aftermarket ram and compatibility question, need help

[packersfan036]

I just bought a new dell g7 gaming laptop using the new i7 8th gen 8750h cpu and 8gb of 2666 MHz ddr4 ram. can I use say gskill or corsair ram instead of actual dell ram from the dell website? or should I play it safe and use the dell ram? I want to upgrade from the two 4gb sticks that came with the laptop, to two 8gb sticks of ram. I don't know cause the laptop just came out on the market. also should I use ddr4 2400 MHz instead because of availability and price? will 2400 work?

 

[jossrik]

You should be able to replace the RAM, especially if it's a 'gaming' laptop, they tend to be pretty upgradeable in some areas, RAM is one of those, you should also be able to change the battery and HDD/SSD/M.2. If you're capable at tearing down laptops you might have a look inside and see. Laptop memory is different from Desktop memory, so make sure you get the laptop type (SoDIMM), DDR4. You should find out if you have one stick in there or two, or how many RAM slots you have.

 

[packersfan036]

You should be able to replace the RAM, especially if it's a 'gaming' laptop, they tend to be pretty upgradeable in some areas, RAM is one of those, you should also be able to change the battery and HDD/SSD/M.2. If you're capable at tearing down laptops you might have a look inside and see. Laptop memory is different from Desktop memory, so make sure you get the laptop type (SoDIMM), DDR4. You should find out if you have one stick in there or two, or how many RAM slots you have.

ya im pretty good with computers, I just want to make sure of compatibility before I buy. the dell g7 laptop has 2 ram slots and can take a total of 32gb of ddr4 2666 mhz. also should I disconnect the battery before upgrading the ssd and ram?

 

[R0GG]

Always disconnect battery when working on laptops internals, Yes upgrading memory to 2x8 GB ddr4 2400 is safe especially when using brand name like Gskill or Corsair which usually have broad compatibility.

 

[packersfan036]

Always disconnect battery when working on laptops internals, Yes upgrading memory to 2x8 GB ddr4 2400 is safe especially when using brand name like Gskill or Corsair which usually have broad compatibility.

the ram will downclock from 2666 MHz to 2400 MHz if I choose to use 2400 instead of 2666 is this right?

 

[R0GG]

Yes it should be able to run at that speed without issues, your laptop should be able to run it at it's rated specifications ( and not default to to a lower one except when in power saving mode with some laptops and tablets), I would check laptop Bios and see if it has options to adjust memory speed and timings and verify memory speed while laptop is set to run in high performance.