Memory Upgrade Question

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Krob

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I have an Alienware x51 R2 pc - it came with 8gb ram and I think the time has come to add more. I have absolutely no idea about computer hardware so hopefully someone will be able to help me. Not sure but I believe there are 2 slots in this computer. If I already have an 8 does the new also have to be an 8 or can you mix and match? What would be the max amount you can add?

And I have zero knowledge of ram - Can you recommend a brand and also the exact type/specs I would need.

Thanks so much for your help!
 
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Krob

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What a great site with lots of good info! I'm confused about something - It says slots 2 - (2 banks of one.) Does this mean there is one stick of 8gb in my computer or 2 sticks of 4? If it's one stick of 8 I can just order another 8 or if it's 2 sticks of 4 I'm not sure which way to go. I'm gonna stop now before I confuse myself even more!

Your help is really appreciated.
 
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Sohom

Sohom

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No you have 2x 4gb sticks... You would have to buy two new 8 gb sticks and replace the ones that came with the laptop,.
 
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Krob

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Ok, so to max it out I need 2x8gb of what you posted earlier? 8GB DDR3L 1600 (x2) I'm going to order this and hopefully my son or grandson can install for me. I play a lot of high end games and lately I've noticed the computer is having a hard time with some of the newer games.

Life is good - retire and do nothing but play computer games!

Thank you.
 
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Sohom

Sohom

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For the newer games, i would ask you to upgrade the graphics card in your system, it will be a hard choice given the space and psu requirement but you can get the reference gtx 1050ti or gtx 1060 reference card... check out the link: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2804334/alienware-x51-graphics-card-upgrade.html

And obviously do check the psu wattage in your system... I am guessing its 330 watts, but it doesnt hurt to be 100% sure beforehand...
Happy Gaming!!! :)
 
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Krob

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I hadn't even considered a new graphics card. Looks like I need to assess the situation and see which way to go. I've only had the computer for about a year and a half and hadn't thought about upgrades so soon. But gaming is a habit that has to be fed!

And thanks to you pointing me in the right direction I know what needs to be done.
 
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Krob

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I just thought of another question. Would I see much improvement if I upgrade just the memory now? Will probably upgrade the video card in a few months.

Thanks!
 
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Sohom

Sohom

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Not really, yeah apps will load faster but frames per seconds in-game improvements will be very negligible..
 
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Hardware Brad

Hardware Brad

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You most likely will not. You will only notice a difference if you are needing to use more than 8GB of RAM. For example lets say your system never uses more than 10GB of RAM and you have 32GB of RAM installed. You will not notice a difference upgrading from 32GB to 128GB. Some people may think that quadrupling the amount of RAM would make a huge difference but it does not.

Now if you only have 8GB of RAM and your system is trying to use 10GB, that is when you will notice a huge improvement going from 8GB to 16GB, since it will be using part of the hard drive as RAM, which is much much slower.
 
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Krob

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So the smartest thing to do would be to upgrade the video card first? I remember my son built his computer and put in 32gb of ram - I told him I thought that was "overkill" and he said I know but it's what I want!

I really appreciate all of your replies.
 
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Hardware Brad

Hardware Brad

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Yes, upgrading the Video card will make the biggest noticeable difference. I ran tests myself, and even though my system has 32GB of RAM (Overkill), I played several games and ran benchmarks including Unigine Superposition @ 4k optimized, time spy, and fire strike ultra, only one game in my collection that I tested used more than 7GB of RAM. So there are games out there, mostly the newest ones, that may require more than 8GB of RAM, in most cases you will get those most bang for your buck with the Video Card upgrade.
 
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Krob

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Brad, thank you for putting this in terms I can understand. The video card is definitely the way to go. The newer games are ok but my favorites are the classics like Half Life, Serious Sam, etc. When I play these games and let the computer auto detect it is set at "ultra" setting so for those I'm ok but for the newer ones, not so good. I will definitely start shopping around for a new card. Thanks!
 
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