Is extra ram needed?

MM30_2

My daughter has an E-system El 3103 which has only 512MM RAM, on Vista.

Can this be upgraded and what would be the cost?

Should she get rid or will upgrades be OK?

Thanks

santer_2

Check this is the correct machine, you can add 1GB for £14 2GB for £22 or 4GB for £42

1GB is the smallest stick I saw, and this, if added to the 512MB already installed would be fine for most things

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listparts.aspx?model=EL1331-03&Cat=RAM

RussJK

2gb minimum for Vista for most people as a guide. With pruning/tweaking you could get away with 1gb and 512mb together, but why?

pogofish

Put-in as much RAM as you can fit/afford. It does help.

MM30_2

Thanks for the replies.

Is the extra RAM easy to install?

santer_2

It will be an relatively simple procedure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QyjGN3BqGw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3_jRqDtVxw

Most components can only be inserted one way, with Ram Memory there is usually a long part then a slot then a short part. Line them up and make sure they are seated properly, there may be clips to hold them in.

Long version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3H1jtUgnBs

pogofish

Dead easy - Just open the cover, eject the old ram by pressing the little levers at each side and replace - plenty online walkthroughs for all types of RAM. Virtually all machines will sort out the new quantity automatically after that (check the "Performance" tab and "Physical Memory" in the Task Manager to confirm), although a few very old machines will require you specify it in the BIOS - the "press F- for setup" option you see at startup but I don't think that will apply for a machine of your vintage.

GunJack

word of warning - a lot of Ei/Advent models have 2 ram slots, one accessed by the rear cover, the other under the keyboard. S0d's law says your empty slot is under the keyboard which can be a bit fiddly to remove. Check your specific model

Hammyman

I don't know how she has used it with 512MB for this long without wanting to throw it out of the window in frustration.

To remove the keyboard on most Ei/Advent of that age, there's a screw underneath in line with the middle of the keyboard and round the edge of the hole where the keyboard sits in are little plastic lugs that need to be pressed back - OTTOMH 3 or 4 at the top and one down each side. It can be a PITA to do the clips as the keyboard springs up on the one you press back but then when you move to the next one, it pops back down so best to start at one side, put something down it to keep it wedged up and move across the keyboard.

BTW, you can get away with only adding another 1GB RAM and you should be able to find a stick of 1GB DDR2 SODIMM on Ebay for less than £10 delivered. Samsung and Hynix are good makes and used by most manufacturers.

MM30_2

GunJack wrote: »

word of warning - a lot of Ei/Advent models have 2 ram slots, one accessed by the rear cover, the other under the keyboard. S0d's law says your empty slot is under the keyboard which can be a bit fiddly to remove. Check your specific model

It's model

"E-system El 3103"

GunJack

http://www.uktsupport.co.uk/advent/laptop/ert2250.htm

look at the RAM and kbd instructions on here, your EI is the same, it clearly shows the positions of the latches referred to by hammy above. I have an ERT2250, hence knowing how fiddly they can be

however, once you've done one, you won't forget how to do the next one