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Upgrade HDD and RAM on G74SX

Ortopi
Level 7
I'm thinking about investing in more HDD and RAM for my G74SX, but I'm very unsure about what to buy and how to replace the old HDD(s). Now I have around 750 GB storage on my G74SX (I'm writing this on another PC), will it be possible to upgrade to like 1,5 TB or something? Must the HDD be at a specific size or model to fit inside the computer? If I replace both HDDs, will I have to install the OS again?
And the RAM? Any certain models I have to use at that point?

Sorry for asking these dumb questions, I'm new into this
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15 REPLIES 15

440hsp
Level 9
i just upgraded my ram to 24gb. my dh71 came with 12gb. 4gb in 3 slots. i pulled one of the 4gb cards out and installed 2 8gb cards in the remaining 2 slots. i used the corsair 1 x 8gb cards from amazon. i think they are called value select for laptop memory and they work great. i just turned the laptop off. took out the battery. pulled the back panel off and the 4 memory slots are right there. very easy install. just takes a few minutes. put everything back together and turned it back on. now i got 24gb of ram.
G74SX-DH71, i7 2670QM(2.2GHZ)
GTX560M 3GB DDR5
24GB RAM @ 1333MHZ
1TB (1x256GB SSD/1x750GB HDD @ 7200 RPM)
17.3" LED 1920 X 1080
Intel ultimate n 6300 wlan

440hsp
Level 9
BTW. these guys on here are awesome when it comes to needing help with these awesome machines so feel free to ask if you have any issues.
G74SX-DH71, i7 2670QM(2.2GHZ)
GTX560M 3GB DDR5
24GB RAM @ 1333MHZ
1TB (1x256GB SSD/1x750GB HDD @ 7200 RPM)
17.3" LED 1920 X 1080
Intel ultimate n 6300 wlan

Peregrine
Level 9
As for RAM go to Crucial.com and run the SCAN MY PC tool. This will tell you everything you need to know about RAM: what type you need and how many slots you have and what is in each one.
Asus Z170X + Asus GeFroce GTX Turbo 1070 +... all kinds of Asus goodies. #Fanboi

Boosted_R
Level 8
Ortopi wrote:
I'm thinking about investing in more HDD and RAM for my G74SX, but I'm very unsure about what to buy and how to replace the old HDD(s). Now I have around 750 GB storage on my G74SX (I'm writing this on another PC), will it be possible to upgrade to like 1,5 TB or something? Must the HDD be at a specific size or model to fit inside the computer? If I replace both HDDs, will I have to install the OS again?
And the RAM? Any certain models I have to use at that point?

Sorry for asking these dumb questions, I'm new into this


1) If you replace both HDD you will need to install a new OS.

2) HDD must be 2.5" version (3.5" is for desktop), and I believe 9.5mm is the max thickness that will fit (most are 9.5mm)

3) if you want 1.5TB you will need 2x 750GB HDD's ( you can get 1TB HDD's but only at 5400RPM)
GL702VSK / GTX 1070 / M.2 960 EVO

HTPC MINI-ITX / FRACTAL CORE 500 / GIGABYTE GA-AB350N / GTX 1050 Ti Windforce OC 4G / RYZEN 5 1600 3.9GHz / M.2 960 EVO / G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 3200MHz
OLD
ASUS G74SX-XC1 / INTEL 7260 AC / Samsung 850 PRO / TUNIQ TX-4 / BIOS 203 / 335.23

PILGRIM
Level 11
Ortopi wrote:
I'm thinking about investing in more HDD and RAM for my G74SX, but I'm very unsure about what to buy and how to replace the old HDD(s). Now I have around 750 GB storage on my G74SX (I'm writing this on another PC), will it be possible to upgrade to like 1,5 TB or something? Must the HDD be at a specific size or model to fit inside the computer? If I replace both HDDs, will I have to install the OS again?
And the RAM? Any certain models I have to use at that point?

Sorry for asking these dumb questions, I'm new into this


Hi there, Ortopi. There are no dumb questions to any legit queries..:)

If you mean upgrading HDD as to storage capacity,
just buy another 750 GB HDD and place it in the other drive bay (the G74 has 2 drive bays).
It would be wise to buy a new one with the same brand similar to what you already have,
assuming that it's working well.

But if you mean upgrading HDD as to performance and speed, I would recommend
buying an SSD instead as your OS drive, then either do a fresh install of the OS
or clone the OS from the existing HDD to the SSD. You can then format the HDD
and make it as your secondary drive.

As to RAM, an 8 GB capacity would handle most computer usage.
However, some would have 12 or 16 or 24 or even 32 GB RAM (I have 16 GB RAM).
Thing is, there's no really big jump as to performance, in any of these configurations, IMO.
And again, buy additional RAM that has the same model as what you already have.
Or at least ones with the same specifications (I have 12 GB ASint and 4 GB Kingston).
ASUS G74SX-3DE

Agreed with Pilgrim: any more than 8GB in day-2-day usage for most people does not make your system run faster. If however your day-2-day ops occasionally spill out to >8GB, then that "buffer" of 16GB is nice to have to prevent swapping. So although you will gain nothing in terms of speed by having 32GB in there when you regularly top out at 8GB or less, RAM is so cheap that putting the max in does save you from the occasional thrash/slowdown when you accidentally (or purposefully) overload.
--
G74SX-CST1-CBIL, i7 2630QM 2GHz
32GB DDR3 RAM @1333MHz
GTX560M 3GB DDR5 (192 bit)
17.3" LED 1920x1080
Sentelic TP, BIOS 203
Debian Linux Wheezy (Testing) Kernel 3.2, NVIDIA 295.40

PILGRIM wrote:
Hi there, Ortopi. There are no dumb questions to any legit queries..:)

If you mean upgrading HDD as to storage capacity,
just buy another 750 GB HDD and place it in the other drive bay (the G74 has 2 drive bays).
It would be wise to buy a new one with the same brand similar to what you already have,
assuming that it's working well.

But if you mean upgrading HDD as to performance and speed, I would recommend
buying an SSD instead as your OS drive, then either do a fresh install of the OS
or clone the OS from the existing HDD to the SSD. You can then format the HDD
and make it as your secondary drive.

As to RAM, an 8 GB capacity would handle most computer usage.
However, some would have 12 or 16 or 24 or even 32 GB RAM (I have 16 GB RAM).
Thing is, there's no really big jump as to performance, in any of these configurations, IMO.
And again, buy additional RAM that has the same model as what you already have.
Or at least ones with the same specifications (I have 12 GB ASint and 4 GB Kingston).


I have now ordered this SSD: http://www.techspot.com/review/495-intel-ssd-520-series/

When I have mounted the SSD, is it possible to do a fresh install of Windows 7 on the SSD although it's OEM? I don't have the CD with Windows 7, and I also want to remove all the bloatware that followed my Asus. Can I download Windows 7 Home Premium from Piratebay and register it with my product key?

I don't have any CDs, can I use my external HDD for the installation?

dstrakele
Level 14
You can do a fresh install of the Windows 7 version that came with your laptop using its OEM license by downloading the Windows 7 ISO file (see the links below for a better place to download it than Piratebay - PLEASE} and burning it to DVD or a flash drive. The installation media must be bootable. I recommend purchasing some DVD's or a USB flash drive.

Here are some threads you may find helpful:

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?12371-Installing-new-SSD-to-my-G74S-laptop...&country=&stat...

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?5224-Drivers-Apps-and-How-to-s&country=&status=

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?9051-Asus-G74SX-Clean-Install-Clear-ups-and-Doubts
G74SX-A1 - stock hardware - BIOS 202 - 2nd Monitor VISIO VF551XVT

OK, but if everything goes wrong, may I just put the HDD back and boot from it like nothing has happened?