Basic questions on Laptop Memory?

Question

Currently have 1GB of Ram. Looking to upgrade it, but have a small array of basic questions on laptop memory before deciding what to go with.

Firstly, I've heard that if I run XP and get 4GB of RAM, then my laptop would only recognize 3GB of it...is this true? If so, would the 3GB be a noticeable improvement over the 2GB or would it not be worth it to add the extra 1GB? (FYI - I do everything from gaming, to playing music, burning cds, downloading torrents, etc & like to have multiple programs running at once)

Also, when it comes to the actual memory, what's the difference between all my options?

ECC? Is this good or bad?

Cas latency? I've heard that the lower the better for this option, but most 2GB I see have a cas latency in the 4-6 range...would i notice a difference between having a cas latency of 5 instead of 3?

Most memory I see has 200-pin, is that good enough? Are different pin numbers even an issue or noticeable?

DDR2 also seems to be the most common...is that cause it's the ideal? Also what's the difference between DDR2 533, 667, & 800?

Also seeing PC4200, PC 5300, PC 5400, PC 6400...what do these mean?

Also, are there certain brands/manufacturers that I should shy away from?

Already been to crucial.com to see what's compatible with my laptop, should I just pay a few more bucks for what they suggest?

Answer 1

"Firstly, I've heard that if I run XP and get 4GB of RAM, then my laptop would only recognize 3GB of it...is this true? If so, would the 3GB be a noticeable improvement over the 2GB or would it not be worth it to add the extra 1GB? (FYI - I do everything from gaming, to playing music, burning cds, downloading torrents, etc & like to have multiple programs running at once)"

If you OS is only 32 bit, then yes, you will only utilize about 3-3.25 of RAM. You will need a 64 bit OS to recognize 4+. I would just stick with 2 gigs, that should be plenty, even for gaming since you mentioned that.

"Cas latency? I've heard that the lower the better for this option, but most 2GB I see have a cas latency in the 4-6 range...would i notice a difference between having a cas latency of 5 instead of 3?"

For gaming, the highest I would go would be 5. Try to find something with 5-5-5-15 timings or lower at least.

"Most memory I see has 200-pin, is that good enough? Are different pin numbers even an issue or noticeable?"

200 pin is laptop memory, desktop is 240 pin. You'll want 200 if you're buying this for a laptop.

"DDR2 also seems to be the most common...is that cause it's the ideal? Also what's the difference between DDR2 533, 667, & 800?"

There is DDR3 on the market now, but it's very expensive and not worth it over DDR2 now. Price to performance DDR2 wins. DDR 533 and 667 and 800 is the speed, stick with 667, that's probably what your laptop supports.

"Also seeing PC4200, PC 5300, PC 5400, PC 6400...what do these mean?"

Also, that's the speed. 6400 = DDR2 800. You'll want either 5300, or 5400.

"Also, are there certain brands/manufacturers that I should shy away from?"

For the most part RAM is RAM. Just try to fine someone with a lifetime warranty. Kingston, Crucial, GSkill, Mushkin, Corsair, OCZ, they're all solid brands.

Answer 2

Check to see if you have free slots first.

I would grab a 2GB chip is it is supported. Try to get the same speed (or faster) ram of the same design.

THere is a program around called CPU Z, google it, run it and it will tell you what you currently have.

Ignore CAS timings.

ECC is server only ram, not for your laptop.

Call crucial after you find out what you have and see what they can suggest.

Answer 3

You are correct that if you put 4gb of memory in your laptop, it will only recognize 3.2gb. Thats because 99% of Windows XP installations are 32bit, which only lets the operating system address 3.2gb of ram. For what you do, you probably only would need 2gb of ram, but no more than 3.

As for actually memory, the number of pins and the type is all dependent on what your computer supports. DDR2 is the most standard type of ram today. The PC4200 , PC5300, ext. is the physical size of the ram. Your laptop should only support one type. Its the same with the pin count.

The last thing, the 533, 667, and 800 is the bus speed of the ram. Your computer has a set memory bus size based on the bus speed of the motherboard. (basically how fast the motherboard can talk to the ram) Its worthless to get a ram with a bus speed more than what your computer supports.

At the end of the day, I would suggest just following Crucial's recommendation.

Answer 4

First make sure you have the right memory for you laptop before you buy it.  This means DDR or DDR2... the speeds 533,667,800 are backwards compatible but if your motherboard only supports a certain number you are paying more without the added benefit.  Secondly or maybe I should of written this first  1gig for XP is great anymore than that and you are barely going to notice any difference.  On a laptop I've even gone from 512 to 1gig and barely noticed anything...  As for how much your laptop can use, you have to look up your laptop model on the manufactors website to see what it'll handle.  I'd go on and on but there is too much to cover with your questions.  The main thing I will say it that if you pay more then say 40 bucks your going to be upset because you really will not see much difference going from 1gig to 2gig with WindowsXP and anymore than that is overkill and XP isn't going to even really use it.  O yeah one more thing I haven't seen anyone else mention is that you probably have two 512 sticks in your laptop... So if you buy 2gigs you can't use your old 1gig to max it out at 3gigs.  Get a small philips s***w driver flip your laptop over and unscrew the mem cover to make sure.

Answer 5

p**n is the best

Answer 6

Most notebook memory is 200 pin SODIMM SDRAM memory. The PC term means for a PC the numbers 5300 6700 refer to the MHz the Ram runs at (533MHz 667MHz. The most important thing is to match the exact type of memory your notebook can run at. Check your system summary and device manager in control panel. If you have further doubt contact your notebook manufacturer. Your main board was designed to run with only so much RAM. ECC means error correction control and is used most often in Server memory. You are correct about latency the lower the number` the better.