Advice needed - Add RAM or Upgrade my Dell M60?

Hi all,

I have a Dell M60 (1.6GHz, 512MB, 8xDVD-ROM, 128MB nVidia Quadro, 7200 RPM HD) that is approx. 20 months old (April 2004). Have been very happy with it … and used it every day for several hours for work and play… no problems whatsoever.

I work as IT Contractor and have recently installed new applications (for work) on laptop that require/recommend a minimum of 1GB RAM.

Which got me thinking ….

Should I …
- add 1GB making 1.5GB (1GB + 512MB) -- cost $175 US
- add 2 GB making 2GB (1GB + 1GB) – cost $350 US
…or look to upgrade to say a DELL M70? (2.1GHz, 2GB) or a 9400?


Was wondering how long should you keep laptop … ie run into ground or look to replace every year or couple of years?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

sleepy

 

the cost you listed for the 1GB of memory seems a little high. where are you getting that price from ?

 

The two places I looked were

cruical $175
http://www.crucial.com/store/MParts...381AA5CA7304&WSMD=Precision+M60&WSPN=CT389492

newegg $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...45121&ATT=20-145-121CMP=OTC-pricegrabbermerch

... would go newegg I imagine .. assuming they ship to Australia

sleepy

 

It is unlikely they would ship overseas. As for upgrading, I see no reason to upgrade unless you have a specific need.

 

most of the 1 GB 333 chips i saw on newegg were right around US$95-105. however, now that you mention you're in AUS, i really have no idea.

 

yeah I thought they were on the high side too

but when i use their wizards to ensure i get the right one for an M60 theyre US160-175 for 1 GB

... or can i use any 1 GB 333 chip???

 

If your in AUS then If I were you I would look on ebay and buy some good ram form a good seller and upgrade to 2Gb's. I think you could get two sticks of 1GB DDR 333 for around $200 USD shipped to AU. If you were in the US, or have friends that could mail you RAM, then you could look at newegg. They have quite good prices. They had 1GB of DDR 533 mhz for $62 AR! Crazy deal!

 

Thanks,

ebay was the first place i looked ... but I wasnt sure if I could use any 1GB DDR 333 ... there were none specifically for M60

so thats why used wizards at cruicak/newegg and got prices US$160-175

... if I get off ebay how will i know it be used in M60?

sleepy

 

all you have to worry about is the specs. if you have the right specs, it will work.

 

Thanks drumfu

couple more idiot questions

1. ... is adding RAM is simply a case of sloting them into the motherboard (ie a 5 minute job)

2. Do I need to back up everything on Hard Drive before replacing RAM ... and/or a complete reinstall of all programs etc.

Cheers,
sleepy

 

Installing them in the ram slots on the mobo is all. The machine will recongize them when you boot the computer. No need to back up or anything of the sort.

 

yup, what ccbr01 said. it's quick and dirty and you're up and running in 5 mins or less.