is it worth putting more ram in my laptop

Maximillion

is it worth putting more ram in my laptop? I don't use another computer, it's mostly for surfing, photo editing programs are a bit slow, mostly the wife insists on having messenger running and it just grinds it to a halt.
I've a got a sony viao PCG - FX501 with 1ghz processor. it's old but works (just) only 256 ram at the moment. would I really notice the difference if I put more in or would the other components restrict an improvement in performance?

murphy61

Definately...... provided it's easy to do. It is on the dell that I use, but I don't know about the Sony. Can't have too much ram! I have 1gb on my main laptop and 256mb on an older one. Big, big difference. Some programs just won't run on the old one

Maximillion

murphy61 wrote:

Definately...... provided it's easy to do. It is on the dell that I use, but I don't know about the Sony. Can't have too much ram! I have 1gb on my main laptop and 256mb on an older one. Big, big difference. Some programs just won't run on the old one

doesen't appear hard, I managed to change the hardrive a few years ago and that is definitely not a supported DIY option! there's already a spare slot, worried about upgrading BIOS etc. though. perhaps should make BIOS update file prior to sticking it in in case it never works again. can I stick any RAM in or does it need to be compatable?

sablade

go to this site, it will tell you what ram you can put in ec and a price, then check ebay, your bios will be fine. on my laptop I tak out 2 screws push the ram into the slot then screw in again, it literally takes min

http://www.crucial.com/uk/systemscanner/

everythingblogcast

The maxmium RAM you can have for your laptop is 512MB. So this means that you have to buy a RAM card of 256MB for about £28.91.

http://www.orcalogic.co.uk/asp/prodtype.asp?prodtype=17798&ft=M&st=1 is one site but take a look at Crucial site and scan your laptop and it will tell you the right RAM clip that your laptop can support.

murphy61

have a look at this http://www.memorystock.com/memory/SonyVAIOPCGFX501.html
I'm sure there are other sites where you can specify your laptop and get them to tell you what you need. The manufacturers web site would probably confirm it, then just get it from the cheapest or safest looking site

sablade

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-256MB-PC133-SDRAM-SODIMM-144-PIN-MEMORY-FOR-LAPTOPS_W0QQitemZ170081302892QQihZ007QQcategoryZ31575QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

£20.50 inc del

Maximillion

thanks all for the excellent help :T - one more thing, as everythingblogcast says max is 512 - memorystockinc says best to use maximum per slot so is it worth splashing out on one 512 and replacing my current 256 or should a I just put another 256 in the other slot?

thanks again
FCC

everythingblogcast

yes because there is no point putting a 512MB clip in one slot. Also it may not support the 512MB clip in one slot. And its cheapper because you already have 256MB in slot 1.

eryn_kathleen

Yes, just to agree with the above poster - if you have a 256mb stick already, just buy another 256mb stick. It'll be cheaper and as effective.

sablade

most ram has to be installed in identical pairs, but you can have 1 ram chip, in my pc i have 4 slots. i can install 1 stick or 2 or 4