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75431
Memory upgrade for Inspiron 13 5000 series (2 in 1)
Hi, this may seem like a stupid question, but I recently got the entry level Inspiron 13, 5000 series (i3, 4gb Ram). I want to upgrade the memory as it's a bit sluggish. Dell's site said this model only has one Ram slot. I've been told it actually has two. I'm a clumsy oaf and don't want to open the case unnecessarily (and break those awkward little clicky 'lips'). Can anyone tell me if there is one slot or two?
I ask because, if there is just the one, I'll go for 16, if it's two, I'll go for an 8 to make a total of 12.
Cheers,
Dave
MartynBez
9 Posts
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June 8th, 2017 06:00
Hi, Just tried 2x 16GB =32GB in my 5378 Inspiron and it worked fine. I did reach out to Dell on twitter and they said it will only take 16GB but my config on the dell website said 32GB.
MartynBez
9 Posts
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June 8th, 2017 07:00
Hi, Just tried 2x 16GB =32GB in my 5378 Inspiron and it worked fine. I did reach out to Dell on twitter and they said it will only take 16GB but my config on the dell website said 32GB.
GasManBob
1 Message
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August 22nd, 2017 05:00
Hi Verbage,
Can I ask - your experience of upgrading the 5378 to 2 x 16Gb ... Did you notice a decent performance increase? Which processor / SSD is that paired with please?
verbage
25 Posts
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August 29th, 2017 22:00
Hi GasManBob,
Regarding a performance increase when replacing the original 1 x 8 GB module with 2 x 16 GB modules, yes, in my case, there is a huge difference because I often work with very large data sets or run virtual machines. In these cases, having extra memory onboard certainly results in a noticeable performance increase. But for anybody's particular case, whether an upgrade from 8 GB to 32 GB (or only to 16 GB) is worth it really depends on how they plan to use their machine. For example, if the machine will be mostly used for web surfing, productivity software, etc., I suspect things would be perfectly fine with 16 GB, and upgrading to 32 GB would not make a big difference. In fact, for that use case, maybe even 8 GB would work well? So, in sum, whether a memory upgrade will increase system performance noticeably will completely depend on your use case.
Certainly, what will definitely make a huge and noticeable difference in performance is replacing a standard hard drive with an SSD. My original plan with the 5378 was to add an M.2 SSD to the system as the boot drive, and keep the 2.5" slot filled with a high capacity standard hard drive for data storage. But sadly, the specifications document for the 5378 was incorrect, and an M.2 SSD connector was not present. I'm not sure if they have changed their documentation yet, but whatever the case, you can read more about this issue in the following thread:
en.community.dell.com/.../20965904
Anyway, depending on your use case, you would probably notice more of a performance difference by replacing a standard hard drive with an SSD vs. increasing system memory. I have a 500 GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD waiting to be installed in my 5378, and I know it will make a huge difference once it replaces the original 1 TB standard hard drive. Other brands and models would also provide a noticeable speed boost as almost any SSD is blazingly fast compared to a standard hard drive. But the Samsung 850 EVO is a top performer all around, and I think it's worth the price premium. If you are patient, the 500 GB model comes down to the $130-140 range on occasions.
Hope this helps!
dovclimb
1 Message
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September 24th, 2017 01:00
Hi I just bought an Inspirion 13 5000 - 5378. Can you please let me know which ram to use if I want to upgrade beyond the 8 it comes with? I would like to go to 32 if possible.
Thanks
verbage
25 Posts
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September 24th, 2017 14:00
Hi dovlcimb,
I have 2 x 16GB modules in my 5378, and it runs great. My 5378 is using BIOS 1.61 (please read more about BIOS revisions below). The specific memory modules I bought were G.SKILL brand models from Newegg. Here is link to them:
www.newegg.com/.../Product.aspx
I am stunned to see their current price at $289.99. I bought them in late 2016, and they cost basically half that at $149.99. I have not purchased any memory recently, but gosh, prices appear to have skyrocketed. I'm sure other modules will work as well so it may be possible to find something cheaper, but I can only comment on what I purchased for my particular laptop.
Regarding BIOS revision levels, I see that some later BIOSes are now available for the 5378, but I am hesitant to upgrade to a later revision at the moment because of the following. In particular, when the 5378 was first released, 2 x 16GB modules worked fine, but Dell eventually let out a BIOS revision that essentially bricked the laptop if it found 2 x 16GB sticks. Fortunately, later BIOS revisions fixed this bricking problem, and now 2 x 16GB modules work fine again at least up to version 1.61. They may still work fine with a more updated BIOS revision, too, I just can't confirm it personally, and I'm not willing to risk my working system. If someone else is using 2 x 16GB with either BIOS 1.9.0 or 1.20.0, I'd be happy to hear about it!
Hope this helps!