ASUS A53 laptop memory upgrade


If you own one of the nice ASUS A53 laptops you may be wanting to maximize the amount of memory your lovely laptop have. Here is how a photo tutorial showing how to upgrade the RAM on an ASUS A53 notebook πŸ™‚

UPDATE: Many readers have asked what memory I recommend for upgrading the A53 series. My recommendation is 8GB of Kingston memory because it offers a lifetime warranty, solid performance AND it is only about $37 with free shipping!

BONUS: now you can also see how to replace the hard drive (and upgrade to a SSD or a faster/larger hard drive)

Summary:Β the A53 series provides very easy access to both the RAM and the hard drive. Two screws need to be removed to take the access panel off. After that the RAM is immediately accessible. The hard drive cage/bay simply requires a few more screws to be removed.Β I hope this guide has been helpful and that you enjoy your laptop!

[click the thumbnails to see larger versions of the photos!]

Relevant models:

ASUS makes a huge assortment of laptops and each variation (even if it is just a different color/RAM/hard drive/CPU) gets its own model #. So while this guide was produced using an ASUS A53E-EH91 (the exact configuration pictured) it should still work to help you upgrade your laptop memory or hard drive for the following models and potentially many more:

  • ASUS A53 Series A53E-XN1 Notebook Intel Pentium B940(2.00GHz) 15.6″ 4GB Memory DDR3 1333 320GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi Intel HD Graphics
  • ASUS A53SV-EH71 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Black)
  • ASUS A53E-XA2 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Black)
  • ASUS K53SV-DH51 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Mocha)
  • ASUS A53U-XE1 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Mocha)
  • ASUS A53U-XE2 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Mocha)
  • ASUS A53E-XE2 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop – Dark Grey
  • ASUS A53E-XA1 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Black)
  • ASUS A53E-EH31 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Black)
  • ASUS A53E-XE1 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop – Dark Grey
  • ASUS A53E-AH51 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Black)

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29 comments

  • Rob

    Hi JD,

    Thanks for the guide. It’s pretty straightforward and the pictures make it beyond easy.

    That said, I recently purchased the A53E-EH91 and seem to be having a slight problem with installing my second ram stick. While the memory area is (nearly) identical to yours (the top brackets are gray for some reason but the bottom ones are white like in your pics), I can’t seem to get a stick to seat properly in the top slot. The stick wont even insert to the appropriate depth, which makes me wonder if that slot is supposed to be used at all. Is there another slot under the keyboard? I’m hesitant to take a peak for myself, having scratched/bent a few keyboards/covers in the past.

    I know it’s been a while since I cracked open a computer but I’m hoping that I’m not yet completely inept and overlooking something Blatantly obvious.

    Any thoughts?

    Thanks very much in advance,

    Rob

    • J.D.

      Hi Rob,
      Thank you for your comment. That is definitely a very perplexing issue! I am glad you are exercising caution, it is definitely best not to force a round peg into a square slot so to speak πŸ˜‰

      I don’t think you have overlooked anything blatantly obvious, but here are a couple notes that might help:
      #1 I am not aware of any A53 series laptops that have RAM slots under the keyboard etc. so I think you are working with the correct slot
      #2 Make sure the RAM you are adding is exactly same as the existing RAM (i.e. make sure it is DDR3 not DDR2 or DDR1) also [if you can] check the insertion angle of the working memory slot and see if you can replicate that angle on the 2nd slot. You could even remove the RAM that is already in the laptop and try installing it in the 2nd slot (since you of course know that RAM is compatible)
      #3 On the off chance that the 2nd slot is slightly different than the first, try gently setting the RAM stick into the slot at a very high angle (almost vertical) and then gradually reducing the angle (to almost horizontal)? Sometimes I have encountered finicky laptop RAM slots where the RAM would only fully seat at a very particular angle [after which of course you then lower it down until it snaps into locking place]. My suggestion of starting at one extreme angle and then proceeding gradually to the other extreme is meant to ensure that you find that “sweet spot” where the RAM seats correctly.

      I would do further testing on the machine I was upgrading (and post photos of inserting RAM into the 2nd slot) but alas the laptop is now gift wrapped and under my sister in law’s Christmas tree!

      Please let me know if you have success or if there is anything else I can help with πŸ™‚

      Best regards,
      -JD

  • David

    Hi, this may seem a bit off-topic, but since you guys seem to know a lot about the A53 serie, I have been trying to remove the optical drive from my A53SV-HN51, but I can’t find any way to access the screw that will allow it to get out. Do anyone knows how you can achieve this? Thanks in advance!

    David

    • J.D.

      Hi David,
      I don’t know how to access that screw (or screws) yet, however, I will try to find out and will email you if I have success.

      Likewise, if anyone else out there knows how to remove the optical drive in the ASUS A53 series please post in the comments. Thanks!

      Best regards,
      -JD

  • Aaron

    I need to find a solution for removing the optical drive too. I’m swapping it with a 2.5″ HDD for extra storage since I made the main drive a SSD. Someone experiment and figure it out! I’m too scared to πŸ˜›

  • Johnny R.

    Thanks for this guide. I used it to successfully upgrade my laptop and am very pleased.

  • john

    Hello J.D
    does it work for the ASUS A53E-EH71 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black).
    And is this compatible for the CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 1600MHz PC3 12800 Laptop Memory(CMSX8GX3M2A1600C9) on amazon? answer me then i will subscribe you

    • Hi John,
      Thank you for your comment.

      Yes, the CMSX8GX3M2A1600C9 that you listed should work. However, I believe the Intel i7-2670QM does not officially support 1600MHz speeds… http://ark.intel.com/products/53469 So, please note that the memory you listed may be a bit overkill as your laptop is likely to downclock it to run at 1066 or 1333 speeds.

      So, to summarize: 1600MHz rated memory will work but it may not be faster than 1333MHz memory when used in this particular laptop.

      I hope this helps!

      Best regards,
      -JD

  • Carlos

    Hello, I just purchased an ASUS A53 K53SD and unscrewed and lifted the back panel in order to check the memory slots and chips installed. It looks exactly as described by Rob (the white plastic on the first slot is there, but it is missing from the second slot). In addition, one of the pins on the second slot appears bent or broken.
    I am taking it back to the store this evening to have it replaced (I hope that removing the back panel does not woid the warranty, there are no seals of any kind). I will let you know if this is normal in some models (I doubt that the bent pin is normal, it looks awful).

    Thanks,

    Carlos

    • Hi Carlos,
      Thank you for the additional info about the ASUS A53 K53SD.

      That bent pin does sound bad, I am glad you are taking it back to get a replacement machine!

      Best regards,
      -JD

  • Carlos

    Hi again,
    All is OK now. The missing white plastic thing on the second slot is not really missing, it is just a bit smaller and colored gray instead of white. As for the pin, the employee at the store straightened it with the tip of a ball pen. We tested the slot afterwards by adding memory to it and it works fine. In fact, we left the 4GB chip on this slot.

    Thanks for your help and support, JD.

    Regards,

    Carlos

    • Awesome Carlos! That is great news and thank you for updating us πŸ™‚ I am very glad the employee was able to straighten the pin* and that you verified that the slot now works. I have straightened bent CPU pins before but it never occured to me to straighten anything involved with a memory slot!

      *I am guessing that the ‘pin’ is one of two the memory retention bracket/pin/metal-piece? and not where the gold memory contacts actually interface with the motherboard?

      Best regards,
      -JD

  • Carlos

    No, it’s not the retention bracket. It is one of the golden contacts where the memory chip contacts are inserted.

    Best regards,
    Carlos

  • HansK

    Hi JD,

    After searching around i found this video on the ASUS N53 Optical drive replacement with universal drive adapter.
    “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnvDYLQhPHA”
    Now I believe the solution to removing the optical drive for the ASUS A53 will also be similar. I’ll be definitely giving it a whirl once the laptop is delivered, but if your or anyone here wants to give it a shot and post their experience it would be very much appreciated.

    “Please note that doing this might void your warranty (although no way for anyone to tell), as you’re not exactly removing a screw but lifting off the keyboard.”

    regards,

    • Awesome Hansk! Thank you for posting the link to the video, I know a lot of people have been trying to figure out to mount a 2nd HDD or SSD in the A53 or N53 etc.

      If you go through with the upgrade, please let us know your results!

      Best regards,
      -JD

  • Miriam Rubinoff

    I got the A53-AS52 and am trying to follow these instructions to add RAM:
    http://www.amazon.com/review/R1DACQXM4R39EL/ref=cm_cd_pg_pg1?ie=UTF8&cdForum=Fx220TFY6FUA0PM&cdPage=1&asin=B007MW16R0&store=pc&cdThread=Tx32V5J5JG9LY82#wasThisHelpful (second comment)
    But when I get the cover off, I only see where the existing RAM is, not the slot for the new one. Your instructions seem to say to take the existing one out first – is that correct? Because the ones I was following don’t seem to say that – it looks like they are saying I will see an empty space where the RAM will fit, which I don’t. Your tutorial doesn’t show the actual installation process, and I can’t see where the other slot actually is.

  • chris

    Hey JD.

    I’m buying an A53 and want to install an SSD to replace the HDD. Does SATA I/II/III matter when it comes to compatibility? It is A53Z-NS61. Great walkthrough btw. Cheers!

    • Hi Chris,
      Congrats on the upcoming A53 purchase, they are certainly nice machines!

      I have never encountered a compatibility issue between later generation SSDs and earlier generation controllers. However I am going to defer to my friend mtekk and see if he can give you a more definitive answer. (I thought I knew the answer but a perusal of Wikipedia left me unsure) So I will email him and see if he will chime in.

      Best regards,
      -JD

  • I’ve run both SATA 3Gbps and SATA 6Gbps SSDs in all four configurations:

    3Gbps drive in 6Gbps port on my desktop (intel 320 in Z67 motherboard)
    3Gbps drive in 3Gbps port on my mediacenter (intel x25-m in a G45 motherboard)
    6Gbps drive in 6Gbps port on my other mediacenter (Micron C300 in a AMD Brazos platform motherboard)
    6Gbps drive in 3Gbps port on my laptop (Agility 3 in a Vostro 1400 (GM965 chipset))

    For 6Gbps drives on a 3Gbps port, you will be limited to 3Gbps speeds (not much of a problem for me on my laptop). Likewise, a 3Gbps drive in a 6Gbps port will still be limited to 3Gbps speeds that the SSD can do.

    I have not tried a SSD on a SATA 1.5Gbps port (1st gen of SATA) not sure how that’d behave but I’d assume it’d still work. The biggest thing is to realize that some SSD controllers are not as reliable as others. Right now Samsung’s 830 series and Crucial’s M4 are the “gold” standard for reliability. In general, Sandforce controllers seem to have issues with newer Intel chipsets (anything from the first generation Core i series and newer).

    • Thanks for the info John!

      My experiences are similar to yours: I’ve never had an issue with any controller/SSD incompatibility when it comes to SATA standards.

      Thanks again!
      -JD

      PS I am a big fan of the M4 as it is one of two SSDs (the other being an Intel mSATA drive) in my X220 and the M4 performs admirably and is quite speedt. I haven’t used the Samsung 830 but Anandtech and other sites all seem to like it very well too πŸ™‚

  • chris

    as an update: I removed the SATA 2 hdd from the ASUS A53Z and replaced it with a SATA3 ssd (Crucial brand) and it works great! Added 8 GB of Crucial RAM as well and installation was extremely easy even though I’m pretty new at upgrading computers! Thanks for the advice J.D. and John!

  • Dave

    JD…I have an Asus A53V laptop that I got for my son at christmas. He spilled water on it so now some of the keys don’t work, otherwise the laptop is fine. I am looking for a replacement keyboard and have found a couple online that I think fits his system and will cost the same as it would to ship the laptop to Asus to get replaced. Do you have any info on how to remove the keyboard for this model?

    • Hi Dave,
      Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately I do not have the specific information on how to remove the keyboard πŸ™ If I still had my A53 I would try to figure out, but I sold it. However, here is a forum thread with disassembly guides for a variety of ASUS laptops:
      http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/122632-asus-info-booth-read-before-posting.html#disassembly
      You may be able to peruse a few of the guides and see an ASUS model laid out similarly to yours.

      As a general rule, with most laptops, there is a bezel above the keyboard that can be removed and then there are a couple screws that hold down the keyboard. After removing those screws the keyboard can be lifted up and removed (after disconnecting a ribbon cable).

      Sorry to not have more specific info for your model. Good luck Dave and keep us posted! πŸ™‚

      Best regards,
      -JD

  • Chris

    Hello , may i ask something about ram upgrade limit. Its A53s K53sv model would support( 8gbx1 )
    ram chip ? If no , please explain why and what is the side effect of the ram ? etc ( laptop become too hot , laggs or etc ) Thanks !
    Cheers πŸ™‚

    • Hi Chris,
      Thank you for your excellent question. I apologize for taking so long to respond!

      The only disadvantage to using a single memory stick (as opposed to populating both memory slots) will result in lower total memory bandwidth which depending on your application may or may not be important. You can find a couple articles on the topic here:

      “[…] it doesn’t really matter much whether you run single or dual channel. Two 1 GB DIMMs typically are cheaper than a single 2 GB module, but a single DIMM will reduce your power consumption by several watts (which might just be more interesting than it is important).” http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/PARALLEL-PROCESSING,1705-15.html
      http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2294427

      “[with a single stick] You will not be able to use dual channel mode for now which doubles the bandwidth theoretically”
      http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176885

      You can find more articles on the topic, but my general advice would be that if you are using integrated graphics or gaming then it seems more memory bandwidth could be useful, if you are just running general purpose applications then there will likely be negligible difference between one stick or two of memory.

      I hope this info has been helpful and if anyone else wants to comment on the topic, please feel free to do so. πŸ™‚

      Best regards,
      -JD

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