G75vw RAM and SSD questions

[ducqducq]

Hello, this is my first post on these forums and i hope this is the right place to post this, i just bought the G75vw-bbk5 notebook from bestbuy. I will be using this laptop only for some gaming, like starcraft 2, diablo 3, and maybe an mmorpg.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+1...&skuId=5176239

So i've been reading and i see people upgrading their RAM and swapping out the hard drive for an SSD. I'm not the smartest when it comes to computer stuff but i've learned a lot from browsing forums.

1) A few questions about the RAM. I want to take out my 2x4gb and put in 2x8gb RAM pieces for 16gb total. I see both 1333mhz and 1600mhz. Which is better, can this laptop support that, and whats the difference? I'm thinking of buying 2x8gb 1600mhz from Samsung, kingtson, or maybe even corsair. Any suggestions on which brand to go with, i'd probably order off of newegg.com. I've switched them out on my other laptop and it was simple, i hope theyre not hard to get to in this laptop.

2) I've read that theres 2 hard drives in this laptop, one of them has the 1TB 5400rpm and then theres another one(i'm not sure what the other one does). So would i be able to keep one hard drive with the 1TB 5400rpm and swap the other one out with a SSD hard drive? Would i be using the SSD to boot windows and the 1TB for my personal storage? I'm not too great with computers so is this something i would be able to change out myself? i know changing it out is a easy swap but i mean the whole installing windows and stuff. i don't know how i would make that SSD boot windows and the 1TB one do everything else. which SSD hard drives work well, im thinking a 120GB SSD might be good enough. Heres a few pictures, one of the laptop opened up from the back, and a few of some SSD hard drives i saw at central computers, any advice or help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

[Cecil_2099]

ducqducq:

I too have the Best Buy model of the G75. Let me correct a few assumptions you've made about our model:

1) RAM: The 8GB it currently has installed is configured as two sticks of 4GB 1600mhz DDR3 RAM under the keyboard. The two slots under the panel in your picture should be empty (mine are). Therefore, you should be able to get two more sticksof 4GB 1600mhz DDR3 RAM and stick them in those empty slots and there you go, you have 16GB of RAM. I don't have a recommended brand for the RAM though.

2) HDD/SSD: Our model doesn't have two hard drives. It only has one 1TB 5400 RPM Seagate drive. The G75 has two hard drive BAYS, meaning you can add another hard dive (HDD or SSD). I'd also like to do what you have planned (install an SSD as the main boot drive and use the stock 1TB drive as a storage drive) but I haven't gotten around to it. I'm still researching whether or not using the ASUS Recovery DVDs I burned would be able to image a smaller hard drive or if I would have to adjust partition sizes and create a backup image from Windows and restore it onto the new (smaller-size) SSD.

[ducqducq]

ducqducq:

I too have the Best Buy model of the G75. Let me correct a few assumptions you've made about our model:

1) RAM: The 8GB it currently has installed is configured as two sticks of 4GB 1600mhz DDR3 RAM under the keyboard. The two slots under the panel in your picture should be empty (mine are). Therefore, you should be able to get two more sticksof 4GB 1600mhz DDR3 RAM and stick them in those empty slots and there you go, you have 16GB of RAM. I don't have a recommended brand for the RAM though.

2) HDD/SSD: Our model doesn't have two hard drives. It only has one 1TB 5400 RPM Seagate drive. The G75 has two hard drive BAYS, meaning you can add another hard dive (HDD or SSD). I'd also like to do what you have planned (install an SSD as the main boot drive and use the stock 1TB drive as a storage drive) but I haven't gotten around to it. I'm still researching whether or not using the ASUS Recovery DVDs I burned would be able to image a smaller hard drive or if I would have to adjust partition sizes and create a backup image from Windows and restore it onto the new (smaller-size) SSD.

Okay thanks for clearing that up, the picture is actually froma YouTube video and I did assume that's how mine would look. So I'll just be buying ddr3 2x4gb 1600mhz sticks of RAM and putting them in.
So, I can leave the 1tb drive in there and swap out with an ssd. Hope someone will chime in and give their opinion on the ssd's in the pictures. I might just have central computers do the whole swap and set up cause I'm not too good with this stuff.

[ducqducq]

Samsung DDR-3 8gb 1600mhz SO-DIMM (2x4gb). Is this what im looking for and does this notebook take 204 pins or 240 pin

Sorry I'm trying to soak all this info up

[Zygomorphic]

It takes 204 pin, like all other laptops. 240 pin memory is for desktops and servers.

[PILGRIM]

...So, I can leave the 1tb drive in there and swap out with an ssd. Hope someone will chime in and give their opinion on the ssd's in the pictures.

Well, welcome to the forum, ducqducq.

Crucial and Intel brands for the SSD has been well received for the G74.
I don't see any reason why they won't do well for the G75 either.
And yes, the laptop would be zippier if you use the SSD as the primary OS disk.
Though, I'm not sure on how your 5400 RPM HDD would work with the SSD.
(I have a 128 GB Crucial M4 SSD as the primary OS disk and a 750 GB 7200 RPM HDD,
and I'm not complaining on how they work together..)

...I might just have central computers do the whole swap and set up cause I'm not too good with this stuff.

It wasn't a long time ago when I also wasn't too confident doing a DIY on my G74.
But I thought if I won't start trying to learn to do it myself now, then when would I?..
With the help of THE guys on this forum, all is going well.

So, go on ahead.. Unless it's really next to impossible, take the first step..
and open the innards of your G75.. Start poking in.. but don't forget the forum
is always here to assist you.. and before you know it, all is well with you, too..

[Daylife]

ducqducq:

I too have the Best Buy model of the G75. Let me correct a few assumptions you've made about our model:

1) RAM: The 8GB it currently has installed is configured as two sticks of 4GB 1600mhz DDR3 RAM under the keyboard. The two slots under the panel in your picture should be empty (mine are). Therefore, you should be able to get two more sticksof 4GB 1600mhz DDR3 RAM and stick them in those empty slots and there you go, you have 16GB of RAM. I don't have a recommended brand for the RAM though.

2) HDD/SSD: Our model doesn't have two hard drives. It only has one 1TB 5400 RPM Seagate drive. The G75 has two hard drive BAYS, meaning you can add another hard dive (HDD or SSD). I'd also like to do what you have planned (install an SSD as the main boot drive and use the stock 1TB drive as a storage drive) but I haven't gotten around to it. I'm still researching whether or not using the ASUS Recovery DVDs I burned would be able to image a smaller hard drive or if I would have to adjust partition sizes and create a backup image from Windows and restore it onto the new (smaller-size) SSD.

I have the same model, you sure the RAM is 1600mhz and not 1333mhz?

[fuzon1337]

If you are running dual channel mode (two slots in use 1 and 3) then 1600mhz will work and singel channel mode (all in use) 1333mhz if I'm not wrong

[ducqducq]

Okay so I go my ssd installed but I can't figure out how to move the metal Pieces to make the slot spring up to stick the ram in. I don't wanna force anything. Looks like there's some kind of way but can't figure it out. Or do I just slide them in like that?

[ducqducq]

Double post