Couple questions regarding RAM / SSD

[Paigey]

Heyhey, seen a lot of great reviews about PCS, so have been convinced to sign up as I'm looking for a new laptop with some decent gaming capabilities. Very interested in the Optimus V, looks like I was lucky to come at a time the new generation of components is available. This is the spec im looking at:

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4700MQ (2.40GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® ULTIMATE-N 6300 (450Mbps)


I was wondering if the KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 is really worth the extra money? Or would the 8gb samsung 1333MHz sodimm ddr3 memory (1x8GB) be just as effective? is a 1x8 RAM configuration just as good as a 2x4GB? Is there a noticeable difference between 1333MHz and 1600Mhz?

As for the SSD, Is there much noticeable difference between the different brands, i.e kingston v300 or intel 335 / 520 series or kingston hyperx 3k? What kind of things would be best to use it for? I guess having windows installed on it would be the primary use for it, what about games? music? movies? Is there any drawbacks / cons about having a 2nd HDD in a laptop? Or maybe I could meet halfway and get a hybrid drive?

Sorry if there's a lot of questions there, and of course all opinions are welcome, Thank you

 

[tom_gr7]

I'd go for one 8gig stick of 1600mhz kingston, its slightly faster and you can add another stick in the future if ram requirements increase.

as for the ssd, generally its best to have the OS and main programs installed on the SSD. And other programs/games/media etc on different hard drive. Sure you can put games n that on a ssd but the only benefit would be decreased loading times.

So i'd probably go for a 120gb Kingston hyper X 3K ssd and a 500bg or greater scorpio black drive.

and i hear that the gaming wifi card is very good, so if you have extra funds available i'd certainly go for one of them (if you are online gaming that is)

 

[Paigey]

Thanks for the response, unfortunately there's no option to select 1x8GB of 1600MHz Kingston, options are 4GB(2x2GB), 8GB(4X4GB) and 16GB (8X8GB).

So is the +£20-30 worth it for getting the hyperx 3k over the v300? Are the loading times / general quality a lot better with the hyperx 3k? Could having a 2nd hard drive installed into the laptop cause any kind of problems or have any disadvantages?

And yes I will be online gaming, so an upgrade to the Killer wifi cards may be a good call, anyone have any experience with them and know how effective they are?

 

[Yamikotai]

So is the +£20-30 worth it for getting the hyperx 3k over the v300? Are the loading times / general quality a lot better with the hyperx 3k?

No, and no.

Could having a 2nd hard drive installed into the laptop cause any kind of problems or have any disadvantages?

Very mild increase in weight, I guess, and mild increase in total power consumption (like, 2-3%) whenever it's being used.

And yes I will be online gaming, so an upgrade to the Killer wifi cards may be a good call, anyone have any experience with them and know how effective they are?

They're decent but not worth the extra money IMO - though most on this forum would disagree with me

 

[Paigey]

mmm ok thanks for the response and honesty

I'v initially read some reviews about these killer gaming wifi cards having some problems with the connection dropping randomly, which is what put me off originally

 

[keynes]

mmm ok thanks for the response and honesty

I'v initially read some reviews about these killer gaming wifi cards having some problems with the connection dropping randomly, which is what put me off originally

I have the killer 1202, no issues at all. Tested and it seems faster than the wireless card on my asus zenbook.

With killer wirless card

old laptop

 

[Paigey]

Wow that's a huge difference, can anyone else vouch for the killer 1202? I guess its more dependent on the type of internet connection / router, i.e if the internet connection wasnt so fast, would there be much difference between the killer wifi card or one of the intel wifi cards? Sorry this isn't really a very knowledgeable area for me, so forgive any silly questions.

 

[keynes]

Wow that's a huge difference, can anyone else vouch for the killer 1202?

Am I not a reliable source?
I have read a few threads from users with issues with the intel wireless card and I was recommended the killer card and I have no complaints.

 

[Paigey]

Am I not a reliable source?

Hehe yes of course i'm sure you are I didn't mean to say anything that may suggest anything otherwise. What i meant is that it's always nice (and reassuring) to have multiple opinions, but i guess all products will have good/bad reviews, it's up to me to try it out and give my own impressions and at like £5 extra for the killer 1202 over the intel ultimate n-6300, it's not much

About hard drives... I'v read some things about 7200rpm's getting hotter, consuming more power and also being louder than a 5400rpm one. For a laptop that's being used for games, do you think a 7200rpm hard drive would just be adding extra heat, thus causing the laptop more likely to have overheating problems in the future?