help w/ laptop memory

[reineke]

Hi

My computer melted and I need some help choosing the right memory for the new one.

I am buying this one

Gateway C-140X
http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529666090.php

An I'd like to add more memory from here:

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=381&name=Laptop-Memory

The laptop's memory is two unnamed 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM sticks.
The CPU supports 800 Mhz and the chipset is Santa Rosa. My first notebook, so please be gentle :)

I suppose the most sensible thing would be to wait for the laptop, pull the memory out and check for myself but I'm kinda impatient :)

Should I worry about compatibility/pins? It seems that most notebooks accept 200 pin sticks. I would imagine that if I want dual channel/compatibility issues I shouldn't mix different sizes and manufacturers.

Thanks!

[craigwatanabe]

You need PC25300 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM RAM and if you're buying from NewEgg.com then you may want to buy two of these (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144068)from NewEgg.com

Looking at the specs on that computer, 1gig of RAM will barely cut the Premium Vista Home package. Talking to other Vista Premium or Ultimate users, you really need 2gigs to get an optimally running Vista with Aero.

Unfortunately because your package deal is using both memory slots for two 512mb modules, to get 2gb of RAM under that hood you'll need two 1gb modules. What surprized me was how cheap this memory is. The downside is that after upgrading to 2gigs of RAM you'll have two 512-Mb ram modules sitting uselessly in your desk.

You could sell them on craigslist.com. Even on NewEgg.com a single 512mb module runs $19.95 each and with shipping comes in at just under $35 w/UPS Ground to Hawaii. Brand new those two 512mb modules would run $70.

[Konaguy]

Not trying to hijack this thread Craig, but I've been thinking about upgrading to Vista Basic. As I've done Vista compatibility tests on my current computer.It said the best Vista version for my computer is the basic version. I have 1GB of RAM.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Whenever I need to check on memory specs, I go to one of the big third-party memory companies, like Crucial (http://www.crucial.com/). They have easy-to-use tools to help you look up what your system's memory specs are.

And I'm with Craig -- if you're going to upgrade your memory, max it out. You won't regret it.

[reineke]

Thank you, I knew I could count on you guys. I am definitely getting 2 GB. I would even consider 4 but it's pricey. The upgrade to 2x1GB through the Gateway website was $150 and it just ticked me off to pay that much for it. I'll probably just put it away as I can't get much for it and I'm still saving money anyway. Never had to deal with a bad memory stick but there's always the first time for everything. I was waiting for a nice 14" tablet pc with discrete graphics for a while and this one looked just dandy.

Thanks a bunch!

[craigwatanabe]

Not trying to hijack this thread Craig, but I've been thinking about upgrading to Vista Basic. As I've done Vista compatibility tests on my current computer.It said the best Vista version for my computer is the basic version. I have 1GB of RAM.


One gig should be okay, make sure your graphics card is at least 128mb of on board ram. I strongly suggust though that even with Vista Basic, you should run 2gig for optimal performance.

If you're gonna run Vista Basic, you may as well stay with XP. Once in your applications you'll never see the value of Vista unless you're running the premium or ultimate versions.

I'm happy with XP and have no desire to upgrade to Vista. It's a crapshoot to upgrade to Vista after upgrading your hardware. One upgrade to Vista Home Premium still netted poor performance even with an upgrade to 1.5Gb of RAM and a 256Mb AGP Graphics card. Even when we upgraded the ram to 2gb, performance was slooooowwww when loading applications.

With your Celeron processor you'll probably have to upgrade that too. It's not worth it.

[GregLee]

Whenever I need to check on memory specs, I go to one of the big third-party memory companies, like Crucial (http://www.crucial.com/). They have easy-to-use tools to help you look up what your system's memory specs are. I just bought memory from Crucial. It's the only place whose on-line tool could find my exact computer model, and the price seemed competitive. It arrived ($10 UPS) 3 days ahead of schedule.

[cezanne]

The last couple of sticks I bought were Corsairs (lifetime guarantee). They have good online support via a messageboard. They too have an online compatibility thingy.

[GeckoGeek]

As has been mentioned, I buy from companies where I can look up what I have and it tells me what will work. I don't trust looking up specs. There seems to be quirks with some brands that just aren't reflected in the specs. Put the wrong thing in and it will work, but it will crash all the time.

[Konaguy]

With your Celeron processor you'll probably have to upgrade that too. It's not worth it.

Yeah I figured as much. But I felt it didn't hurt to ask. XP works fine for me. It seems upgrading to Vista would be more trouble than its worth.

[GeckoGeek]

Yeah I figured as much. But I felt it didn't hurt to ask. XP works fine for me. It seems upgrading to Vista would be more trouble than its worth.

I think that's been largely true of all OS upgrades. I'll upgrade when I buy a new computer.

[reineke]

You need PC25300 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM RAM and if you're buying from NewEgg.com then you may want to buy two of these (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144068)from NewEgg.com

Looking at the specs on that computer, 1gig of RAM will barely cut the Premium Vista Home package. Talking to other Vista Premium or Ultimate users, you really need 2gigs to get an optimally running Vista with Aero.

Unfortunately because your package deal is using both memory slots for two 512mb modules, to get 2gb of RAM under that hood you'll need two 1gb modules. What surprized me was how cheap this memory is. The downside is that after upgrading to 2gigs of RAM you'll have two 512-Mb ram modules sitting uselessly in your desk.

You could sell them on craigslist.com. Even on NewEgg.com a single 512mb module runs $19.95 each and with shipping comes in at just under $35 w/UPS Ground to Hawaii. Brand new those two 512mb modules would run $70.



Just a little update on this (not very exciting) story. In case anyone's considering this same combination please be advised that the Geil memory with the golden heatsink might not fit into the C-140X Gateway tablet/notebook but that the simpler Geil version without the heatsink should be fine. Thanks Craig, no way you could have known this. BTW, Gateway still hasn't delivered. Ordered on July 7. Apparently it's a popular model plus Gateway kinda stinks on inventory/delivery :)

[craigwatanabe]

Just a little update on this (not very exciting) story. In case anyone's considering this same combination please be advised that the Geil memory with the golden heatsink might not fit into the C-140X Gateway tablet/notebook but that the simpler Geil version without the heatsink should be fine. Thanks Craig, no way you could have known this. BTW, Gateway still hasn't delivered. Ordered on July 7. Apparently it's a popular model plus Gateway kinda stinks on inventory/delivery :)

Maximum PC magazine did a thermal scan of a desktop computer to see where the hotspots were inside a computer's case and they were surprized to find out that memory doesn't get that hot so forget the heat spreaders, more hype than function.