Standard DRAM Memory

[mfreetofly]

I'm considering purchasing this laptop with only 4GB of RAM and upgrading afterwards. How would I achieve the maximum RAM possible which they say on Dell's web site is 24GB of RAM. It seems I only find 4 or 8GB RAM and from what I read they shouldn't be combined. I don't see any 6GB which across 4 slots would combine for 24 total. Do you just run with 3 slots then?

[lsdmeasasp]

Well, this depends on what CPU you ordered with your laptop.  Their manual says if you ordered a dual core CPU, then only slots 1+2 will function.   If you ordered quad core or above, 32GB would be the installable limit using all four channels.

Per page 74

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/Alw_M17xR3/en/mm/mm_en.pdf

You would also need to completely disassemble the laptop, to remove the keyboard and get to the 3-4 slots as they are under the keyboard I believe, just so you know and are not surprised when you open it up.   If you aren't comfortable opening the laptop fully, or you didn't order a quad core CPU, then you would be best off buying a 2x4GB kit as your memory upgrade.   Unless you are a video editor that edits super large files, or run multiple virtual machines at once, then 8GB is all you really need.