Hi thanks for the video, If you can, can you please tell me:
1. Do we need to fill out all the slots front and back with similar memory, lets say 4GB per stick or we can leave the front empty?
3. The Ram sticks you put in apear fb-dims, looking at the box you take them out from. Acourding to Dell website, Dell Alienware M17xR3 takes SO-Dims, so what's going on there.
2. I like to laptop cooler that you feature in the video. Could you tell me the make and model or is it a custom made one?
Hello, I just buy a m17x R3 with nvidia 3D and I would like to upragrade memory. Please, which type should I use? The same as the desktop or special laptop (so - dimm)?
Okay, so I'm ordering the my r3 with the standard 4GB and buying more memory to add on myself. That means I am only gonna have 2 sticks of memory and 2 open slots. Will those 2 sticks be under the keyboard or just under the back cover? I hope they left the 2 open slots under the back cover for easy access so I don't have to remove the keyboard...
i was just woundering if you could help and give me sum advice.
i have just purchased a Alienware M17x R3 spec's
i7-2860QM
2GB HD6990M Graphic's
Question is how much ram can i put in of this hyperx dell only show's 16GB 1600mhz is only purchasable. isnt it possible for 1800mhz series? could do with some infomation if u could help.
hello fantastic! im going have to do this myself now i recieved my new M17X R3 i have a question if u could tell me. i have the i7-2860QM processor with the 2GB HD6990M graphic's. i didnt have the upgrade ram cause i could get better performance but now im stuck on how much my machine can handle hyperx 1600mhz i dont think it can take 1888mhz?
Hello I am thinking to upgrade my alien ware m17x R2 to 8 Gb ram But It is now on 4 Gb ram 2X2Gb
Do you now what 1st 2 slots they use for the 4 GB I standart have on it ( On the Keyboard Or on the back ?) and Wil it work If I just put a single 4 GB ram stick on one and leave the 4the banc with nothing or do I need to have it like 4 X 2 GB everything full ? I hope you or someone can help with this
Hey @joebarchuck if my M17x R3 has 4GB of DDR3 1600 (two 2GB sticks) already installed from Dell, and I want to add 2 more sticks of 8GB DDR3 1600 (two 4GB sticks) - would that work? I want to upgrade my RAM in the most efficient way possible.
What is dual channel mode? How important is it for the ram to run in dual channel mode? For example won't a 12gb of ram (2 4gb ram and 2 2gb ram) run faster than an 8gb ram (2 4gb)?
I will order the R3 with 4GB of ram and the 500GB Sata2 then buy 16GB of ram and a Sata3 SSD from Newegg. will this work for me and save money? I want to use the SSD for OS and primary programs and HDD for storage, what do you think? Will I stand a good chance for success? which Ram do you recommend for 16GB?
@RF3seeker I asked that question to a sales rep. The thing is you will loose the warranty if you use a different HDD as C drive and erase the old 500GB C drive from dell. Even if you clone it to perfection, what they will say to you when you need them is your HDD is the problem.
But if you hang on to the original C drive with the windows still on it, you can place it back in and preserve your warranty.
@sorianodenis They do but only if you have the same amount of RAM in each slot. Ex. 2 x 4Gb will run in dual channel so will 4 x 4Gb but 2 x 4Gb and 2 x 2Gb will not run in dual channel mode.
@MyWowwowwow Yes they are and I would not recommend putting different RAM throughout the PC. If you put 2 Gig modules in the front and 4Gb module in the back or vise versa, you will lose the dual channel setting.
Dear Joe , i just got my Alienware M17x R3 With 3D . I have more than 1 laptops so i wont be using much on my alienware as it was only for gaming . Alot of my friends told me my battery is going to reduce the life cycle or something like that ? Any suggestions if i want to keep my battery as it was from the factory ? By taking it out manually or just charge it every week ?
@EmoKevin93 Batteries unfortunately are not designed to last forever. At best they will hold 98% of their max capacity after a year no matter what you do to it. Since a battery is only about $100.00 I suggest just leaving it into the laptop and not worry about it. After 3 years just buy a new one.
so since there are 4 ram slots on the laptop. does that mean i can have 4 4gb 1333mhz in the laptop and have a total of 16gb ram? or can you only have 2 running in the front and 2 running in the back?
@minecraftforfunzies The A key... LOL That's pretty funny. Well if the attach on the keyboard is broken you have to change the entire keyboard which is not too expensive. If it's just the key and it's not broken then just press it hard and it will pop back in place. Otherwise, see if you can get a used keyboard on ebay with a workable A key. If not you will have to replace the entire keyboard.
DUDE you ROCK , just installed kingston hyperx 8gb kits for a whooping 16gb by watching your excellent video , though you do need to mention that the keyboard connectors are very think silicon connectors which clip between even tiny plastic clips , to be honest i CRAPPED my pants when they came out and i though i had definately broken the links , jesus that was scary =p ............
@Pavlitos18 I believe it will be in the back therefore you only need to remove the back cover but it may differ depending on the guy who installed the RAM at factory because it seems there are a few reports of people receiving stock 4Gb below the keyboard. Check geekwiz.com for details on RAM purchase by clicking on the Alienware deals page.
@youssefattaby Yes you can but 1866mhz is not going to help in anyways except maybe if you do some extreme overclocking benchmarks. I would stick with 16Gb of 1333 or 1666 but anything more is not useful.
Hello, I'm seriously interested in purchasing the M17x R3, but I'm wondering what RAM to buy to replace the memory Dell offers.
I've looked around on Newegg, specifically the Kingston Hyperx DDR3 RAM. I want 16GB of RAM, so I found a 4GB stick (That i would purchase 4 of) and install into the computer
When I read it, It said it was the Desktop model, and they only offered 2GB sticks for laptops. I'm wondering if this would make any difference, or where I could buy 4x4GB sticks of Hyper X RAM.
@Infeld7 I am not sure what you looked at but if you go on my site geekwiz.com and under top daily deal click Alienware then and under the M17x you click the RAM (blue link) you will be linked to the right one.
@joebarchuck Ok, thank you so much for the link, as well as the fast reply. I am Canadian and went to Newegg.ca, so I'm guessing that the Canadian version may not have had it listed on the website, because i didn't see this.
Thanks for the fast reply, ok im looking at buying a m17x r3 but with the 16 gig ect upgrade its comming in at £2,300 or thereabaout any tips you can give me please
@Viking9280 I would not buy the 16Gb from Dell but that is me. The m17X R3 is one of the best 17in laptop currently on the market if not the best. Since you are in England, I would check to see if Newegg ships to your country but I would definitely buy Hyper X RAM 4 x 4Gb stick and you will have your 16Gb for half price and better RAM.
@Viking9280 2 Reasons: 1. The RAM from Dell is way overpriced. You can literally get 8Gb of RAM from Newegg for the price of 4Gb at Dell. Second RAM such Hyper X is more stable when overclocking the PC and using applications that are extremely RAM dependent.
@TheGreatBobbyS No one has tried yet so I am not sure I can positively answer yes but it should work given the drivers are available and working on the Dell system.
@860125mwj What color plates are you talking about? It's pretty tough to upgrade the screen and expensive. Well it's actually easy in the technical sense but it's not easy to find a better compatible screen.
@joebarchuck I was referring to the actual color of the system. Like nebula red and stealth black. How hard do you think it will be to change the color from nebula red to stealth black. It seems like the back panel of the screen just pops off but im not to sure about it.
@860125mwj Oh, well it's not that hard but I am not sure how much the parts costs and you would want the chassis to be of the same color that would require taking every piece of electronics apart from the laptop which is possible but not for the faint hearted.
@joebarchuck i just got my m18x with a 2630qm. the dell reps are telling me that 1333mhz ram is the highest i can go. can i put 1600mhz ram with an spd speed of 1333mhz? and how about 16gb?
@itsurdaddy456 Yeah you can put 1600Mhz RAM it will just downclock to 1333Mhz and it may improve your latency but at the end of the day unless you are a hardcore overclocker buying the 1600Mhz RAM is not going to help you at all.
@joebarchuck yee because i recieved an m18x and im loving it but they put the wrong processor in. should i send this back, wait 2 months, upgrade from 2630qm to 2720qm but loose bluray. or should i keep this, keep bluray but keep the weaker processor, in this ccase the 2630qm
@itsurdaddy456 It depends on the use you have for your M18X. If you use for gaming, internet browsing and basic photoshop use or basic design work then keep as is otherwise if you are a heavy photoshop user and it's your workline, then change the CPU.
@legendofsiegfried You will not see a difference in games nor programs you use on a daily basis. At best it might be able to get you a few points more in benchmarking.
Love the video thanks !!! If my r3 came with 4th only will they be in the bottom easy to access slots? Lower timing settings all done in bios I'm assuming?
@abgersaurus Yeah that's what most people do. Just install all games and windows on the SSD for faster speed and save your movies and pictures on the HDD.
Ideally, it would be better to get the 480Gb Vertex 3 in RAID config to have 920Gb at extreme speeds... LOL But that will cost you about $3,000.00 for both drives.
I have a question, however. Does the stock RAM have the timings/voltage printed on it? I was interested in buying an m17x with just 4GB of RAM, and then finding compatible 8GB ram with the same timings/voltage to upgrade to 12GB. I'm a photographer and I do a lot with HD video editing and computer animation so I need something mobile that can do that for me.
@Overlord276 Just get 16GB of RAM from Newegg. It's going to be cheaper anyways. I do not recommend 12GB as this mean one of the stick won't be on dual channels.
Quick question? If you add a second Hard drive , do you need to order a dell interposer to conect it(the HDD) or is it no longer required as it was on other models or is it included? They were charging so much for HDD upgrade I plan to change them out and have raid 0, but my machine has not arrived yet, I want to order parts so they are here when it arrives. Thanks
@joebarchuck looooooooool sorry to bother you again man sorry. just cua i chatted with tech support and they couldent help me out. when the r3's running, i find that only 1 fans spinning when im surfing the web on high performance and when im on balanced searching the web, theres sometimes no fan spinning at all. is this normal?
@itsurdaddy456 The R3 is really quiet and it's possible no fan are running for a few minutes at a time. If your room temperature is in the 60's then it's highly probable that the fans don't turn on for web browsing or watching movies.
A few days ago, it was 64 in my apartment and I played WOW for about 20 minutes without the sound of fans. I know the fans were running at low RPM but I could not hear them.
Now if your room temperature is in the high 80's or more than it's a problem...
@joebarchuck no actually my room temp is around 50 and the laptop is barely hot. when i flip it over i dont see the fans spinning, but when i play like wow, the 1st fan spins not the 2nd. even with the wow on, the laptop is barely hot. and yee i was suprised how queit this laptop is. so do you think that its normal?
@itsurdaddy456 Well, download gpu-z and check your temperatures. If they exceed 92 degrees celcius then you might have a problem otherwise you are fine.
your hand motions remind me of the flight stewardess showing passengers how to buckle a seat belt and showing us where the exits are and such. However, those motions make the video easier to follow since there is no voice. Nice tut. +like.
Yes indeed Joe!! I was more or less trying to talk Jas into the 2720. For what Alien is charging for that upgrade, it seems like a no brainer to me. However, a year from now, it will be cheaper yet, so.....
Anyway, I was not trying to conflict what you were saying. Just pointing out the processor difference. I totally agree with your point!
@joebarchuck alright umm can you help with one problem ? thanks :) i just got the r3 and when i run crysis 2, it says NAT type: strict and its hard to connect with a server... how do make it to open?
@itsurdaddy456 That's a problem I did not experience when I first played Crysis 2. Are you sure it installed correctly? Check on notebookreview forum, I am sure they will have an answer there for you.
@Jas71, the 2630 does not support 1600MHZ, only 1333MHZ. 2720 is the lowest that supports 1600MHZ. While the 2630 is a fine processor, Alien is not charging as much as I have seen other vendors charge to upgrade to the 2720. The consensus on the notebook review forum is that it is a good bang for the buck upgrade.
@ScottieCordes Yes it is correct but the Hyper X at 1600Mhz will run at a low latency at 1333Mhz on a 2630 which ends up being a gain overall anyways which is why I still recommend this RAM for people have the 2630. Also many will upgrade the CPU later on so you might just have the RAM ready as well.
Just one more question before I order the Laptop, the RAM and the SSD tommorrow. Will the the RAM you showed me be compatible with the 2630QM since it's 1600? I understand that it wouldn't run at 1600, but would it just use the 16GB at 1333?
I have seen that you are on the notebooks forum too! Your video is great! You make it look easy, but I am a bit apprehensive to take on the top mounted RAM.
I reviewed and the Alienware manual. Ordering stock 4GB. Will going with just 2 sticks of HyperX (8GB total) and tweaking the BIOS be enough for most people? Ordering it with the 2720 processor. Can't believe how much these folks want for their RAM. The processor upgrade was reasonable though.
@ScottieCordes You will be fine with just 2 sticks of 4Gb each unless you are a professional photographer or graphics designer and use the apps for that job every second of your day.
HI YES ITS IN IS DESKTOP HE DID HAVE A 6600GT 128MB IN SLI BUT BOTH CARDS HAD GONE this card is the 6800 gs 512mb vga bios that what it says on start up for the card specs, and he using 450 watt power supply thx
@TheBaldy40 His power supply is most likely sufficient depending on how many hard drives, DVD and which CPU he runs but I would guess no matter what it should be sufficient. Maybe his drivers are not up to date or not working correctly with his system. He could always try to get a 600 watts power supply and see what happens.
hi, im asking for a friend, as i dont know the answer, i told him i know some one who know alot about pc, can you please tell me what power supply he needs to run a 6800 gs, he got a sli motherboard etc he having problems a nvidia message comes up saying the card will be downscaled in graphic until buy a external power supply he just using this one card thx in advance
@TheBaldy40 It's going to be very hard for me to answer this question without all the details. The 6800 gs is an old model and if I remember correctly it's a desktop card most likely therefore I imagine that this message he is getting appears now because he must have recently upgraded the card and his power supply is not sufficient. Just find out what his current power supply is and get one that is 50% more powerful and he will be fine. Keep in mind the voltage needs to stay the same.
The problem is that I'm on a pretty limited budget, I have found a drive that is a hybrid SSD-HDD for $100, so I'm going to buy that for now, and in possibly a year upgrade both drives to SSD and run them in Raid 0.
@BloodAwaits Honestly I would not even waste $100.00 on a hybrid drive. If you are a on limited budget, buy a 60GB Vertex 2 SSD and install windows and the main programs you use on it and all of your pictures, songs, etc on the HDD. This will enable you to have lightning fast web browsing, daily tasks and windows and even a few games on there. That's what I did a few years back and I think it's the best option.
@joebarchuck I guess I could do that, however would it be necessary to entirely reinstall Windows, Drivers, etc. that comes with the computer when I first buy it, or could I simply open up the laptop, put in the SSD into Bay 2, copy everything to the SSD, take it out, and switch them?
@BloodAwaits You have to re-install everything from scratch which only takes about an hour and is highly recommended even if you did not change your hard drive. Dell always installs un-necessary programs which slows down the PC.
@TheBaldy40 It might be possible for you to install crossfire 6970M in the R2, the power requirement might be ok with the CPU you have BUT it will be a difficult task as you will need a custom made BIOS since Dell's does not support the 6970M. Now if you wanted to put just one 6970M that would be much more simple and I believe you can check on notebookreview forum as someone did so already.
This seems to be the easiest way to contact you, so I'd just like to know if you could make a video showing how to swap HDD's (I'm going to buy an SSD at a later point, for now with 16 GB RAM that will be more than acceptable for all games so I'm just going to go with the 320 GB HDD from Dell and then add my own 500 GB). Also, is there an HDD Bracket already within the laptop?
Finally, in this video at about 3:40 you say there's two cables, where exactly are they?
@BloodAwaits Sure I can make a video on how to change the HDD but that is so easy I am not sure what I will have to show. It's literally a swapping thing. Nonetheless if I find the time in the next week or two I will do it. There are two brackets coming with the laptops even if you order only 1 hard drive. It's the two silver metal casing that look alike in the video, one directly above the GPU, there other to the far top left of the video. The two cables are under the keyboard.
@TheBaldy40 Crossfire is going to be more tricky as the power supply of the M17X R2 may not be sufficient to provide the necessary power for two 6970M. So depending on which CPU you have in your R2, the answer might be yes with possible throttling or just no.
Hi thanks for the video, If you can, can you please tell me:
1. Do we need to fill out all the slots front and back with similar memory, lets say 4GB per stick or we can leave the front empty?
3. The Ram sticks you put in apear fb-dims, looking at the box you take them out from. Acourding to Dell website, Dell Alienware M17xR3 takes SO-Dims, so what's going on there.
2. I like to laptop cooler that you feature in the video. Could you tell me the make and model or is it a custom made one?
parycash 1 week ago in playlist Favorite videos
I am pretty new to hardware stuff, so I was hoping for some help, can I put any RAM into my R1 mx17? Thanks :)
TheMadChilla 1 week ago
Hello, I just buy a m17x R3 with nvidia 3D and I would like to upragrade memory. Please, which type should I use? The same as the desktop or special laptop (so - dimm)?
best regards.
i'm french so I don't speak english very well...
celilol82 1 week ago
Okay, so I'm ordering the my r3 with the standard 4GB and buying more memory to add on myself. That means I am only gonna have 2 sticks of memory and 2 open slots. Will those 2 sticks be under the keyboard or just under the back cover? I hope they left the 2 open slots under the back cover for easy access so I don't have to remove the keyboard...
MrMariusroyal 2 weeks ago
Hey what's the notebook cooler in the background?
Ferrari353 3 weeks ago
i was just woundering if you could help and give me sum advice.
i have just purchased a Alienware M17x R3 spec's
i7-2860QM
2GB HD6990M Graphic's
Question is how much ram can i put in of this hyperx dell only show's 16GB 1600mhz is only purchasable. isnt it possible for 1800mhz series? could do with some infomation if u could help.
thank's
beckzwayne 1 month ago
hello fantastic! im going have to do this myself now i recieved my new M17X R3 i have a question if u could tell me. i have the i7-2860QM processor with the 2GB HD6990M graphic's. i didnt have the upgrade ram cause i could get better performance but now im stuck on how much my machine can handle hyperx 1600mhz i dont think it can take 1888mhz?
beckzwayne 1 month ago
What are u listing to in the back? it sounds like opera
TheWinterCow 1 month ago
Very useful. I was afraid to open my m17 r3 because i had no idea how to.
Rall707 1 month ago
Do you know how they expand memory to 24 Gb? I can only find 4Gb or 8 Gb moduals.
Do they use only (3) 8 Gb to get 24 Gb of ram?
gammaphoton 1 month ago
What is that fan setup you have built into your desk?
mhdez90 1 month ago
Hello I am thinking to upgrade my alien ware m17x R2 to 8 Gb ram But It is now on 4 Gb ram 2X2Gb
Do you now what 1st 2 slots they use for the 4 GB I standart have on it ( On the Keyboard Or on the back ?) and Wil it work If I just put a single 4 GB ram stick on one and leave the 4the banc with nothing or do I need to have it like 4 X 2 GB everything full ? I hope you or someone can help with this
faba002 1 month ago
@Puma4544 its 24 gb ram
lynxloco 1 month ago
Great video, really annoying backgroud music.
jeshurundaniels 1 month ago
Dude your webpage is down.
douglasloyo 1 month ago 2
Hey @joebarchuck if my M17x R3 has 4GB of DDR3 1600 (two 2GB sticks) already installed from Dell, and I want to add 2 more sticks of 8GB DDR3 1600 (two 4GB sticks) - would that work? I want to upgrade my RAM in the most efficient way possible.
thedarkdomino 1 month ago
Does anyone here know if replacing the original RAM personally will void the warranty?
soderstrom69 2 months ago
Below me no
supersean3 2 months ago
I'm a completely newbie with RAM
does brand matter when swapping RAM?
HalfAzNPersuasioN 2 months ago
Here is my memory spec : 6144 (1x2048 + 1x4096) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel. Haven´t received it yet but will that work with the dual channel ?
MrBreakcake 2 months ago in playlist Liked videos
Comment removed
Porchelover3000 2 months ago
awesome video! thanks!!!
Bardish 3 months ago
What is dual channel mode? How important is it for the ram to run in dual channel mode? For example won't a 12gb of ram (2 4gb ram and 2 2gb ram) run faster than an 8gb ram (2 4gb)?
GOcgyFLAMESgo 4 months ago
Does anybody know the Max ram this laptop can handle?
MentalReserve 4 months ago
@MentalReserve 16GB total, M18x can handle up to 32GB.
Puma4454 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Does anyone know if you can activate/deactivate the feather touch buttons? I just gut my m17x and the feather touch buttons dont seem to work... :(
automaticsniper 4 months ago
how many ram cards can I fit in the m17x?
i'm looking to upgrade from 16 to 24.
virtheman 4 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I really wonder how you recovered that screw when removing the metal piece for module 3&4 :D!
Maybe you can answer this: I'm planning on doing a RAM upgrade I have the stock 4Ghz 1600Mhz ram as of now. Which would be best? 2*4GB? Or 4*2GB?
I surely am a noob and don't know jack about dual channel :S I read somewhere also that 3*2GB was not good either?
Also you should put a cloth on the screen before putting the command module on it :) Other than that great video.
Flagada002 5 months ago
Comment removed
Flagada002 5 months ago
So will there not be any memory difference if I put 4GBx4 equal RAM cards on the front and back slots?
loves2spoon612 5 months ago
alienware design fucking sucks, i can't believe how difificult it is to just swap some ram, damn
WaterJay 5 months ago
I will order the R3 with 4GB of ram and the 500GB Sata2 then buy 16GB of ram and a Sata3 SSD from Newegg. will this work for me and save money? I want to use the SSD for OS and primary programs and HDD for storage, what do you think? Will I stand a good chance for success? which Ram do you recommend for 16GB?
RF3seeker 5 months ago
Comment removed
Flagada002 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@RF3seeker I asked that question to a sales rep. The thing is you will loose the warranty if you use a different HDD as C drive and erase the old 500GB C drive from dell. Even if you clone it to perfection, what they will say to you when you need them is your HDD is the problem.
But if you hang on to the original C drive with the windows still on it, you can place it back in and preserve your warranty.
Flagada002 5 months ago
Comment removed
RF3seeker 5 months ago
Comment removed
RF3seeker 5 months ago
Is the R2 the same please?
OWLovethBL 5 months ago
@OWLovethBL The R2 is different in many ways but the basic principle of swapping RAM is the same.
joebarchuck 5 months ago
hey is it similar for the m18x? does anyone know?
IlGAMINGIIARMYII 5 months ago
@sorianodenis They do but only if you have the same amount of RAM in each slot. Ex. 2 x 4Gb will run in dual channel so will 4 x 4Gb but 2 x 4Gb and 2 x 2Gb will not run in dual channel mode.
joebarchuck 6 months ago
Are the two other RAM slots empty? If they are, could I insert the 2 2gigs that I removed into the other slots? Or do I have to buy 2 4gigs again?
MyWowwowwow 6 months ago
@MyWowwowwow Yes they are and I would not recommend putting different RAM throughout the PC. If you put 2 Gig modules in the front and 4Gb module in the back or vise versa, you will lose the dual channel setting.
joebarchuck 6 months ago
@joebarchuck Thanks mate :)
BuGhaziAlMalood 6 months ago
i can have 2 x 2gb in front and swap the back ones with 2 x 4gb or will it not work? thanks
BuGhaziAlMalood 6 months ago
@BuGhaziAlMalood Yes it will work but you will lose the dual channel mode and you don't want to do that.
joebarchuck 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@joebarchuck Thanks a lot :D
BuGhaziAlMalood 6 months ago
oh now i KNOW u had a heart attack. a screw went into the fan
Averyboredperson1 6 months ago
Thank you!!!
joshinthe559 6 months ago
Great vid!
chocolatestarfish101 6 months ago
Dear Joe , i just got my Alienware M17x R3 With 3D . I have more than 1 laptops so i wont be using much on my alienware as it was only for gaming . Alot of my friends told me my battery is going to reduce the life cycle or something like that ? Any suggestions if i want to keep my battery as it was from the factory ? By taking it out manually or just charge it every week ?
EmoKevin93 6 months ago
@EmoKevin93 Batteries unfortunately are not designed to last forever. At best they will hold 98% of their max capacity after a year no matter what you do to it. Since a battery is only about $100.00 I suggest just leaving it into the laptop and not worry about it. After 3 years just buy a new one.
joebarchuck 6 months ago
@joebarchuck Do you have access to the m18x as well? I'm wondering if the placement of the RAM is the same on there as well.
PuppyProwd 6 months ago
@PuppyProwd I have not had the opportunity to take apart an M18X yet but I am sure the process is similar and easy.
joebarchuck 6 months ago
which GPU did u get?
PhantomAct 6 months ago
so since there are 4 ram slots on the laptop. does that mean i can have 4 4gb 1333mhz in the laptop and have a total of 16gb ram? or can you only have 2 running in the front and 2 running in the back?
michaelfarrell6 6 months ago
@michaelfarrell6 you could actually have up to 4 of 8GB for a total of 32GB if you wanted :)
salamanderpete 6 months ago
@salamanderpete JESUS! thats a lot of ram. haha. Thanks!
michaelfarrell6 6 months ago
hey i was wondering if you could help me my a key is falling off i think it was my cat but how do i replace it
minecraftforfunzies 6 months ago
@minecraftforfunzies The A key... LOL That's pretty funny. Well if the attach on the keyboard is broken you have to change the entire keyboard which is not too expensive. If it's just the key and it's not broken then just press it hard and it will pop back in place. Otherwise, see if you can get a used keyboard on ebay with a workable A key. If not you will have to replace the entire keyboard.
joebarchuck 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
So I have a tricked out M17x R2 about 14 months old with 8GB of ram, Can i go to 16GB ??? if so what do i need or is 8GB my max... Thanks....
jgillardi 6 months ago
I have a tricked out M17x R2 about 14 months old with 8GB of ram, Can i go to 16GB ??? if so what do i need or is 8GB my max... Thanks....
jgillardi 7 months ago
@jgillardi According to Crucial.com, R2 has only 2 slots and max support of 8GB.
PhantomAct 6 months ago
Thanks dude. I had no idea how to get to the front ram slots.
jmabee 7 months ago in playlist Tutorials
DUDE you ROCK , just installed kingston hyperx 8gb kits for a whooping 16gb by watching your excellent video , though you do need to mention that the keyboard connectors are very think silicon connectors which clip between even tiny plastic clips , to be honest i CRAPPED my pants when they came out and i though i had definately broken the links , jesus that was scary =p ............
sainte786 7 months ago
THX very much for your video, now i upgraded my alienware m17x r3 with hyperX 1866 4gbx4 successfully.
freeThai2009 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Hey where did you get the tools? I want to get the exact ones.
ninjakid164 7 months ago
Comment removed
ninjakid164 7 months ago
How different is doing it on the R3 from doing it on whatever model they sold in 2009?
hartlanz1 7 months ago
If i have 4 gb of dell ram on the bottom and i purchase 8gb ram can i put them on the top for 12 gb?
Sluggothron 7 months ago
The back or the front are the main rams? If i buy it with 4gb that comes with 2x2gb are they going to be in the front or in the back?
Pavlitos18 7 months ago
@Pavlitos18 I believe it will be in the back therefore you only need to remove the back cover but it may differ depending on the guy who installed the RAM at factory because it seems there are a few reports of people receiving stock 4Gb below the keyboard. Check geekwiz.com for details on RAM purchase by clicking on the Alienware deals page.
joebarchuck 7 months ago
@joebarchuck Thanks for the response! Already seen it, and it really is a good deal to buy the basic ram package from dell and then replace it
Pavlitos18 7 months ago
Comment removed
Pavlitos18 7 months ago
I want to ask can I upgrade my alienware m17x r3 from 4gb 1333mhz to 16gb [ 4 x x 4gb ] 1866mhz
youssefattaby 7 months ago
@youssefattaby Yes you can but 1866mhz is not going to help in anyways except maybe if you do some extreme overclocking benchmarks. I would stick with 16Gb of 1333 or 1666 but anything more is not useful.
joebarchuck 7 months ago
Hello, I'm seriously interested in purchasing the M17x R3, but I'm wondering what RAM to buy to replace the memory Dell offers.
I've looked around on Newegg, specifically the Kingston Hyperx DDR3 RAM. I want 16GB of RAM, so I found a 4GB stick (That i would purchase 4 of) and install into the computer
When I read it, It said it was the Desktop model, and they only offered 2GB sticks for laptops. I'm wondering if this would make any difference, or where I could buy 4x4GB sticks of Hyper X RAM.
Infeld7 7 months ago
@Infeld7 I am not sure what you looked at but if you go on my site geekwiz.com and under top daily deal click Alienware then and under the M17x you click the RAM (blue link) you will be linked to the right one.
joebarchuck 7 months ago
@joebarchuck Ok, thank you so much for the link, as well as the fast reply. I am Canadian and went to Newegg.ca, so I'm guessing that the Canadian version may not have had it listed on the website, because i didn't see this.
Thank you again!
Infeld7 7 months ago
Really good video!
bentbob 7 months ago
Do I have to do the second RAM upgrade (with the keyboard)???
jrkoch1234 7 months ago
can u make another one but talk in the video i'm kinda accident prone
link3ed 8 months ago
thank you for that reply mate, i wished i had you knowledge
Viking9280 8 months ago
Thanks for the fast reply, ok im looking at buying a m17x r3 but with the 16 gig ect upgrade its comming in at £2,300 or thereabaout any tips you can give me please
Viking9280 8 months ago
@Viking9280 I would not buy the 16Gb from Dell but that is me. The m17X R3 is one of the best 17in laptop currently on the market if not the best. Since you are in England, I would check to see if Newegg ships to your country but I would definitely buy Hyper X RAM 4 x 4Gb stick and you will have your 16Gb for half price and better RAM.
joebarchuck 8 months ago
why change the ram why not just buy it with the ram you need
let me know please
Viking9280 8 months ago
@Viking9280 2 Reasons: 1. The RAM from Dell is way overpriced. You can literally get 8Gb of RAM from Newegg for the price of 4Gb at Dell. Second RAM such Hyper X is more stable when overclocking the PC and using applications that are extremely RAM dependent.
outcastedz 8 months ago
It does not but the M17X R2 is also very easy to take apart. There are plenty of guides out there. If you need more help PM me.
outcastedz 8 months ago
Do you know by any chance if this also applies to the M17X R2?
Silmarieni 9 months ago
Great guide thanks!
thrasher10000 9 months ago
Thank you so much for this video
basbos9517 9 months ago
this is actually one of the easiest laptops ive done this to...
krazor8 9 months ago
Hey I have a question is it possible for me to replace 460gtx with a 485 and still maintain my 3d and if so how would I do it.
TheGreatBobbyS 9 months ago
@TheGreatBobbyS No one has tried yet so I am not sure I can positively answer yes but it should work given the drivers are available and working on the Dell system.
joebarchuck 9 months ago
@joebarchuck How hard is it to change the color plates from nebula red to stealth black. Also how hard is it to upgrade the screen.
860125mwj 9 months ago
@860125mwj What color plates are you talking about? It's pretty tough to upgrade the screen and expensive. Well it's actually easy in the technical sense but it's not easy to find a better compatible screen.
joebarchuck 9 months ago
@joebarchuck I was referring to the actual color of the system. Like nebula red and stealth black. How hard do you think it will be to change the color from nebula red to stealth black. It seems like the back panel of the screen just pops off but im not to sure about it.
860125mwj 9 months ago
@860125mwj Oh, well it's not that hard but I am not sure how much the parts costs and you would want the chassis to be of the same color that would require taking every piece of electronics apart from the laptop which is possible but not for the faint hearted.
joebarchuck 9 months ago
@joebarchuck i just got my m18x with a 2630qm. the dell reps are telling me that 1333mhz ram is the highest i can go. can i put 1600mhz ram with an spd speed of 1333mhz? and how about 16gb?
itsurdaddy456 9 months ago
@itsurdaddy456 Yeah you can put 1600Mhz RAM it will just downclock to 1333Mhz and it may improve your latency but at the end of the day unless you are a hardcore overclocker buying the 1600Mhz RAM is not going to help you at all.
joebarchuck 9 months ago
@joebarchuck yee because i recieved an m18x and im loving it but they put the wrong processor in. should i send this back, wait 2 months, upgrade from 2630qm to 2720qm but loose bluray. or should i keep this, keep bluray but keep the weaker processor, in this ccase the 2630qm
itsurdaddy456 9 months ago
@itsurdaddy456 It depends on the use you have for your M18X. If you use for gaming, internet browsing and basic photoshop use or basic design work then keep as is otherwise if you are a heavy photoshop user and it's your workline, then change the CPU.
joebarchuck 9 months ago
LOL The music makes it seem like he's disarming a bomb!
QuackVlogs 9 months ago
Question! Does changing ram to 1600Mhz with 16GB any different to lower Mhz with 16GB? Honestly could you tell the difference ?
legendofsiegfried 9 months ago
@legendofsiegfried You will not see a difference in games nor programs you use on a daily basis. At best it might be able to get you a few points more in benchmarking.
joebarchuck 9 months ago
do u know of any videos that show you how to swap the graffics card ?
whatscrakn101 10 months ago
@whatscrakn101 If you look at my other video which shows how to re-paste the GPU it will show you how to swap the graphics card.
joebarchuck 10 months ago
@whatscrakn101 i think its soldered to the board... so u would have to unsolder it and begin the looooong hassle
krazor8 9 months ago
Love the video thanks !!! If my r3 came with 4th only will they be in the bottom easy to access slots? Lower timing settings all done in bios I'm assuming?
5abivt 10 months ago
@5abivt Yeah it's all easy and you can easily change the timings in the BIOS and even just choose XMP Profile 2 for 1600Mhz
joebarchuck 10 months ago
does it have enough space for a second HDD?
please answer :D
abgersaurus 10 months ago
@abgersaurus The R3 is RAID ready which means you can have 2 HDD or 2 SDD or 1HDD and 1SSD.
joebarchuck 10 months ago
@joebarchuck thank you!
im going to buy it with a 1TB HDD and a 250 SSD
mwuhahahaaaaa!!!!
abgersaurus 10 months ago
@abgersaurus Yeah that's what most people do. Just install all games and windows on the SSD for faster speed and save your movies and pictures on the HDD.
Ideally, it would be better to get the 480Gb Vertex 3 in RAID config to have 920Gb at extreme speeds... LOL But that will cost you about $3,000.00 for both drives.
joebarchuck 10 months ago
@joebarchuck i got enough money...
$lol$lol$lol$lol$
abgersaurus 10 months ago
@abgersaurus Then I strongly recommend it.... :)
joebarchuck 10 months ago
Thanks for the vid, it looks like a real pain in the ass, but hopefully with this I will be able to upgrade my m17x R3 to 16gb. =)
ittechwiz 10 months ago
can someone tell me how to set my ram to 1600 with the hyperx? or is it done automatically?
TheSSDrift 10 months ago
@TheSSDrift Simply go into the BIOS and choose XMP Profile 2.
joebarchuck 10 months ago
Comment removed
itsurdaddy456 10 months ago
Hello I have a question, if I buy an alienware with regular HDD, could I late swap it for a SSD ? whitout difficulty if its possible ? Thank you.
harshlens 10 months ago
@harshlens Changing the hard drive is one of the easiest thing in the world. Send me a private message if you need more information.
joebarchuck 10 months ago
@joebarchuck Thats wonderfull thank you, I am very interested in the video you will be making, and thank you for your help.
harshlens 10 months ago
Hey, Thanks for posting!
I have a question, however. Does the stock RAM have the timings/voltage printed on it? I was interested in buying an m17x with just 4GB of RAM, and then finding compatible 8GB ram with the same timings/voltage to upgrade to 12GB. I'm a photographer and I do a lot with HD video editing and computer animation so I need something mobile that can do that for me.
Overlord276 10 months ago
@Overlord276 Just get 16GB of RAM from Newegg. It's going to be cheaper anyways. I do not recommend 12GB as this mean one of the stick won't be on dual channels.
joebarchuck 10 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@joebarchuck m18x was released but it not on the site
itsurdaddy456 10 months ago
Quick question? If you add a second Hard drive , do you need to order a dell interposer to conect it(the HDD) or is it no longer required as it was on other models or is it included? They were charging so much for HDD upgrade I plan to change them out and have raid 0, but my machine has not arrived yet, I want to order parts so they are here when it arrives. Thanks
emankwah 11 months ago
@emankwah It comes with it.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
@joebarchuck looooooooool sorry to bother you again man sorry. just cua i chatted with tech support and they couldent help me out. when the r3's running, i find that only 1 fans spinning when im surfing the web on high performance and when im on balanced searching the web, theres sometimes no fan spinning at all. is this normal?
itsurdaddy456 11 months ago
@itsurdaddy456 The R3 is really quiet and it's possible no fan are running for a few minutes at a time. If your room temperature is in the 60's then it's highly probable that the fans don't turn on for web browsing or watching movies.
A few days ago, it was 64 in my apartment and I played WOW for about 20 minutes without the sound of fans. I know the fans were running at low RPM but I could not hear them.
Now if your room temperature is in the high 80's or more than it's a problem...
joebarchuck 11 months ago
@joebarchuck no actually my room temp is around 50 and the laptop is barely hot. when i flip it over i dont see the fans spinning, but when i play like wow, the 1st fan spins not the 2nd. even with the wow on, the laptop is barely hot. and yee i was suprised how queit this laptop is. so do you think that its normal?
itsurdaddy456 11 months ago
@itsurdaddy456 Well, download gpu-z and check your temperatures. If they exceed 92 degrees celcius then you might have a problem otherwise you are fine.
joebarchuck 10 months ago
your hand motions remind me of the flight stewardess showing passengers how to buckle a seat belt and showing us where the exits are and such. However, those motions make the video easier to follow since there is no voice. Nice tut. +like.
DrMarioHD 11 months ago
Yes indeed Joe!! I was more or less trying to talk Jas into the 2720. For what Alien is charging for that upgrade, it seems like a no brainer to me. However, a year from now, it will be cheaper yet, so.....
Anyway, I was not trying to conflict what you were saying. Just pointing out the processor difference. I totally agree with your point!
ScottieCordes 11 months ago
@ScottieCordes Yeah that makes total sense. I agree with you.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
@joebarchuck alright umm can you help with one problem ? thanks :) i just got the r3 and when i run crysis 2, it says NAT type: strict and its hard to connect with a server... how do make it to open?
itsurdaddy456 11 months ago
@itsurdaddy456 That's a problem I did not experience when I first played Crysis 2. Are you sure it installed correctly? Check on notebookreview forum, I am sure they will have an answer there for you.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
@joebarchuck yes i installed it correctly. its just telling me that my firewall is strict and when i turn it off, it says the same
itsurdaddy456 11 months ago
@Jas71, the 2630 does not support 1600MHZ, only 1333MHZ. 2720 is the lowest that supports 1600MHZ. While the 2630 is a fine processor, Alien is not charging as much as I have seen other vendors charge to upgrade to the 2720. The consensus on the notebook review forum is that it is a good bang for the buck upgrade.
ScottieCordes 11 months ago
@ScottieCordes Yes it is correct but the Hyper X at 1600Mhz will run at a low latency at 1333Mhz on a 2630 which ends up being a gain overall anyways which is why I still recommend this RAM for people have the 2630. Also many will upgrade the CPU later on so you might just have the RAM ready as well.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
Thank you. Also will the 2630 handle the kingston hyper ram u suggest 2x4gb at 1600 or should i get the 2720?
Jas71 11 months ago
@Jas71 The 2630 is fine.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
Do you have to do any software updates/tweaking if you change to this ram?
Jas71 11 months ago
@Jas71 RAM does not require any software updates. All you need to do is go into the BIOS and change to XMP profile 2 which is 1600MHZ.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
@joebarchuck, What brand and model number of RAM did you get? Did you go with the HyperX? 600C9S3K2/8GX
ScottieCordes 11 months ago
@ScottieCordes If you visit this page geekwiz.com/alienware.php you will be able to have all the reference we recommend.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
ok friend thankyou so much, ill be back if i need any more help in pc matters if that be ok with you take care
TheBaldy40 11 months ago
Just one more question before I order the Laptop, the RAM and the SSD tommorrow. Will the the RAM you showed me be compatible with the 2630QM since it's 1600? I understand that it wouldn't run at 1600, but would it just use the 16GB at 1333?
BloodAwaits 11 months ago
Hi Joe,
I have seen that you are on the notebooks forum too! Your video is great! You make it look easy, but I am a bit apprehensive to take on the top mounted RAM.
I reviewed and the Alienware manual. Ordering stock 4GB. Will going with just 2 sticks of HyperX (8GB total) and tweaking the BIOS be enough for most people? Ordering it with the 2720 processor. Can't believe how much these folks want for their RAM. The processor upgrade was reasonable though.
If anyone else want to chime in, OK!
ScottieCordes 11 months ago
@ScottieCordes You will be fine with just 2 sticks of 4Gb each unless you are a professional photographer or graphics designer and use the apps for that job every second of your day.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
HI YES ITS IN IS DESKTOP HE DID HAVE A 6600GT 128MB IN SLI BUT BOTH CARDS HAD GONE this card is the 6800 gs 512mb vga bios that what it says on start up for the card specs, and he using 450 watt power supply thx
TheBaldy40 11 months ago
@TheBaldy40 His power supply is most likely sufficient depending on how many hard drives, DVD and which CPU he runs but I would guess no matter what it should be sufficient. Maybe his drivers are not up to date or not working correctly with his system. He could always try to get a 600 watts power supply and see what happens.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
hi, im asking for a friend, as i dont know the answer, i told him i know some one who know alot about pc, can you please tell me what power supply he needs to run a 6800 gs, he got a sli motherboard etc he having problems a nvidia message comes up saying the card will be downscaled in graphic until buy a external power supply he just using this one card thx in advance
TheBaldy40 11 months ago
@TheBaldy40 It's going to be very hard for me to answer this question without all the details. The 6800 gs is an old model and if I remember correctly it's a desktop card most likely therefore I imagine that this message he is getting appears now because he must have recently upgraded the card and his power supply is not sufficient. Just find out what his current power supply is and get one that is 50% more powerful and he will be fine. Keep in mind the voltage needs to stay the same.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
you have a microphone running, why not just talk during the video
kiashadowwave 11 months ago
The problem is that I'm on a pretty limited budget, I have found a drive that is a hybrid SSD-HDD for $100, so I'm going to buy that for now, and in possibly a year upgrade both drives to SSD and run them in Raid 0.
BloodAwaits 11 months ago
@BloodAwaits Honestly I would not even waste $100.00 on a hybrid drive. If you are a on limited budget, buy a 60GB Vertex 2 SSD and install windows and the main programs you use on it and all of your pictures, songs, etc on the HDD. This will enable you to have lightning fast web browsing, daily tasks and windows and even a few games on there. That's what I did a few years back and I think it's the best option.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
@joebarchuck I guess I could do that, however would it be necessary to entirely reinstall Windows, Drivers, etc. that comes with the computer when I first buy it, or could I simply open up the laptop, put in the SSD into Bay 2, copy everything to the SSD, take it out, and switch them?
BloodAwaits 11 months ago
@BloodAwaits You have to re-install everything from scratch which only takes about an hour and is highly recommended even if you did not change your hard drive. Dell always installs un-necessary programs which slows down the PC.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
@joebarchuck Okay, but is the Windows CD, the Drivers and things such as AlienFX installation included when you but the laptop?
BloodAwaits 11 months ago
@BloodAwaits Of course.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
Respond to this video... Oh, and so order of things I do:
Open up laptop, put in 16 GB RAM, take out the HDD, put in the SSD, put the HDD in Bay 2, put in Windows installation CD and proceed from there?
BloodAwaits 11 months ago
@BloodAwaits Exactly.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
thx again for your gifted knowlege my cpy is Intel® Core™ i7 740QM (1.73 Ghz, 6MB, 4C) and thankyou for your time
TheBaldy40 11 months ago
@TheBaldy40 It might be possible for you to install crossfire 6970M in the R2, the power requirement might be ok with the CPU you have BUT it will be a difficult task as you will need a custom made BIOS since Dell's does not support the 6970M. Now if you wanted to put just one 6970M that would be much more simple and I believe you can check on notebookreview forum as someone did so already.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
Oh yes, and the HDD, 3.5 inches or 2.5 inches?
BloodAwaits 11 months ago
@BloodAwaits 2.5 just like any other laptop
joebarchuck 11 months ago
This seems to be the easiest way to contact you, so I'd just like to know if you could make a video showing how to swap HDD's (I'm going to buy an SSD at a later point, for now with 16 GB RAM that will be more than acceptable for all games so I'm just going to go with the 320 GB HDD from Dell and then add my own 500 GB). Also, is there an HDD Bracket already within the laptop?
Finally, in this video at about 3:40 you say there's two cables, where exactly are they?
BloodAwaits 11 months ago
@BloodAwaits Sure I can make a video on how to change the HDD but that is so easy I am not sure what I will have to show. It's literally a swapping thing. Nonetheless if I find the time in the next week or two I will do it. There are two brackets coming with the laptops even if you order only 1 hard drive. It's the two silver metal casing that look alike in the video, one directly above the GPU, there other to the far top left of the video. The two cables are under the keyboard.
joebarchuck 11 months ago
5780 in crossfire sorry
TheBaldy40 11 months ago
@TheBaldy40 Crossfire is going to be more tricky as the power supply of the M17X R2 may not be sufficient to provide the necessary power for two 6970M. So depending on which CPU you have in your R2, the answer might be yes with possible throttling or just no.
joebarchuck 11 months ago