When it comes down to laptop upgrades, one of the easiest ways you have to improve overall performance on a notebook is by upgrading the RAM.
A relatively simple procedure that will breathe new life into your laptop and provide it with the ability to manage more tasks than it could before. We've already covered numerous RAM upgrades here at 9to5gadgets but today we're going to talk about how to upgrade the RAM on the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R1YC.
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R1YC is a pretty solid laptop at a great price with great features such as a hexa-core processor, 256 GB of SSD storage, and a Full HD display. However, when it comes to system memory Acer decided to deliver this model with 8 GB worth of RAM.
8 GB is not bad for casual users but for serious multitaskers, those who have dozens of tabs open at a time and are running numerous programs at a time, it will inevitably fall short. However, fear not, that has a very easy and cheap fix and today we're going to walk you through it step-by-step.
How to Upgrade the RAM/Memory on the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R1YC
Before we get too excited and just go out and buy any RAM module we want, it's important to note that each laptop supports a very specific type of RAM module and a specific amount of memory. In that sense, this particular notebook is very similar to the Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R3UB RAM upgrade tutorial we covered a couple of months back.
What Type of RAM does the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R1YC take? How Much Memory Can I Install?
This series comes with 8 GB of RAM in total. 4 GB that have been soldered onto the motherboard and 4 GB that are available in a RAM slot. We can't upgrade the memory that's been soldered onto the motherboard but we can swap out the 4 GB module in the available RAM slot. Specifically, you install up to 16 GB of RAM on the available slot, elevating your total amount of memory to 20 GB.
As far as the type of memory that the A515-45-R1YC takes, we're going to need to get our hands on a DDR4 PC4-21300 2666MHz Non-ECC SODIMM memory module. That means that you're buying a DDR4 memory module of the SODIMM form factor that clocks in at 2666 MHz.
As we stated before, you can introduce up to 16 GB of RAM in the available slot. Meaning that you can opt to install either an 8 GB compatible RAM module to elevate your total memory to 12 GB, or you can install a 16 GB module to go all the way up to 20 GB.
We would recommend going all the way up to 20 GB just because it's the safest bet both to meet your needs today as well as to future-proof the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R1YC so you can use it for many years to come. However, the ultimate choice is yours and will depend on your needs.
Tutorial Step-by-Step on Upgrading the memory on the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R1YC
Once you've got your compatible RAM module you're going to need a Philips screwdriver and we would strongly advise getting some sort of prying tool - such as a guitar pick - as well a some rubber gloves or anti-static gloves. Now, once the laptop is completely turned off and disconnected from the power source you can begin the upgrade.
Step 1: The first thing you're going to do is place the laptop upside down and remove all eleven screws attaching the lower case to the chassis.
Once that's done you're going to start prying open the laptop, separating the lower case from the chassis. With a guitar pick, this is what that would look like - you could also use a credit card -:
Step 2: Once you've opened up the A515-45-R1YC you're going to notice there's only one RAM slot as we mentioned earlier on in this upgrade tutorial.
Step 3: Now that you've located the RAM slot you're going to go ahead and remove the memory module that's occupying it. To do so simply pull outwards on the clasps located on the sides of the RAM slot. This is what that would look like - though the image is obviously of another laptop, the procedure is identical -:
Step 4: You will see that the RAM module is released at a 45-degree angle and that's how you should extract it so as to not damage any of the pins connecting the module with the slot. Now, inversely, you're going to go ahead and insert your RAM module in the slot.
Specifically, you're going to introduce it at a 45-degree angle as if you were landing a plane, making sure that both the notch on the module and the notch on the slot align like so:
Step 5: Now that you've inserted the RAM module in the RAM slot you're going to go ahead and press gently but firmly downwards until you hear the "Clicking" sound of the metallic clasps grabbing onto the memory module. That's it! You have successfully installed more RAM on the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R1YC.
Step 6: Obviously, the next step is going to be that you place the lower case back in its place and re-introduce the eleven screws you removed in step 1. Turn on your laptop and you might notice that it takes a bit longer than usual to boot up. That's normal. It's because your BIOS is scanning the new module and "integrating it" onto the system.
Once your laptop is booted up you can head over to "Device Specifications" where you'll see that you have successfully increased the amount of RAM on your laptop.
Congratulations! Enjoy all the new possibilities that having more RAM will give you in terms of everyday performance. We can assure you it's well worth the upgrade if you're an avid multitasker like us.