Memory in Old Laptop... .

David333

Hey there,

I've rooted out an old Thinkpad from my cupboard and was going to try to get it into useable condition for my mum to use. At the moment it only has 128mb of memory and is so slow running Windows XP Home. I plan on doing a full reinstall using nlite to get a slightly slimmer version of XP on there (I don't want to go down the linux route), having installed some more memory.

Crucial says that I can add 512mb in total but to save money I was going to buy a 256mb stick, put that in along with my 128mb of memory and then hopefully it'd run at a reasonable pace.

I was hoping that someone could recommend somewhere reasonable to buy laptop memory from. I've looked at ebuyer, dabs and crucial and can't find any bargains. Can anybody offer any advice please...? Thank you...

warmstrong

Bought a Bytestor 512Mb stick for my Toshiba Satellite for £18 from an Amazon.co.uk reseller (Indigofish.com).
Good value and good delivery

David333

warmstrong wrote: »

Bought a Bytestor 512Mb stick for my Toshiba Satellite for £18 from an Amazon.co.uk reseller (Indigofish.com).
Good value and good delivery

Never thought to check Amazon; thank you!

Taffybiker

You can also try https://www.memorybits.co.uk

They often have good quality at low cost. Also a search facility for pc/laptop memory

David333

Thanks Taffybiker. They seem to be about the same price as ebuyer so it's on that list at the moment.

I was looking on ebay and found this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110399377670&category=31575&refid=store It appears to be the same type as I want which is: http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=346C9C24A5CA7304

Would anybody be able to have a quick look and confirm that it's the same please...?

macman

Crucial is the best, but you can buy cheaper, Amazon or eBay, but that way you take your chances.

Taffybiker

David333 wrote: »

I was looking on ebay and found this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110399377670&category=31575&refid=store It appears to be the same type as I want which is: http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=346C9C24A5CA7304

Would anybody be able to have a quick look and confirm that it's the same please...?

They do appear to be the same. The eBay seller has not specified the working voltage but it is unlikely to be different. The one chance you would be taking is the eBay item is used. Even though it says it is in working condition, if the module has been subjected to static at any time in the past it could still be damaged and its life span will be shortened. This is known as latent failure.

David333

Taffybiker wrote: »

They do appear to be the same. The eBay seller has not specified the working voltage but it is unlikely to be different. The one chance you would be taking is the eBay item is used. Even though it says it is in working condition, if the module has been subjected to static at any time in the past it could still be damaged and its life span will be shortened. This is known as latent failure.

Thank you. I assume that it would be impossible to know if it has a shortened life span and therefore it'll just be a case of pot lock regarding whether it's in 'good condition' or not... .

Strider590

Which model is the laptop?

I've got an old (1998) Thinkpad 770X with 128mb.... Which runs really well on 98SE and did so for more than 9 years of continuous use.

Back then 128mb was a lot, but trying to get memory for it now would be so damn expensive as it's no longer produced anywhere.

If yours is of the same era, might you be better off installing win98 and sticking with the same memory?

David333

Strider590 wrote: »

Which model is the laptop?

I've got an old (1998) Thinkpad 770X with 128mb.... Which runs really well on 98SE and did so for more than 9 years of continuous use.

Back then 128mb was a lot, but trying to get memory for it now would be so damn expensive as it's no longer produced anywhere.

If yours is of the same era, might you be better off installing win98 and sticking with the same memory?

It's a T20 so is fairly quick. I don't have a copy of 98 so might be a step backwards especially in terms of network connections and stuff for the Internet. I did for a moment consider Windows 7 which I heard was even better than XP for smaller laptops but I'm not sure I dare risk that...!

Strider590

Taffybiker wrote: »

Even though it says it is in working condition, if the module has been subjected to static at any time in the past it could still be damaged and its life span will be shortened. This is known as latent failure.

Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatic_discharge

ESD precautions should always be taken when handling electronic components.