Memory for Notebook Computers |
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Last Updated: December 11, 2008
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Today's Best ChoiceBuy 4GB of SODIMM memory for a slight performance boost and slightly longer battery life (3% to 5%). RAM is faster and requires less battery power than a hard drive. Windows and Mac OS X will use RAM more and the hard drive less for the performance boost and longer battery life. Windows XP and Vista will only be able to recognize 3 out of the 4GB since it is a 32-bit operating system. Windows XP 64 and Vista 64 are 64-bit and can recognize all 4GB. Unfortunately, there are few drivers for printers, mice, keyboards, sound cards, etc. that work with them which means your peripherals won't work. Mac OS X can recognize all 4GB without any side affects. SODIMM is meant for notebook / laptop computers only. Intel Core i7, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Extreme, Core Duo, Core Solo, Pentium M, Pentium 4M, Pentium 4, and Celeron Processors: DDR2-677/PC2-5300: Buy 4GB (2×2GB) for $40 including shipping. DDR2-800/PC2-6400: Buy 4GB (2×2GB) for $51 including shipping. DDR2-1066/PC2-8500: Buy 4GB (2×2GB) for $115 including shipping. DDR2-533/PC2-4200: Buy 1GB for $13 including shipping. DDR2-677/PC2-5300: Buy 1GB for $12 including shipping. DDR2-800/PC2-6400: Buy 1GB for $17 including shipping. Make sure to buy the right kind of memory for your computer. |
Dual core processors should have 2GB of RAM. This will allow several memory hogging applications to run at the same time at full speed. Gamers and video editors need 2GB of RAM to run their software. 1GB of RAM for everything else is fine. Memory is too cheap to have less than 1GB for Windows Vista and Windows XP based computers. Windows 95/98/ME doesn't benefit from more than 512MB of RAM.
Some companies including Dell charge too much for additional memory. Buy as little memory as possible through the company and buy the amount of memory you really want online.