Hey friends! I just picked up a new laptop, here is the link to it... http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Tosh...id/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do#prodspecs I want to upgrade it from 2GB to 4GB, and was wanting some advice. I know its DDR2 ram, but I have no idea what to get. Do I want 1 2GB, or 2 1GB? Whats a good place to buy online, and also whats a good brand? If someone could send me some links I would appreciate it! Thanks!
your computer: Memory RAM 2GB Memory type (RAM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300) RAM expandable to: 4GB if you already have 2 GBs and your running a 32 bit system your maxxed out. if you have a 64 bit system than you can go to 4 GBs RAM and be able to use it all. so i've heard
3 gigs will be your cutoff point if using a x32 system. That computer like most laptops only has two dimm slots for RAM. Therefore you will need to buy 1 2GB memory stick and use it in one of the slots and keep one of the 1 GB sticks in there. That will give you 3 GB which is all that you will be able to use, unless you put x64 system on it after you get the computer. In that case you will need to buy two 2GB sticks and take the two 1 GB sticks out and sell them.
it's best to get 2x2GB set, because your laptop runs dual channel. even if you only use 3/3.5gigs, you still have dual channel working. according to the crucial website scanner, you can go up to pc2-6400 (LINK) so if you can, try to get a 2x2GB pc2-6400 set for max performance.
Why pay for something you can't use? I still think that running the 3 GB way is your best bet and more cost effecient. I have a 2GB and 1 GB in my laptop and it runs smooth. As long as you stay with the same brand you should not have any troubles. That is just my opinion and others may see it the other way and that it is best to go with 4 GB. Good Luck!
Sorry for the double, but I see that it is just a 32bit. So since I have 2 1gb sticks in there, should I buy just one 2gb to add to it? What exactly is dual channeling? Thanks.
If it was me I would buy one 2GB stick and try to get the same brand as the 1 GB stick you already have. Also try to make sure it is the same speed measured in MHz. Dual channeling is the process of using the same Ram in he same channel to allow more throughput. Basically it helps run the computer faster and more efficient. That is why you would need to use two 2GB sticks, even though some of it wouldn't be used. But from what I have noticed from personal use is that a 1 GB and 2 GB stick paired together, though not able to use dual channel, do quite fine. If you are a big time gamer, then you might want to spend the extra bucks to but the 2 2GB sticks. But if you use the computer for word processing, internet and so forth, I think you would be better off to just by one stick of 2 GB.
