Upgrading a Dell Inspiron 5770 laptop

Fat_Tony

Hi everyone,

I'm making the jump back to a Windows laptop after 6 years on my trusty macbook Pro.

I've ordered the above and need to order an SSD drive and a bit more ram.

Unfortunately I know nothing about these things. My son will be able to install them for me, he's already fairly capable but I need to ensure I order the correct parts. I want to order now before the laptop arrives so its all ready to work on.

This was the information I found on the type of drive I need, but I'm not sure on the ram.
Solid-state drive (SSD)•
M.2 SATA SSD•
M.2 NVMe SSD
Maximum configuration supported•
M.2 SATA SSD: Up to 256 GB•
M.2 NVMe SSD: Up to 512 GB

So would this one do the job? If not, why please? (trying to increase my knowledge in this stuff)

Western Digital WDS240G2G0B WD 240 GB Internal SSD M.2 SATA, Green https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B078WYS5K6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_bcHKDb7VHA82W

As for the ram, the conclusion I've reached is that I need to know what the existing ram is before I buy more? Is that correct?

Everything I read says its DDR4 8gb but is that a universal standard or is it dependent on the physical size?

Sorry for all the questions, it's quite confusing trying to make sense of it all as everything seems to have so many variations. Even searching the laptop model number seems to bring up several different specs.

Any advice appreciated, thanks

961

Forgive me, but if the laptop is arriving from Dell, can it not be built with the desired spec?

If it is coming from a retailer such as E-Buyer then I appreciate they sell pre built with a variety of fixed specs

Either way, ensure that by opening the case you do not void any warranty

So far as the ram is concerned I can recommend buying from Crucial and if you use their web site to find the correct ram type they will refund or replace if there is a problem. Link below

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Find the Right RAM Memory for Your Computer | Crucial UK                                                                                                        Find the right type of RAM for your desktop, laptop or server from 250,000 available upgrades with the help of our Advisor tool & System Scanner.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                uk.crucial.com

Fat_Tony

Thanks, it's a used one so I can't choose a spec.

I've watched loads of videos today, I'm fairly sure I've found the right ram (and it was crucial)

Crucial CT8G4SFS824A 8 GB (DDR4, 2400 MT/s, PC4-19200, Single Rank x8, SODIMM, 260-Pin) Memory https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01BIWKP58/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_zpIKDb544ZG5F

I think it's an Nvme ssd port which is causing some confusion for me, I don't think that ssd I linked to initially is compatible but maybe someone can correct me in this?

Thanks

961

In that case wait till it arrives and let the crucial tool interrogate the actual laptop. They usually do next day delivery so you won't need wait long and there will be no mistake, as it will establish without doubt what ram is already in there. Remember as the machine is not new, the ram in there now may already be different to what the original specifications say.. Although an Amazon fan myself I'd advise ram is ordered direct from Crucial because of long cast iron warranty without involvement of third party

Incidentally, are you sure you actually need more than 8Gb? Unless you are going to do video editing etc 8Gb may well be enough

For the same reasons, Belarc Advisor (free link for personal use)

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Products: Belarc Advisor                                                                                                        Belarc's products automatically create an accurate and up-to-date central repository (CMDB), consisting of detailed software, hardware, network and security configurations.  Customers use our products for software license management, IT asset management, cyber security audits, information...                                                                                                                                                                                                        www.belarc.com                                                                               
downloaded onto the machine when it arrives will establish exact hard drive specs as well as a whole host of stuff you need to know including hardware, software and security updates

This is a better way forward than trying to order before you know exactly what the current specs are

EndlessWaves

M.2 drives differ in three ways:

Physical size, often expressed in width-length, e.g. 2280 is 22mm wide, 80mm long. It's length that mainly varies, I don't think any width other than 22mm is common.

Keying, which is a physical notch in the connector. B key and M key are common for drives. If your slot has a key and your drive doesn't then it won't go in, but a drive with a key will go in a slot without. It was intended as a way to ensure SATA vs. PCI-E compatibility but it got rather mixed up and a lot of SSDs now are universal with both keys.

Protocol. The three options are SATA AHCI, PCI-Express AHCI and PCI-Express NVMe, although PCI-E AHCI is now uncommon. Drives use only one sort but slots can support multiple. Yours supports both common types of SATA AHCI and PCI-E NVMe so it shouldn't be an issue.

For the drive you linked the only thing you need to check is whether your laptop supports 2280 drives, some only support shorter drives like 2242.


Socketed DDR4 differs in two ways.

It comes in two physical sizes. longer DIMM and shorter SODIMM. It's very rare for a laptop to use anything other than SODIMMs.

It varies in bandwidth/timings between 2133 and 3200. If you're adding memory then it'll run at the slowest speed the two sticks have in common, which the computer also supports.

(specifically speeds in common is determined by the SPD profiles loaded onto the memory. Not all manufacturers list this unfortunately but as DDR4 is fairly new most sticks should have all of the official profiles).


DDR4 can also be directly mounted on the motherboard and not upgradable so that also needs to be checked, it's fairly common in very thin laptops these days.

961

Endless Waves' point about ram directly mounted onto motherboard is important and the Crucial tool should esablish if it is a factor here

Fat_Tony

Thanks guys, really appreciate the detailed answers. I'll certainly hold fire until it arrives.

It's so frustrating going into it knowing so little bit I've learnt loads today.

Fat_Tony

I'm coming from an 8gb MBP and predominantly changing because it couldn't cope with my Gopro Fusion 4k 360 footage.

Perhaps I don't need 16gb but figured no harm if I'm opening the laptop up anyway.

There is a chance it still might struggle, its not great software and doesn't seem consistent on various specs. As in its worked for some people on lower specs and not so well for others with higher specs.

Cex are giving me cash for my macbook (might try it on here actually) and its about 75% of the cost of the newer laptop so hopefully a good move for me.

Fat_Tony

Another question if you dont mind, whilst watching the youtube videos today I saw people changing out the main hard drive.

Is there any reason you wouldnt just put in an SSD main harddrive rather than running a non SSD harddrive and an added SSD drive?

Ive got some CEX vouchers and they dont seem especially expensive, but not sure if im missing an obvious reason why you wouldnt go down this route.

Thanks

961

How old is the laptop and what version Windows is it currently using?
What size hard drive does it have?