Acer Helios 500 - RAM upgrade

thanks for your reply. The problem is that i want to replace 2 stock RAM sticks with more capable components. This laptop has 4 RAM slots. Two are occupied by stock memory sticks, the other two are free and easily accessible (as described in the link you provided). So the trick is the get rid of 2 slow memory sticks in the less accessible area.

sri369 said:

skyrunner86 said:

I've seen reviews criticizing Acer for putting such a slow memory into this model. So i consider replacing out of the box memory sticks  (2 x 8 GB 2400Mhz) with 2 x 16 GB 2666 Mhz CL 15.

Out of curiosity, are you intending to replace these cos some reviewers said 2400 is slow and should use 2666, or did you feel that the system was infact slower than what it is supposed to be?

I want to have as capable piece of hardware as i can without limiting factors. If i hear, that 2400 memory isn't working well with the AMD CPU, then it's a thing to get rid of for me. I will also replace mediocre SSD as well as HDD, but this is not a problem - IF i decide to buy this laptop. I don't own this laptop yet, if it's too difficult too replace those sticks i will simply buy something less problematic to reconfigure.

sri369 said:

skyrunner86 said:

I want to have as capable piece of hardware as i can without limiting factors. If i hear, that 2400 memory isn't working well with the AMD CPU, then it's a thing to get rid of for me. I will also replace mediocre SSD as well as HDD, but this is not a problem - IF i decide to buy this laptop. I don't own this laptop yet, if it's too difficult too replace those sticks i will simply buy something less problematic to reconfigure.

Why not buy the one with intel processor then? It is already set with all needed parts - including 2666 RAM and a decent SSD.

Unfortunately, there are only 2400 RAM available on the market in my country, also for Intel-based configurations. The obvious reason for AMD is the price - it is way cheaper than Intel configuration with i9 CPU. This laptop would be used mostly as a workstation, with some occasional gaming involved. AMD configuration seems to fit this purpose better than its Intel counterpart (Intel config is often described as better for gaming). With RAM it's tricky to replace - no manuals/pictures are available online. based on what i found out so far apparently the most optimal choice would be to install 3200 RAM (a sweetspot for AMD Ryzen) which is not compatible with the motherboard used in Helios 500. I don't know what kind of performance drop we're talking about with 2400 RAM onboard compared to 2666. I need to think this through - if i go with this laptop, maybe i just leave the RAM be as it is. I'll just additional 16 GB of RAM, add 1TB of fast SSD and replace the HDD with something faster. 

laurent_14 said:

skyrunner86 said:

thanks for your reply. The problem is that i want to replace 2 stock RAM sticks with more capable components. This laptop has 4 RAM slots. Two are occupied by stock memory sticks, the other two are free and easily accessible (as described in the link you provided). So the trick is the get rid of 2 slow memory sticks in the less accessible area.

Hello,

May be this information about PH517-61 will interest you:

1. Acer memory specs:
   1 of 2/CH (xR-0) : SR(2667), DR(2400-2667) MT/s
   2 of 2/CH (1R-1R) : 2133-2400 MT/s
   2 of 2/CH (2R-xR) : 1866-2133 MT/s
2. AMD Ryzen™ 7 2700 memory specs:
   
   System Memory Specification: 2933MHz maxi

For example, PH517-61-R0GX is shipped with memory modules of 2400 or 2666MHz.

The two other memory slots are located on the other side of the motherboard (under the keyboard) so it will be a big work to change these ones:

Thank you for this information, Laurent. I'm not entirely sure how to interpret information you provided, in terms of what is the max frequency i could put in there. You mention AMD memory specs, does this mean i could insert 2933 Mhz? 

For me i guess it's a bit too much of work but i could take it to some laptop repair service and they would do it without any problems. I just wonder about Acer warranty if i decide to replace those. Acer has their official service center in my city so i could take it to them if it would void warranty otherwise. I guess i can call Acer to figure this one out.

Red-Sand said:

The occupied slots can be upgraded to 2666MHz according to service guide (some come with 2666MHz from factory).

The empty slots can also be 2666MHz.

According to guide, definitely yes. But this motherboard (apparently) can handle more. I'd really want to know if it's possible to go all the way to 3200Mhz. Going from to 2400 to 2666 might be a marginal increase in performance, but 2400 to 3200 is a different story. I guess even if i put more, i'd have to mod the BIOS.