[SOLVED] ASUS N550JV RAM upgrade compatibility question

[fexobag755]

Hello everyone. This is my first post and I apologize that it's really long, but if you can help me out I'd really appreciate it. I purchased the ASUS N550JV-DB72T six or seven years ago and now it still works fine but I run out of RAM too quickly these days with my usage. I would like to upgrade from current 8 GB of RAM to 16 GB, which I think is the maximum I can do for this laptop.
I've done a lot of research to make sure that I will choose the correct RAM to install for the upgrade and I'm really confused about the following:

• Review websites suggest that this laptop has only 2 slots for RAM but Specy and Task Manager both shows that there are 4 slots total (screenshot below). So which is correct?
• My configuration came with 8 GB of RAM (2 slots x 4 GB each), according to Specy. The RAM sticks are Hyundai HMT451S6AFR8A-PB. My understanding is that I will need to choose 1.35V DDR3L (low power) RAM because if not the system will fail to boot. So I searched for this kind of RAM and came across this page on Kingston's website. The website basically even claims that these products will be compatible with the laptop but I'm not sure if I can trust it. There seems to be three different types I can choose to purchase: ValueRAM 1600MHz, HyperX 1600MHz, and HyperX 1866MHx. The prices are basically the same (only a few dollars difference between them) so I would like to choose the ones that are most compatible and fastest. It looks like the HyperX ones are superior to the ValueRAM. But I'm not sure if I need to choose 1600 MHz or 1866 MHz. According to Specy and Task Manager, what I have currently is 1600 MHz, but will the 1866 MHz also be compatible and be faster too?
• After I figure out which one to buy, assuming that there are only 2 slots available, I would take out the current 4 GB sticks and replace them with 16 GB total. So I would buy two 8 GB sticks and use those two. But if there are 4 slots available, should I only buy 2 sticks of 4 GB each and add them in the system (which would have 4 sticks of 4 GB each, two different brands, and potentially different speed (if your answer to my question above is I can choose 1866 MHz))? What if there are 4 slots and I choose to buy only 1 additional 8 GB stick (for 3 sticks total)?

Basically, I'm confused about how many slots there are and which MHz speed/how many GB per stick I should choose to make sure everything works well and my machine doesn't end up broken. This is assuming the Kingston RAM mentioned above are compatible to begin with.
Also, do you need to remove the battery before replacing the RAM? I heard it's safer that way or something?
I live in the US and I bought this laptop from an US online retailer, if that matters.

 

[SamirD]

Well, the Asus manual and site sucks as it doesn't even tell you how many slots it has. So I checked two sites that I trust--crucial and compuram.biz and both say you only have 2x slots.

So this means the adding additional modules route is out and you just need to get some compatible 8gb modules x2.

Seems like you will need to get 1.35v as 1.5v may not work. But otherwise, it's pretty standard PC3L-12800S memory, which is the max your i7-4700HQ will support:
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_i7/Intel-Core i7-4700HQ Mobile processor.html

You can buy the faster 1866 memory and usually it will clock down, but there's no real reason to--just get what is designed for the laptop and you should be fine.

Oh, and absolutely take out the battery! You want absolutely no power flowing through the laptop when you change the memory. What I usually do is take out the battery and then press the power button a few times to drain out any extra current. Be sure to also be careful about static and do not touch any metal traces on the modules or laptop--just handle the modules by the sides.

Hope this helps! This is actually one of the easiest upgrades on a laptop and will give you a whole new lease on life for it.