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Can you guide me on how to add memory to my laptop?

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Aug 2005
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    218

    Can you guide me on how to add memory to my laptop?

    I have a four-year old Dell Inspiron 7378 laptop. It was worked well so far. But with many zoom meetings going on, it is sometimes laggy. I am thinking of increasing the memory from 8GB to 16GB or even higher. I don't know if the motherboard has a slot to add an additional 8GB.

    I am a totally non-technical guy. I don't have the confidence to open up the laptop and change/add memory. I am willing to pay for the memory and get someone to do it for me.

    Any advice on: whether it is a good idea, where to get this done, how much it could cost?

    Thank you.


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    14,414

    I had mine done at one of the shops in Golden Centre SSP.
    Wanchai will also do it for you if you’re island side.

    Ram was $200 or so when I got mine done a few years ago on my Asus.


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jan 2015
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    258

    Define laggy? Only under certain circumstances, or all the time? Only when using certain software or after doing a specific task?


    https://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/insp...uide_en-us.pdf

    Page 14, you're good for 16GB RAM. Currently you have 8GB so you need to either a) install something like CPUID (free diagnostic software, google it) to tell you if you have 1x8GB or 2x4GB sticks, or b) open it and have a look. That will tel you if you need to buy 1x 8GB (if you already have 1x8GB stick) or if you need to buy 2x 8GB sticks to replace your 2x4GB sticks.

    As for storage, you already have an M.2 SSD, so disk speed shouldn't be causing problems.

    32GB shouldn't be necessary for your average workstation uses. If you needed 32GB to run around Windows doing desktop work and making video calls then something else is chewing up your memory.


  4. #4

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    If you are anywhere near 298 Hennessey road computer center..stop by a shop called A-Lab. First shop on the first floor. Good guys who have done work for me and other GeoExpat members.

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  5. #5

    Join Date
    Aug 2005
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    218

    Thank you for all the helpful ideas. When I said "laggy", I meant that when I am on a Zoom meeting with several people on video, the computer would take a long time to open an additional application and file (such as a pdf file using Acrobat Reader, or a Word file), maybe 10 times as long as when I am not on Zoom. That is why I thought Zoom must be eating up all the processing power. When I am not on Zoom, I have never felt a problem.

    I ran CPUID. It shows that my computer has 8GB installed in one slot and hence the other one must be free. So I will try to get 8GB more installed.
    , thanks for the pointer to A-Lab. I am near Wanchai, so 298 should be good.


  6. #6

    Join Date
    Jan 2015
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    258
    Original Post Deleted
    In a perfect world, yes but software is only as good as the software developers made it to be. Poorly written software can chew through any hardware resources you may have.

    Presumably Zoom are in crazy growth mode so amassing customer base is key for now, add in some new features along the way and refine over time. It'll come good in the end I'm sure.

  7. #7

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    Back in my decades behind a PC, a system acting wonky (hangs, reboots) from mis-matched RAM modules was a real possibility -- mismatched in terms of chip timing and even manufacturer/brand. If Crucial's listing for the Dell is accurate, it looks like there's a range of DDR4 modules that'll work, but because a range exists at all might sound the alarms to proceed with caution.

    https://www.crucial.com/compatible-u...iron-13-(7378)

    DDR4 PC4-19200 • CL=17
    DDR4 PC4-21300 • CL=19

    That's the compatible range reported by Crucial. Hopefully, the HK shop will go the extra mile to match the module's speed to the factory's module. If it were my daily driver, I'd opt to pull the old one and populate the slots with a matched pair to eliminate potential headaches down the road.

    While the bottom panel is off, it's an opportune time to blast away any colonies of dust bunnies that may have multiplied in there.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2OsiGmbWt4

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  8. #8

    Join Date
    Jun 2016
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    Seriously you can do it yourself IMO. Just be carefult of static discharge.


  9. #9

    Join Date
    Aug 2005
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    Continuing (I am the OP):

    I have been observing the usage of CPU and memory in the Task Manager. It seems like the CPU capacity gets used up when I am running Zoom, rather than the memory.

    I am using Intel i7-7500U CPU @2.7GHz.

    Also, I am using the video from Logitech Capture as input video to Zoom (I installed this program and started using it when I bought a new Logitech webcam C920 - I like it because it helps in zooming in and framing the picture). That program seems to consume some 15% of processor.

    Any suggestions based on this info? Would it still help to augment the RAM?

    Thank you!


  10. #10

    Join Date
    Dec 2005
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    1,550

    It eats up CPU cos the video card cant take up the load. Upgrading RAM is not going to help. Can try tweaking settings to see if it helps with reducing cpu loads..
    https://www.rahisystems.com/blog/is-...ps-and-tricks/

    Quote Originally Posted by abcdef:
    Continuing (I am the OP):

    I have been observing the usage of CPU and memory in the Task Manager. It seems like the CPU capacity gets used up when I am running Zoom, rather than the memory.

    I am using Intel i7-7500U CPU @2.7GHz.

    Also, I am using the video from Logitech Capture as input video to Zoom (I installed this program and started using it when I bought a new Logitech webcam C920 - I like it because it helps in zooming in and framing the picture). That program seems to consume some 15% of processor.

    Any suggestions based on this info? Would it still help to augment the RAM?

    Thank you!
    shri and jgl like this.

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