Razer Blade "Pro" R2 upgrades! Please Help

Hello,

1. I am thinking about upgrading the RAM to Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory (CMSX16GX3M2A1600C10) anyone recommends doing that?
2. Also what about changing the HDD to SSD is it better than changing the 64 GB SSD to a higher capacity? And is there a space for another Hard disk in the R2 ?
3. And I read that you need to connect yourself to the ground through a wire or so (earthing)is that crucial for the installation?
4. If you have any other upgrades suggestions or recommendations I will be happy if you post them here.

I know it is kind of a noobish question but it is helpful to me and other noobs

The reason I put Pro in quotes, in the title, was that it was not called Pro when I bought it.

 

I do not know the goal you are trying to achieve for your upgrades so i shall share with you some information based on your questions:

1.) You can upgrade the RAM to the Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz laptop memory but i do not know why you would want to. Why would i say that? Firstly, lets start with the total capacity of the RAM you have, which is 8GB of 1600mhz ram. Unless this 8GB is really not enough for you, there is no need to "upgrade" it. Not many people realized that they have more than enough ram in their system and that they might never actually be able to utilize that much of ram memory. Secondly, most manufacturer of ram nowadays produces decent ram. I don't know why you would want to pay extra for the Corsair Vengeance ram since it is running at 1600mhz which is the same speed as the stock ram that comes with your laptop. If there is any performance increase at all, you would not be able to feel it in real life.

2.) In your laptop, there are 2 bays only, which are already populated with a standard 2.5inch laptop mechanical HDD and a 64GB msata SSD. If you want to upgrade your laptop's overall storage, what you can do is take the 2.5inch HDD out and replace it with a 2.5inch SSD. Then remove the 64GB msata SSD and upgrade it to a much larger capacity msata SSD. OR, you could simply just take off the 2.5 inch HDD and leave the bay empty and just upgrade the msata SSD to a really large capacity one. This way your laptop will be slightly lighter since it has lesser parts in it and it might also help extend the battery life a little bit since it has one less HDD to power up.

3.) Yes, grounding yourself is very very very important and i cannot stress it enough. There are so many components in the laptop that you can easily short out and fry if you do not take care of the static electricity problem by grounding yourself.

4.) Personal opinion, with whatever budget you have decided to spend of this upgrade, i would concentrate it all on getting a really good and really large capacity msata SSD. Replace the stock 64GB msata SSD and totally remove the 2.5 inch bay drive. Like i have mentioned, this helps a little more with weight saving and battery life consumption which is what is more important to me. If storage capacity is your priority them simply also replace the 2.5inch HDD with a SSD for overall performance upgrade. I would also buy really good quality thermal compound such as Arctic MX-4, IC Diamond, Gelid GC Extreme thermal compound etc. and do a thermal compound repaste job. This should help with better heat conductivity and lower overall laptop temps. Lastly, i would look into getting a new and better wifi card.

Good Luck!

 

Hey Jamesng1986,
I would like to thank you for replying.

1) For the hard disk what mSATA SSD and SSD do you recommend?
I will compare both prices and decide upon that I guess.

3) Regarding Grounding, after reading so many guides I got that if you are using a bracelet you should connect it to the cover of the laptop. Does that sound right?

4) Lastly I had some issues with the WIFI especially after upgrading to windows 8.1, any WIFI cards recommendations from you?

Again am thankful to your reply.

 

No problem at all.

1.) If i had the budget, i'll definitely go for the Samsung 840 EVO 1TB ssd. They have it in the usual 2.5inch sata type as well as the msata type. If your budget is not that high, i suggest you to look at the Crucial M500 ssd. Those are very well priced for the performance you get. Definitely worth a look if your budget is tight.

2.) Yep, its called Anti-Static wrist straps. And the way you've described to use it is alright. (Make sure the clip is attached to a metal, preferably bare metal.)

3.) What kind of problems are you having after the update? There are many types of wifi card you can get. What i suggest is other than budget, you must also consider what kind of router you are using now too. Go with intel wifi cards, they are generally very reliable. If your router supports ac, get the wifi card that has ac as well. You will notice quite a significant improvement in performance and or connection stability.

My pleasure! Glad to be of help.

 

I upgraded my R2 with the 256GB mSATA SSD I pulled out of my Edge and a 2.5" 1TB Samsung 840 EVO. Upgrading the mSATA is a bit tricky as you have to remove the USB 3.0 daughtercard, but that was mostly jostling to get it out of the chassis. I also put in an Intel 7260 AC WiFi+BT card. All of it is working with Windows 8.1, including GeForce Experience.