rpm - which is considered slow by any standard). Now, after pressing the power button, it's a matter of 10 seconds to get to the main screen (if that).

Even with the 8gb RAM and SSD, the system will never be very fast as it has a graphics chip that is integrated into the main CPU and it SHARES that RAM. I believe is uses at least 1gb of the RAM to operate. In my opinion, Samsung severely hobbled this machine when it decided to use the AMD processor with integrated graphics. Most of the better, faster computers have a "dedicated" graphics card that contains its own dedicated RAM. Unfortunately, this is not one of those machines. Remember, it's trying to render images on a HIGHDEF screen - and that requires some computing power.

Even now, web pages load slowly because the graphics engine is struggling to render (in HD) the graphics and videos that are imbedded in the webpages. These imbedded videos and pictures are increasing in number it seems (many are advertisements). You'll notice that when on these sites, your scrolling is not smooth, and it often lags.

In Windows 7, there is something called the "Windows Experience" number that tells you how your computer's speed compares to others running Windows 7. The highest number possible is 7.9 Well, they removed that function from Windows 8 - but the program is STILL in the system if you know where to find it! I ran it on this computer and got a score of 4.6 That is not a great score. The score reflects the speed of the slowest component in the computer. So, my SSD scored 7.9, and the CPU scored 5.9 - but the graphics scored 4.6 - hence the overall 4.6 score as the computer, even with a fast SSD and maxed out RAM, is slowed down by the graphics rendering engine.

Still, it is a nicely designed system and looks great in our Kitchen! Have a Happy Holiday

Erwin Palacios · Jul 23, 2015

Dear Sarhopper, si it possible to add an 8GB RAm stick to the Samsung ATIV One5? or just a 4GB one?

starhopper · Jul 23, 2015

Erwin Palacios :

starhopper :

You're quite welcome. The 4gb RAM stick costs me $42 on ebay. That, along with the $3 "spudger" brought my total cost to upgrade the RAM to $45.

While the RAM upgrade did speed up my system somewhat, what REALLY gave me a boost in speed was installing a 250gb Solid State Drive (SSD) that I bought online from Newegg for $99 last week. It's a Samsung EVO 840 model. I completely removed the very slow 1tb drive that came with the computer (that drive runs at 5400rpm - which is considered slow by any standard). Now, after pressing the power button, it's a matter of 10 seconds to get to the main screen (if that).

Even with the 8gb RAM and SSD, the system will never be very fast as it has a graphics chip that is integrated into the main CPU and it SHARES that RAM. I believe is uses at least 1gb of the RAM to operate. In my opinion, Samsung severely hobbled this machine when it decided to use the AMD processor with integrated graphics. Most of the better, faster computers have a "dedicated" graphics card that contains its own dedicated RAM. Unfortunately, this is not one of those machines. Remember, it's trying to render images on a HIGHDEF screen - and that requires some computing power.

Even now, web pages load slowly because the graphics engine is struggling to render (in HD) the graphics and videos that are imbedded in the webpages. These imbedded videos and pictures are increasing in number it seems (many are advertisements). You'll notice that when on these sites, your scrolling is not smooth, and it often lags.

In Windows 7, there is something called the "Windows Experience" number that tells you how your computer's speed compares to others running Windows 7. The highest number possible is 7.9 Well, they removed that function from Windows 8 - but the program is STILL in the system if you know where to find it! I ran it on this computer and got a score of 4.6 That is not a great score. The score reflects the speed of the slowest component in the computer. So, my SSD scored 7.9, and the CPU scored 5.9 - but the graphics scored 4.6 - hence the overall 4.6 score as the computer, even with a fast SSD and maxed out RAM, is slowed down by the graphics rendering engine.

Still, it is a nicely designed system and looks great in our Kitchen! Have a Happy Holiday

starhopper · Jul 23, 2015

I do not know if an 8gb RAM chip will work.

marramj14 · Nov 14, 2015

Yes, 8gb works just installed an 8gb Kingston hyperx into the second ram slot. Samsung delivered a crude product, for I paid ~750$ and could of building a nice gaming rig for that price. But now it's my mom's kitchen computer, and now it has 12 gigs of ram(10.9gb as the hardware reserved is a huge 1.1GB) so stupid that you only have 3.1 gigs of ram to run an os and other things, what was Samsung thinking besides the almighty dollar here. About to install an 850 Evo into it as my gaming rig is beautiful with its 7200 rpm HDD( I took out the 850 Evo 500 GB I had in there to put in my 2 in 1 laptop, and the 250 GB isn't enough to replace the 7200rpm HDD as the CPU. Gpu and ram all are very high-performance products, so I'm about to put the 250 GB Evo into the Samsung when my USB to drive cord comes. Not going to tell her I'm doing it and watch her be surprised at the huge gains. She already loves it with the ram now as it isn't super slow and annoying now.

Jan61 · Jan 20, 2016

This information works great. Upgrade with 8 Gb and it's working.

Dit is hele goede informatie om het geheugen van deze computer te upgraden. Uitbreiding met 8 Gb en dat werkt goed.

djtimyd · Sep 13, 2016

I followed this guide and it worked perfectly. Thank you! Found the ram for $20 at microcenter and its stupid not to double my memory for twenty bucks. I wish I could do the ssd but I need the space and can't afford a 1tb ssd right now. Too bad I can't have two drives as there is PLENTY of room inside.

Thanks again!

Bl8qGh0st · Oct 6, 2016

starhopper :

The write up of directions sounds like it is spot on! I know its been almost two years since the original message was posted but you wouldn't happen to have the pictures of the install would you ? They are no longer showing with the response you posted.

Is it possible to add RAM to Samsung ATIV One 5 all-in-one computer?

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