Increasing RAM. Worth the expense ?

Question

Dell Inspiron 3531- Celeron CPU (2004)

I just replaced the hard drive with an SSD. .

Should I now upgrade RAM from 4 to 8 ? (worth the $50 cost?...I do a bit of basic video editing)

If so, is this something I can/should do myself? I've seen YouTube tutorials...seems simple enough. (But so did the drive replacement but I ended up paying $100 for a professional installation!)

Many thanks for your advice

PS. Not sure I'm posting this correctly on this forum. It is meant to be a new post and not a reply to anyone. Apologies if this appears at the wrong place

Pergamon · Answer

Yes, I would do it and it looks easy enough to do based on that video of the model number you listed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gkveQKYu1M

You'll get a nice boost with 8GB for doing most things, but I think if you're mentioning $50 for 4GB's of Ram, you're overpaying. It should be at least half that cost and doing it yourself will save you money. Only thing you'll need is a small screwdriver.

https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Dell/inspiron-15-%283531%29#MEMORYFilters

Clintlgm · Answer

To get this information you need to log on to support, enter your model number and most importantly Enter your Service Tag Number.

That will open all the hardware information on your Particular notebook, You should download and read your Service Manual there you will find out how to open your notebook. Identify your ram configuration and available slots.

Yes with windows 10 more ram will make a difference 4GB is the very minimum needed to run windows now days.

U2CAMEB4ME · Answer

Welcome to the Dell Community @AChenier

Sorry but your specs indicate that you only have one SODIMM slot.

Slot: One SODIMM slot
Type: DDR3L
Speed: Up to 1600 MHz

NOTE: The processor installed on your computer allows the memory to run only at 1333 MHz speed.

Configurations supported 4 GB max.

Inspiron 15 3531 Specifications:

https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_laptop/esuprt_inspiron_laptop/inspiron-15-3531-laptop_reference%20guide_en-us.pdf

That's why Crucial only lists single memory sticks "Max 4GB" and not 2 for "8GB" "Dual Channel" memory.

Best regards,

U2

NOTE: There is a chance you can upgrade to one 8GB module but it would depend on the CPU you have.

You could always try and if it doesn't work return the memory module???

AChenier · Answer

Thank you. Appreciate the information and the references

AChenier · Answer

Are RAM 'sticks' model specific or are they 'one-size-fits-all' mostly?

AChenier · Answer

Many thanks for this useful info. The link is great.

Btw, I have never heard of Crucial. I live in Canada (is this an international forum?) so prices are higher.

I doubt if my retailer would accept a return, but I will ask. I could always pay for the install ($30) which would facilitate a return if they can't get it to work.

Thanks again

Inspiron

Increasing RAM. Worth the expense ?

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