Buying RAM for Vostro 3750

I need to buy RAM for Vostro 3750. It costs me almost $140 for 4GB buying direct from Dell. Is it more reliable buying it direct from Dell or is it fine and cheaper to buy from other retailers? I am worried about compatibility if I buy from other retailers but feel $140 is a bit pricey.

 

The RAM is nothing special and Dell buy their RAM from other manufacturers. So go shopping elsewhere and don't let Dell take its commission.

The discussion here gives some modules which are known to work but you can also use RAM manufacturers own websites such as this.

Any DDR3 SODIMM should work but you can use CPU-z to check the details of your current RAM and look for something with the same specifications. Is your 4GB one module or two? If two, your cheapest upgrade option is to replace just one module with something bigger. This would then run in asymmetic dual channel which is almost as fast a full dual channel (two modules of the same capacity) but the overall capacity increase will more than offset any slight reduction in the memory bandwidth.

John

 

Thanks for your advice, John. I didn't know about CPU-Z. It is certainly useful for getting detailed info about the system. I do have a few questions. I hope you can advise me further.

According to the parts list that Dell sent me with the invoice when I purchased the laptop, this is what they have specified for RAM used in my laptop:
4GB 1 DIMM (4GB x 1) DDR3 1333Mhz

Does this indicate one module?

I thought laptops use SODIMM. But they have written DIMM in the parts list. Or is it because my laptop is bigger? It is with 17.3" monitor. Can I still use SODIMM?

This is what I have gathered from CPU-Z:



I am a bit confused about whether to purchase a single 8GB or another 4GB. What if I buy an 8GB which will give me a total of 12GB. Does it work like that?

And also, do I need to stick to 1333Mhz or can I go higher?

 

I'm 99.9% sure that your Vostro is using SODIMM and someone in Dell was being lazy when they typed DIMM. You can increase the certainty to 100% by looking inside the computer and checking the size of the slot. An SODIMM slot is about 2.7" long.

The 4GB x 1 means one module and this is confirmed by CPU-z reporting Single channel. If you have been using 4GB then adding another 4GB to get 8GB is likely to be plenty. Adding 8GB to get a total of 12GB is only likely to be a sensible investment if you plan to run either programs that handle lots of graphics (eg Photoshop with lots of high resolution photos open at the same time) or run several virtual machines.

The new RAM will run at the same speed as the existing RAM. However, whether to buy 1333MHz or 1600MHz RAM can be based on price since the 1600MHz modules should have timings for 1333MHz in its SPD data (look on CPU-z's SPD page to see what I mean). The performance difference between the two speeds is not significant.

John

 

I don't see any reason why it can't handle 12GB RAM using a 4+8 configuration, there are reports that people have bumped the Vostro 3750 up to 16GB using 2x 8GB modules. We had a Dell Precision that had 24GB RAM (4+4+8+8) which worked fine so I wouldn't get too worried about it.

 

It will work.

As a general rule, more RAM trumps faster RAM in most cases. More faster RAM is the ideal situation, but faster RAM often has a negligible performance difference, so don't worry about faster RAM. You can look up asynchronous dual channel to know how exactly a 4 + 8 config will work if you're interested.