Upgrading Laptop Memory
|
Adding memory is one of the most popular upgrades performed on laptops. That's not suprising as upgrading your machines memory speeds up the system operations and can even extend battery life because the hard drive has to use it's virtual memory less. A minimum of 128MB is recommended for your laptop but if you use your machine for music, photo and video editing you may want to look at installing memory between 512MB and 1GB. However if your notebook uses windows 9x or Windows ME it's best not to exceed 512MB of RAM because the VCACHE disk cache used by these versions of windows is unable to support the memory address needed for this amount of RAM. If you want to use more than 512MB of RAM best to use the Windows 2000 or Windows XP operating system. Laptop computers use the same types of memory chips as Desktops, but not the same type of modules. Instead of the standard SIMMS (single inline memory modules) or DIMMS (dual line memory modules) of desktop computers, laptops use different modules with smaller form factors. In most modern notebooks small out line DIMMS called SO-DIMMS are used. These are available in various speeds and voltages in EDO (extended data out) and SDRAM (synchromised DRAM) format. . SO-DIMMS (small outline dual memory modules) can be inserted and removed from sockets in the system and are easy to install and upgrade. Installing memory in most notebook computers is a relatively simple task of removing a couple of screws and opening the access panel found at the bottom of the unit. If unsure always consult your manufacturers manual or seek technical guidance. Once your new memory upgrade has been safely installed, screw the access panel back on and boot up the laptop. Windows should detect the new memory in startup and you should be ready to enjoy a faster mobile computing experience. Note - With today's top of the range laptops, Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM memory has become the standard. With DDR SDRAM memory data is transferred twice as quickly. But cheap laptops are unlikely to be fitted with DDR modules. |