How to Replace the Memory of your Laptop : Tech Speakers
1.Replacing
the Memory
Time needed: 10 minutes
Difficulty rating: 3/10
Before upgrading the memory, you should refer to the service
manual of your laptop to find out where the memory slots are. In larger laptops
you’ll normally be fortunate enough to find them under a hatch on the underside
of your laptop. On more compact variants, at least one of the memory slots may
be hidden under the keyboard, making it
a far more involved task. Removing a laptop’s keyboard is rarely difficult, but
you’ll usually need to perform minor surgery in order to release it from the
palm rest and carefully unclip the delicate ribbon cable that connects it to
the motherboard.
After familiarising
yourself with the location of your memory modules, it’s time to find out what
kind of RAM your machine supports, as well as the maximum module density it can
accept. If your laptop is a fairly popular model, a nice and easy way of doing his
is to select your model in the drop-down menus found on a memory reseller’s
website like www.memoryc.com . A quick visit to the latter and the selection of
model number ‘MS-1727’ revealed that our machine supports DDR3 SO-DIMMS of
either PC3-10600 or DDR3 PC3-8500 speeds.
The maximum density of modules supported is 4GB per DIMM and
there are two memory slots. We purchased an 8GB kit from Crucial, which
guarantees compatibility or your money back. Interestingly, while the i5 chip
currently in the machine supports a maximum of 8GB, the i7 we’re planning to
install in a later project supports 16GB according to the Intel spec, giving us
further capacity to upgrade in the
future.
Step 1. Remove the cover
Accessing the memory slots on the MSI GX 740 could hardly be
easier.
1.You simply remove five small screws from the underside,
freeing up alarge access panel, allowing entry to the interior of the machine.
2.Not all of these screws are necessarily the same size when
removing panels from laptops, however,
so take note of which one goes where.
Step 2. Unclip existing memory
modules
Removing memory modules, regardless of their type, will
involve the same process.
1.You simply use a thumbnail to separate the module from the metal clip that keeps it clamped
down.
2. Do this for both sides of the module and it will pop up
at 45º.
3.To remove the
module, you then simply pull it out at
that angle.
Step 3. Install new memory modules
Installing the new memory modules is equally simple.
1.First of all, take care to check the memory is aligned properly.
There’s an off-centre notch in the
memory module’s contacts that needs to line up with a corresponding protrusion
in the slot. This is there to stop you from
installing the modules upside down.
2. Push the module into the slot as far as it will go before
pressing it flat, allowing the metal clips toclamp it flush with the
motherboard.
3.Give the module a final firm press into the slot to ensure it’s all the
way in.
Step 4. Replace cover
Realign the rear cover of the laptop, ensuring the screw
holes lineup, and then return each of the screws you removed earlier into their
respective holes.
When removing laptop screws, always make sure you use the
correct size of screwdriver.
Do not try to use one that’s too small or too large or you
will damage the delicate screw heads and may no longer be able to get them in
or out.
With the cover replaced, flip the laptop over and power it
up.
Step 5. Check memory capacity in BIOS
Hopefully your laptop will fire back up and prompt you with
the usual POST screen.
1.Press delete or the relevant F key to enter the motherboard
setup menu and proceed to the system information screen. It should display the
amount of memory on this screen.
2.You should hopefully
see here how much memory is detected by the laptop - in our case 8GB.
3 .Being able to start
up the PC and being 100% stable are two very different things, however, so exit
the setup screen and boot into Windows.
Step 6. Run Windows memory diagnostic
Once within windows, you can check that it too detects the
new memory. Remember that in order to
support more than 4GB of RAM, your laptop must have a 64-bit version of Windows
installed.
Go to the Start menu
and type ‘memory’ into the search box.
The ‘Windows Memory
Diagnostic’ should be the first option at the top.
Run this, and you’ll
be prompted to restart and check for problems.
If this test passes successfully, you can be pretty
confident that the upgrade has successfully taken.
How to Replace the Memory of your Laptop : Tech Speakers
Posted by Digital Estate
No comments
1.Replacing
the Memory
Time needed: 10 minutes
Difficulty rating: 3/10
Before upgrading the memory, you should refer to the service
manual of your laptop to find out where the memory slots are. In larger laptops
you’ll normally be fortunate enough to find them under a hatch on the underside
of your laptop. On more compact variants, at least one of the memory slots may
be hidden under the keyboard, making it
a far more involved task. Removing a laptop’s keyboard is rarely difficult, but
you’ll usually need to perform minor surgery in order to release it from the
palm rest and carefully unclip the delicate ribbon cable that connects it to
the motherboard.
After familiarising
yourself with the location of your memory modules, it’s time to find out what
kind of RAM your machine supports, as well as the maximum module density it can
accept. If your laptop is a fairly popular model, a nice and easy way of doing his
is to select your model in the drop-down menus found on a memory reseller’s
website like www.memoryc.com . A quick visit to the latter and the selection of
model number ‘MS-1727’ revealed that our machine supports DDR3 SO-DIMMS of
either PC3-10600 or DDR3 PC3-8500 speeds.
The maximum density of modules supported is 4GB per DIMM and
there are two memory slots. We purchased an 8GB kit from Crucial, which
guarantees compatibility or your money back. Interestingly, while the i5 chip
currently in the machine supports a maximum of 8GB, the i7 we’re planning to
install in a later project supports 16GB according to the Intel spec, giving us
further capacity to upgrade in the
future.
Step 1. Remove the cover
Accessing the memory slots on the MSI GX 740 could hardly be
easier.
1.You simply remove five small screws from the underside,
freeing up alarge access panel, allowing entry to the interior of the machine.
2.Not all of these screws are necessarily the same size when
removing panels from laptops, however,
so take note of which one goes where.
Step 2. Unclip existing memory
modules
Removing memory modules, regardless of their type, will
involve the same process.
1.You simply use a thumbnail to separate the module from the metal clip that keeps it clamped
down.
2. Do this for both sides of the module and it will pop up
at 45º.
3.To remove the
module, you then simply pull it out at
that angle.
Step 3. Install new memory modules
Installing the new memory modules is equally simple.
1.First of all, take care to check the memory is aligned properly.
There’s an off-centre notch in the
memory module’s contacts that needs to line up with a corresponding protrusion
in the slot. This is there to stop you from
installing the modules upside down.
2. Push the module into the slot as far as it will go before
pressing it flat, allowing the metal clips toclamp it flush with the
motherboard.
3.Give the module a final firm press into the slot to ensure it’s all the
way in.
Step 4. Replace cover
Realign the rear cover of the laptop, ensuring the screw
holes lineup, and then return each of the screws you removed earlier into their
respective holes.
When removing laptop screws, always make sure you use the
correct size of screwdriver.
Do not try to use one that’s too small or too large or you
will damage the delicate screw heads and may no longer be able to get them in
or out.
With the cover replaced, flip the laptop over and power it
up.
Step 5. Check memory capacity in BIOS
Hopefully your laptop will fire back up and prompt you with
the usual POST screen.
1.Press delete or the relevant F key to enter the motherboard
setup menu and proceed to the system information screen. It should display the
amount of memory on this screen.
2.You should hopefully
see here how much memory is detected by the laptop - in our case 8GB.
3 .Being able to start
up the PC and being 100% stable are two very different things, however, so exit
the setup screen and boot into Windows.
Step 6. Run Windows memory diagnostic
Once within windows, you can check that it too detects the
new memory. Remember that in order to
support more than 4GB of RAM, your laptop must have a 64-bit version of Windows
installed.
Go to the Start menu
and type ‘memory’ into the search box.
The ‘Windows Memory
Diagnostic’ should be the first option at the top.
Run this, and you’ll
be prompted to restart and check for problems.
If this test passes successfully, you can be pretty
confident that the upgrade has successfully taken.
