Need capability confirmation on Latitude 15 5000 - aka E5540 - mSATA and max RAM

Thanks for the quick reply! So just to confirm, this can all be achieved with the supplied Dell Recovery Discs? No need for me to go hunt down a Win8.1 ISO?

 

I'll try doing this after I've booted up the computer for the first time:

Creating installation media for Windows 8.1 - Windows Help

Then using that disc, I'll try installing to the mSATA ssd as my new boot drive. I doubt the recovery discs can be used to install to the SSD, but if anyone has experience with this, please share

 

Just pull the hard drive and install on the mSATA. Then reinstall the hard drive and set boot priority to the mSATA. Once in windows, format the hard drive.

Done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yes, the recovery discs will give you the factory Dell install, whether you want a clean install and then proceed to install cherry picked drivers and applications or you don't mind the Dell extras is entirely up to you.

 

Has anyone tried (or heard smth about) to install 16GB of RAM on E5540?
TIA

 

Dell doesn't explicitly mention 16GB but does offer an 8GB module for this model. However, the User Guide does say maximum 8GB.

The memory controller can handle 16GB and the E5540 has two SODIMM slots so I would expect 16GB to work unless Dell has programmed a lower limit into the BIOS.


Dell states that the E5440 can handle 16GB. I think it more likely they just forgot to mention 16GB compatibility for the E5540 rather than going to the effort of making it incompatible.

John

 

Thank you very much John.
That's what I was thinking too. You cannot offer a 8GB module for that model with 2 slots available and say that "Maximum RAM is 8GB". But, you know, it would be a relief to know for sure that I won't buy those 16 GB of RAM for nothing.

 

I'm 99% confident that the 16GB will work but if you want to safeguard your money then buy a 16GB pair that is advertised to be compatible with this notebook so you can send the RAM back for a refund if the 1% probability of it not working actually happens.

John

 

Here is the official answer from Dell: "As you rightly said E5540 does have 2 SODIMM Sockets (1333/1600 MHz) and the system does support Up to 16GB memory. Each SODIMM Socket can have either a 2GB/4GB or 8GB module installed."

So ... thank you John (as a matter of fact .. YOU rightly said those words )

 

Thank you for the update which confirms that Dell haven't deliberately incorporated a RAM limit into the BIOS.

They just failed to anticipate that people might want to use more than 8GB RAM.

John