Can bigger ram fit into a smaller ram spot

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thegrimreaper.vx

May 29, 2018
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I don't think i have 2 ram slots and as such i need bigger ram but my pc is stuck to the limit full of ram, can i fit bigger ram (compatible) into a smaller ram spot?
 
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stdragon

stdragon

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there are lots of product revisions of the Inspiron 15. By chance, do you know the four digit number to goes with it? It might be printed on the box it came with. Alternatively, if you wish, you can send me a message with the SvcTag (Service Tag) which is the serial number.

Alternatively, you log into support.dell.com, and contact technical support to assist you. But, their RAM is no better than other brands, and will only cost more.
 
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stdragon

stdragon

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Inspiron 15 was released for many years, however the underlying technology has changed. Sometimes you will find the model listed as Inspiron 15 (3559), Inspiron 15 (5547), Inspiron 15 (5558), etc.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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MUST be 1.35V (hence the "L" in DDR3L)... you can get 1.5V memory that fits and may even work but it can damage the CPU's memory controller.

I used PCPARTPICKER to filter down to what SHOULD be a compatible part:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/hHPfrH/samsung-memory-m471b5273dh0ck0

I don't quite understand the "dual" voltage operation but I assume it would default to a lower setting that uses 1.35V but I can't verify that.
 
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stdragon

stdragon

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Yes, both the Pentium and Celeron do support a maximum of 8GB of addressable memory. So what you said does make sense because my older Apple MacBook Pro only officially support 8GB when in fact there was a 16GB kit available. And there was no problem with that.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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Hmmm... Dell says 2GB and 4GB only in the manual, though I've seen before that those can be options they offer not necessarily the only thing you can do.

Okay, apparently 8GB is possible: http://www.game-debate.com/laptop/index.php?la_id=2959&laptop=Dell%20Inspiron%2015%203551

"There is only one memory slot with 4gb of ddr3 SODIMM, and you can upgrade that single slot to a maximum of 8gb."

Here's the 8GB part filtered to different choices that all should work:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/memory/#t=9&Z=8192001&sort=price&E=0&V=0,1350

Such as THIS one for $60USD.

Don't assume I'm right. Preferably use a model number known to work with your exact laptop.
 
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thegrimreaper.vx

May 29, 2018
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So does it support another or a bigger ram stick?
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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1) True... it's almost certainly 64-bit Windows (likely W10).

You can check by:
a) right-click Start then "System"
b) under "System Type" it should start "64-bit"

2) just FYI, but it is technically "8GB" not 8Gb (the latter means eight giga-bit not eight giga-byte).

3) *to be absolutely clear, you can use up to an 8GB stick and it absolutely MUST be compatible in every way as I mention before.

If you got ECC instead of non-ECC for example it would not work. No such thing as a bigger stick or higher capacity than 8GB (which is pretty good actually).

If things are sluggish still then an SSD may help. Depends what you are doing... for processing (converting video, games etc) most of the time that's simply the CPU or GPU so nothing you can do... system memory simply buffers data that would normally take too long to load from the OS SSD/HDD (try shutting laptop off, let sit until fully loaded, then open a Word Processor and time it... close it, then open again... should take LESS TIME since now some is accessed from the DDR3 memory).

VIDEO MEMORY:
If you use the iGPU in the CPU (not a dedicated graphics chip with its own VRAM) then you can change the amount of DDR3 memory it accesses... if playing a light game like Torchlight 1 (or using some non-game applications) you may find it beneficial to boot into the BIOS (how varies such as "F2" on boot or POWER BUTTON plus "F2") then change the amount of VRAM allocated to for example "1024MB" (1GB).

If you have 8GB installed you'd then have just under 7GB available for Windows itself with the other 1GB dedicated to the graphics chip.

Also avoid Ebay. It's known for either peoples problems, fake memory, or poorly made memory.

Other:
way off topic is that "x86" technically does not mean 32-bit. It got used incorrectly so often that even Microsoft uses it interchangeably.

However "x86" refers to the architecture. Really the Instruction Set so that the number "9" means the same thing or some other code (ARM architecture for example has a different Instruction Set).

It's actually:
x86_32, and
x86_64

Meaning the x86 architecture in 32-bit or the x86 architecture in 64-bit.

(SATA vs IDE has a similar path... "IDE" comes from integrating the drive (platters) and the electronics which were separate. So when they did that they becaome IDE HDD's... but the interface was PARALLEL (ribbon cable)... when they changed to a serial interface via SATA cables somehow it became "IDE vs SATA" when it's really "PATA vs SATA" as both drives are still IDE so IDE vs SATA makes no sense...

You can even see ads for "IDE SSD's" ..uh? They mean of course SSDs using the old parallel interface but wow, come on.)"

"now you know... and knowing is half the battle. GEE EYE JOOOOO"

 
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stdragon

stdragon

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Well actually, AHCI breaks from IDE (PATA) in that it supports features beyond simply just a SATA interface; such as hot plugging and NCQ.

 
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