cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Asus G74SX Upgrading RAM and Hard Drives

Benettonkkb
Level 7
Hello, community!

I currently own a G74SX (i7 2670QM) and I was looking to upgrade the RAM and storage. I've been doing a lot of research to figure out what exactly I can do and found lots of great information posted here and elsewhere. For the hard drives, I was looking to upgrade to two 2TB SSD's from Crucial here :

And for the RAM, I haven't found any specific models, but from what I understand from the G74SX Ram Upgrade post here, I need DDR3 SDRAM running at 1333 mHz of the SODIMM form factor.

Where this gets complicated is I IM'ed the Asus support line and the attendant told me that this machine can only support 16GB of RAM and 160 GB per memory module, due to the motherboard. Information I've found on the internet and that I know personally informs otherwise, but they are the manufacturer.

I just wanted to verify here before I committ $600+ in hardware that I can't use.

Can anyone else offer any guidance?
13,218 Views
5 REPLIES 5

jdfrench3
Level 12
ASUS is telling you the specs (16GB max memory and 160GB SSD drive). While the G74SX can only handle 16GB of memory (4X4GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM), you can add any size SSD you can afford (SATA III interface, 9mm thickness max). Here are a couple examples (one 4X4GB memory set and one 2TB SSD:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA7S67CE6795&ignorebbr=1

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAEX89277648

You do understand the ASUS G74SX is an older (10 year old) model laptop that is probably worth about $200. The upgrades you propose far exceed this value. Will the upgrades make the laptop faster? Yes, but is it worth it?

If you are going ahead with these upgrades, then consider purchasing a fresh battery, a new charging brick, a new WiFi adapter card (Intel 6235 ANHMW) and install Windows 10.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=16J-00DV-00201

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAC7F5850281&Description=asus%20g74sx&cm_re=asus_...

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Centrino-Advanced-N-6235-6235ANHMW/dp/B009SJTSWU

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832397826

Finally, if you are going ahead with the upgrades. Then disassemble the laptop and repaste both the CPU, GPU, and cleanout the fans. Lots of work for a $200 laptop.

Good Luck
G752VSK, G75VW-3D, G51J, G1S
Homebuilt Windows Server

cl-Albert
US Customer Loyalty Agent
Benettonkkb wrote:
Where this gets complicated is I IM'ed the Asus support line and the attendant told me that this machine can only support 16GB of RAM and 160 GB per memory module, due to the motherboard. Information I've found on the internet and that I know personally informs otherwise, but they are the manufacturer.


Welcome to the forums!

fyi.

ASUS normally can only recommend what it has 'officially' tested and approved for the system, so if larger memory modules or SSDs have not been tested and 'officially' approved on the ASUS side, we can't tell customers that it will work, but we normally really don't have much information about it either way, so it can be helpful to check with other customers who have tried it if you trust their information.

The second factor is that ASUS will normally only 'officially' approve components that it sells /ships with the units sold complete and ready to be used (for anybody that is interested this situation is different from the ASUS motherboards sold separately though where customers need to buy and install their own components, so you don't want to think of them in quite the same way regarding upgrades), so basically, information about upgrades is usually fairly limited for complete system products since ASUS doesn't normally test or approve new components after the units go into production or when they go out of production.

Again, it can be helpful to check with other customers who have tried it as long as you trust them and don't need any guarantees on the ASUS side that it will work.
Thanks.

City_Builder
Level 7
i have a 160GB & a 500GB SSD in my g74sx,

im in need more memory for my laptop preferably 32 gigabytes, currently have 16 gigabytes, but don't wanna buy them if I can't use them in this laptop so if anybody actually has 32 gigabytes of memory in this particular laptop please speak up so that I know whether or not 100% it will work.

Yes the laptop is old but it plays all of my steam games currently more than 400 perfectly fine other than one game cities skyline, that I have so many assets subscribed to that it uses all 16 gigabytes of memory.

thanks

City Builder wrote:
i have a 160GB & a 500GB SSD in my g74sx,

im in need more memory for my laptop preferably 32 gigabytes, currently have 16 gigabytes, but don't wanna buy them if I can't use them in this laptop so if anybody actually has 32 gigabytes of memory in this particular laptop please speak up so that I know whether or not 100% it will work.

Yes the laptop is old but it plays all of my steam games currently more than 400 perfectly fine other than one game cities skyline, that I have so many assets subscribed to that it uses all 16 gigabytes of memory.

thanks


I would think so match the timings and voltages not sure what will happen if you try to upgrade to faster memory I don't remember any restriction on the G74 What does your manual say?
G752VY-DH72 Win 10 Pro
512 GB M.2 Samsung 960 Pro
1 TB Samsung 850 pro 2.5 format
980m GTX 4 GB
32GB DDR 4 Standard RAM

Z97 PRO WiFi I7 4790K
Windows 10 Pro
Z97 -A
Windows 10 Pro

City_Builder
Level 7
Yeah well that's the thing some people say that there is can hold 32 gigabytes but nobody that I talk to myself has set as such in the manuals take the official support of only supporting 16 gigabytes so I'd like to hear from somebody that's actually got 32 gigabytes installed in one of these laptops