Which RAM......confused

bossymommy

Hi. Am looking at buying my son some extra RAM (8gb) for his ASUS notebook (Asus K52F). Where do i start?? I have figured out what RAM is compatible with the laptop, but a few sites i have looked at vary in price. From cheap to very expensive! Does the performance show in the price? Any help would be much appreciated

RosieBee_2

Hello,

I would say that price would usually be a good indication of the quality of the product. Obviously this isn't 100% true but have a look around websites for reviews of the hardware you've chosen. Try the independent review sites. CNET are quite good at Tech Reviews.

Hope this helps

aerostar

Go to crucial memory web site (uk version), download and run their scanner, that will tell you what the specification should be, and offer prices. Whilst they may be more expensive, they have excellent customer service, and if by any chance the ram does not work it can be returned for refund.

Do remember that you may have to remove the original ram, there are only 2 slots in the computer, if it has 2GB memoory then it could be 2 x 1 GB or 1 x 2GB.

Crucial shows this

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listparts.aspx?model=K52F&Cat=RAM

though do use their scanner to be sure.

bossymommy

Thanks...was crucial that i used to determine which RAM :-). As i said, i know what i'm looking for, was just the price difference that confused me. Best get looking at these reviews. Can think of much better things to do on a Saturday afternoon lol

GunJack

be aware that that what crucial list is the theoretical max RAM, but they do disclaim by saying to check the manufacturer's spec to see if the lappy will support 8GB. So check the ASUS site for that model before buying, you may find ASUS say 4GB, because the BIOS/address bus/etc can only handle 4GB.

Also, if he's using a 32-bit operating system he'll only be able to "see" and use 3.5GB of RAM anyway, he'll only be able to use more if he's got a 64-bit operating system

(plus, with 8GB he'll probably be able to run NASA :rotfl: )

fwor

bossymommy wrote: »

i know what i'm looking for, was just the price difference that confused me.

Bear in mind too that there is more to RAM than just the basic spec such as PC2-6400. There is also the timing - sometimes referred to as the CAS Latency, which affects the speed of access. This will affect the price - so for example one with CL 4-4-4-10 could be significantly more expensive than one with CL 6-6-6-15.

Whether it's worth the extra money depends on whether the motherboard can support that extra speed of access.

bossymommy

GunJack wrote: »

be aware that that what crucial list is the theoretical max RAM, but they do disclaim by saying to check the manufacturer's spec to see if the lappy will support 8GB. So check the ASUS site for that model before buying, you may find ASUS say 4GB, because the BIOS/address bus/etc can only handle 4GB.

Also, if he's using a 32-bit operating system he'll only be able to "see" and use 3.5GB of RAM anyway, he'll only be able to use more if he's got a 64-bit operating system

(plus, with 8GB he'll probably be able to run NASA :rotfl: )

Thanks for this.....checked and it does say supports up to 8GB :-)
Also using 64-bit! Am sure running NASA is his intention....boys and their toys eh