Notebook Memory Upgrade Made Easy (With Help From Crucial)

Provided By: Crucial
Review Date: November 10th, 2005
Written By: Daniel W.

Upgrading your computer's memory is one of the cheapest ways to give your computer a substantially noticeable boost in performance. As true as that is for desktops, it is just as valid for notebook computers. In fact, a notebook memory upgrade is almost the only practical internal upgrade you can give your notebook.

In this article, I will be demonstrating to you the process of upgrading a notebook computer's memory - from picking suitable memory to installing the memory. I will also show you the performance gains you can expect from a memory upgrade and whether or not you should consider an upgrade.

A Common Misconception:

A common misconception about notebooks is that they can only be upgraded with parts (including memory) offered by the company the notebook is from. For example: you might think that Dell notebooks can only use memory modules from Dell. Computer companies further fuel this misconception by placing "replace only with *company name* spare" stickers on the memory that is currently in your notebook.

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The fact is, memory modules from the notebook company are not the only memory that will work in your computer. After all, these companies do not manufacture their own memory; they get it from third-party venders. Lifting this misconception brings both good news and bad news. The good news is you are not restricted to the having to purchase the overpriced memory modules from the notebook company when you want to upgrade. The bad news is you are left on your own to find suitable memory that will work with your system.

What Does Your System Use?

The "hardest" part of upgrading notebook memory is simply the initial process of picking suitable memory. By suitable, I mainly mean the type of memory that is compatible with your notebook. This will depend on how old your notebook is. Luckily, Crucial Technology, one of the biggest names in computer memory, makes this process easier by providing you with free tools to help you find exactly what memory will work in your system.

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Crucial's site offers two tools to help you find out exactly what type of memory is recommended for your notebook. The first tool is called Crucial Memory Advisor. The Crucial Memory Advisor is a simple three step tool which only requires that you know 1 – your notebook's brand, 2 – the product line it belongs to, and 3 – its model. Crucial has in their database almost every computer system (not just notebooks), including Apple.

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After providing the tool with this information, you are brought to a page featuring system information related to your notebook model, including what memory type it uses. The page will also display a list of Crucial brand memory modules that are recommended for your system. The modules listed will all be of the same type, just with different capacity.

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There are two caveats to using the Crucial Memory Advisor Tool. First, it requires that you know a little something about your notebook. Second, though it will provide you with a lot of good information relating to your notebook model including what memory type your system uses, it cannot inform you of your current system's status (i.e. how many memory slots you have, how much memory you already have installed). This is where Crucial's second tool, the Crucial System Scanner, comes in handy.

The Crucial System Scanner is a small downloadable program that scans your system and reports the data back to Crucial's site. After the scan, a web page will be displayed showing the system scanner's report of your system. This report will display how many memory slots your system has and how much memory (in which slot) you currently have installed. It will also tell you the maximum amount of memory your system can handle. Like the Crucial Memory Advisor Tool, the System Scanner's report page displays the recommended Crucial brand upgrade memory module for your notebook. However, the System Scanner will only display a single recommended module (usually the max. capacity compatible module).

The Crucial System Scanner is not completely flawless. First, it only works with systems running Windows 95 or higher (Apple and Linux users can still use the Crucial Memory Advisor, granted they know the necessary model information about their systems). Second, there are certain (though rare) cases where the System Scanner report cannot tell you the maximum amount of memory your notebook can handle. All these minor issues aside, both Crucial tools will provide you with the relevant information of what memory type your notebook uses.

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