Notebook Memory Upgrade Made Easy (With Help From Crucial)

How Much Should You Get?

Now that you know what type of memory your notebook uses, it is time to determine how much additional memory you want to add to your system. I personally believe if you are going to upgrade your system's memory, make the upgrade worthwhile. Generally, an upgrade should at the very least double your notebook's current amount of memory. With that said, you should also consider what operating system you are using and what programs you plan to run. Take Windows XP for example. Though its minimum memory requirement is 128MB, its practical minimum is really 256MB and even then, you will be noticeably restricted when multitasking.

Considering all that, here are some of my recommendations on memory upgrade capacities. The following recommendations will assume your system accepts either SDRAM or DDR memory. There are three memory configurations your notebook can currently be in. Your notebook could have two memory slots with only one occupied, two memory slots with both occupied, or have only one memory slot (occupied, of course).

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A general recommendation I would give is if your current system 256MB or less of memory, to make the upgrade worthwhile, consider adding a stick of nothing less than 512MB. If your notebook has a vacant memory slot, this would mean you will end up with either 640MB (512 + 128) or 768MB (512 + 256) of memory. If your notebook has two slots but are both occupied, adding a 512mb stick would mean having to remove a current stick of memory. You will still end up with a decent sized upgrade though, ending up with either 576MB (512 + 128/2) or 640MB (512 + 256/2) of memory.

If your notebook has only one memory slot, then in order to upgrade your current stick of memory it would have to be discarded and the amount of memory you end up with will be whatever you upgraded to. In all those cases, you will end up with 512MB or more of memory. This will allow you to comfortably run multiple applications at once.

For notebooks using SDRAM, the one exception to my recommendation is if the maximum amount of memory your notebook can handle is 512MB and one of your two memory slots already has 256MB, then I would recommend getting just another 256MB to meet your system's max.

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For notebooks that use DDR memory, to make the upgrade really worthwhile, consider upgrading with a 1GB stick of memory if budget allows. In fact, if you are looking to max out your notebook, this is the route to go since 1GB per memory slot is usually the max a DDR notebook can handle.

Where to Buy:

Now that you know what type of memory your notebook uses and how much (capacity-wise) you want to upgrade to, it's time to decide where to buy the memory. Retail stores such as CompUSA and Best Buy will usually have the memory you are looking for though not at good prices. For the best prices, look to an online store such as Newegg.com. Newegg's prices are consistently among the lowest available (often times half of what retail store charges), though you are left on your own to find the suitable memory.

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An alternative to buying the memory form stores (retail or e-tail) is to buy direct form the manufacturer. I would recommend if you are uncomfortable with searching through stores, then buy the suitable memory for your notebook from Crucial. As mentioned earlier, when you use either of Crucial's tools, you will be recommended the Crucial brand of compatible memory. The prices that Crucial offers are very good compared to retail stores, though certain online stores may offer lower. In addition to competitive prices, Crucial guarantees compatibility on the memory it recommends for your system or 100% money back. Furthermore, Crucial offers free technical support and free shipping on most orders.

Wherever you decide to buy the memory, once you have bought it the hard part of the memory upgrade will be over.

Installation:

As mentioned before, memory upgrades are one of the only practical upgrades you can give your notebook. First and foremost, make sure your notebook is turned off – not in Stand By or Hibernate. I would also unplug the AC adapter and remove the battery so no power is going through the system.

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Most notebooks' memory compartment is accessible by removing a designated panel on the bottom of the unit (usually secured by a few screws). Installing the memory is a simple process of inserting the memory into the slot and securing it with whatever mechanism is present.

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Like desktop memory, there is a notch in the row of contact pens. On a notebook memory though, this notch is much more offset from the center so it is practically impossible to install memory modules incorrectly. If installing the new module requires removing an old module, make sure to do so carefully so the old memory and the memory slot securing mechanism do not become damaged.

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Once the new memory is installed, re-secure the memory compartment's cover and then reattach the battery and/or reattach the AC adapter.

If the memory is installed correctly, the system should boot-up and recognize the new amount of memory without any problem. Depending on where and what brand of memory you bought, there may be a very rare possibility that it does not work in your system even though it is of the same type. If you bought it from a store, exchange that stick of memory for another stick of a different brand. How easy this process is will depend on that store's exchange/return policy. If the memory was bought from Crucial, as mentioned before, Crucial will refund 100% of your money if the memory does not work (though the chances of that are extremely slim).