Is an upgrade worth my while?

SaltandSauce

SaltandSauce

SaltandSauce

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Joined
30 May 2012
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146
Hi folks,

I was hoping someone could help me out here. I'm intending on doing a little virtualization using Windows 7, which is going to require a little more RAM than I have on offer. My current system is a Dell XPS 430 with the following spec:

> Mainboard : Dell 0G254H
> Chipset : Intel X48
> Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3000 MHz
> Physical Memory : 4096 MB (4 x 1024 DDR3-SDRAM )
> Video Card : ATI Radeon HD 3600 Series
> Hard Disk : M4-CT128M4SSD2 ATA Device (128GB)
> Hard Disk : Seagate ST2000DL004 HD204UI ATA Device (2000GB)
> DVD-Rom Drive : PLDS DVD+-RW DH-16A6S
> Monitor Type : Dell Computer DELL S2309W - 23 inches
> Network Card : Intel 82801IB/IR/IH (ICH9 Family) Gigabit Ethernet Controller
> Operating System : Windows 7 Enterprise Professional Media Center 6.01.7601 Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
> DirectX : Version 11.00
> Windows Performance Index : 5.1 on 7.9

Now I've been told that it's not really worth my while upgrading too much of this machine and that I'd be better off saving the cash and building a completely new system all together. Unfortunately, due to my funds being fairly tight at the moment, I just can't afford to do that right now. So my next option is to fork out the cash and buy myself some RAM.

I was wondering if someone could recommend some RAM? Am I best going with some budget RAM or should I fork out the cash for some bigger brands Crucial or Kingston? Whatever your decision, please could you link me to your chosen solution.

Secondly, does anyone know if this machine can take 4GB sticks? At the time, I was told 2GB was the maximum, but something tells me that I could push the boat out and go with 4GB.

Anyway, I'm just looking for a little advice. With my current system, I'm not going to be able to play around with too much virtualization using beefier operating systems like Windows 7 so a little input would be great.

Thanks for any help! :)
 
There's a very good chance that 4GB sticks will work. The chipset is certainly capable, and there are reports of it working if you search.

With some more memory you shouldn't have any problems running a few VMs on that PC.

Any 1.5V DDR3 should be fine although you may as well get 1600MHz sticks so they'll be more useful in the future.
 
Thanks for the helping hand bremen. Is there any chance you could point me in the right direction to what you suggest? It's not down to me being lazy, I'd just prefer being advised on the most suitable RAM for my needs/system.

Thanks again man, your help is much appreciated! :)

Before I forget, IDEALLY, if I could take the RAM with me when building another system, it would certainly be an advantage. Sooner or later, I intend on building a new machine from scratch so the less things I need to buy all at once, the better. So if that means having to fork out that little extra for decent RAM now then so be it. But I'll leave that decision with yourself.
 
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If it was my money I'd probably get Samsung Green (here) or go for something cheap and cheerful such as two sets of the the TeamGroup Elite (here).

You're probably best keeping an eye on the Today Only offers as decent memory deals often feature. Just avoid anything that needs much over 1.5V.

There's no guarantee that 4GB sticks will work so you may need to be prepared to return them under DSR or OcUk's 14 Days Satisfaction Guarantee.
 
Thanks for the heads up. I was having a hunt around to see if I could find any confirmation as to whether 4GB sticks would work but I came up with nothing. Would this RAM be future proof if I intend on building a new machine sometime next year?

I maybe asking for a little too much here, but if you get a minute, could you try find out for me? It would certainly save the pain in the ass of having to return the hardware if I find out it doesn't work. If you come up with a definite answer, I promise a case of beer and a postcard will be getting delivered in your direction! :)
 
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DDR4 is probably not too far away, but in computer terms it is still a long way off. I think any RAM you buy today will last for a good 2 years and you could use it in your next upgrade.

Especially if you're planning to build a new computer 2013 you could definitely use that RAM in any new machine you wish to build and it would work fine.
 
Thanks for answering the question regarding the RAM being future proof. That's good to hear that I should be able to use the RAM for a couple years at least. Hopefully that'll save some cash in the long run.

Now with regards to whether my machine supports 4GB sticks is another matter all together? Anyone able to shine some line on this murky situation?
 
If you Google 'xps 430 16gb' or 'xps 430 4x4gb' there are people claiming to have made it work. And the only reason it wouldn't is if Dell had imposed an artificial limit (and they don't usually). The X48 chipset the board is based on will handle it.
 
Nice one Bremen, it looks like you were right the first time. According to one of the responses when using the search term "XPS 430 16GB" that you recommended, it claims the following:

But this is what you wanted to hear...... YES YOU CAN PUT MORE THAN 8GB OF MEMORY IN A DELL XPS 430!!!! I have 12GB right now and plan to have the max of 16gb within 30days!!! You can put more than 8GB in a DELL XPS 430! Let me say it again! XPS 430 can have a max of 16GB of DDR3 1333 RAM!!!! You can put 4x4GB of DDR3 PC1333 Ram! That's 16GB not 8GB as what the spec sheet says! I spent the money and took the chance so you can be assured you can do it too!
Click to expand...

So with that answered, I'm going to take the gamble and see if I can proceed with an upgrade. I'm going to go ahead with the Samsung Green that you recommended and see how it all works out. Either way, I'll keep you posted for peace of mind.

One last thing before I promise I'll leave you alone, is there anything that I need to do before installing the RAM? Upgrading the BIOS maybe? I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right before proceeding. Better safe than sorry!
 
I've just carried out a successful BIOS update so things are looking on the up. Now all I need to do now is order up the RAM and hopefully, with a little bit of luck, we should be good to go. I'll keep you posted with how things go!

Now that you've linked me to the OcUK Advents offer, I'm leaning towards the two budget sticks instead. Do you know if these would work with two of the 1GB sticks that I'm currently using?

Bremen, you've been terrific throughout, and your help has been much appreciated! Thanks very much for all the informative and speedy responses! :)
 
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Well the RAM arrived today which came early than expected. Its just a shame the machine wouldn't run anymore than 8GB. Using both 16GB and 12GB was no use. It was beeping continually without anything being displayed on the monitor. Ah well, it was worth a shot.

Other than updating the BIOS, is there anything else that needs to be carried out?

I'm now going to try it run it with two of the older 1GB sticks and seen if I have any luck withn a total of 10GB. Here goes nothing...
 
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