# eMachines EL1358G-51W



## ProgramGuruCpp (Sep 30, 2011)

Hello, this is my first post so please let me know if I put this question in the wrong spot.

My parents will be buying this computer (in the title) soon and I was curious if it's upgradeable. I noticed that the PSU was pretty low (only 220W) so I'm not sure if you can add anything to it without upgrading the PSU as well.

The system specs are located here:
EL1358G-51w | Product Model

Anyway, I wanted to give it 1 GB more of ram and I was planning on maybe getting a video card. I'm pretty sure that if I get a video card (depending on which one) that I'll have to get a better PSU but what about the ram? Could I save power by maybe giving it 2 sticks of 2 GB ram?

I'm not a very tech savvy person (more of a programmer) so I don't know a lot about hardware and the internals of the computer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and I look forward to a reply.


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

Systems that are built with in a slim case are much more difficult to upgrade when you're talking about video cards or power supplies. If you intend to upgrade those components, start with a different machine.


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## ProgramGuruCpp (Sep 30, 2011)

Oh. I guess I won't be upgrading it then.

My parents don't want to spend a lot on a computer and this one is only $300 which is a good deal, i assume. I've done some looking and I haven't found a better one so far because this computer comes with a keyboard and mouse also.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Adding more RAM would be a plus and you could use a half-height GPU but that would require a PSU upgrade and that case will not accept the ATX PSU that is required for a dedicated GPU.


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## ProgramGuruCpp (Sep 30, 2011)

Upgrading the PSU sounds like it will be a pain. I might just by a 2 GB stick of ram and add that to it. The computer has 4 ram slots and can support up to 8 GB so I think if I give it 2GB more (1 stick), then the PSU should be able to handle it. Correct me if i'm wrong.

I don't think ram takes that much power from the PSU, but I wouldn't know. Also, would it be better to add 2 1GB sticks of ram or 1 2GB stick of ram. Is the power the ram uses related to the amount of sticks or the ram itself?


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

Ram uses very little power. What you want to be sure of, in some cases, is that it is installed so that you can take advantage of dual channel or triple channel memory configurations which can boost performance a little.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The better option would be to install a matched pair. Mixing RAM brands/specs usually results in problems.


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## ProgramGuruCpp (Sep 30, 2011)

@JMPC-
I've heard of dual channel but never triple. Would that give a noticeable performance boost? I'll look into the subject more in the future but thanks for noting that.

@Tyree-
Problems as in incompatibility or inefficiency? And, say, that the RAM brand in the computer is Kingston (that's the only one I can think of off the top of my head). Say it has a 1GB stick and a 2GB stick. Would mixing RAM amounts be problematic? Should you always stick to the same amount per stick or does that not matter as much as brand names?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Triple Channel is only for Mobo's that are capable of using it.
Incompatibility is the most common issue. Some brands/specs of RAM don't play well together. Installing RAM in matched pairs helps to avoid any problems.


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