I have a Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 with an i3-4130, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, no dedicated graphics card, and a 180W power supply. The motherboard has two RAM slots. A friend told me that installing more than 8GB, such as 2GB + 8GB, 4GB + 8GB, or 2x8GB, could overload or damage the power supply. Can I safely install 16GB of DDR3, ideally as two 8GB modules? Also, could I upgrade the processor to an i7 and add a graphics card while keeping the original 180W PSU?
2 Answers
Adding RAM will not meaningfully stress the power supply, so the 8GB limit your friend mentioned is incorrect. This system can generally support up to 16GB using two 8GB DDR3 modules, assuming the modules are compatible with the motherboard. The bigger limitations are the small case, the 180W proprietary power supply, and the available space for expansion cards.
An i7 upgrade may be possible, but check Lenovo's CPU support list and BIOS compatibility first. A Haswell i7 such as the i7-4770 or i7-4790 could use substantially more power and generate more heat than the i3, so cooling and the exact ThinkCentre case model matter. A low-power card such as a GTX 750 Ti may work in some configurations, but it must fit the case, use the correct low-profile bracket if required, and stay within what the 180W supply can safely handle. Avoid graphics cards that need a separate power connector unless the system has been upgraded with a suitable power supply.
So upgrading to 16GB should be safe, but I need to be much more careful about the graphics card and power requirements.