i3 processor and memory upgrade question?

Hello i just bought this pc for my wife and it comes with 2.53GHz Intel Core i3-380M processor with 3MB L3 cache and 4GB DDR3 RAM; but noticed it could be upgraded to 8GB of ram.

Can anyone offer an opinions on were to buy a well performing 8GB compatible ram for this pc? Nothing to crazy expensive.

 

Crucial, Corsair, Kingston. Any name brand memory you should be good to go. You can get a 8 GB kit for ~80 dollars on Newegg.

 

You can buy pretty much any DDR3 SO-DIMM RAM you want. You will need 2 Sticks x 4GB. There is no such thing as "well performing" - there is cheap and there is expensive. But specifically with RAM it doesn't make much difference. RAM is RAM. Just buy any from a well known brand.

Where from is a question no one will be able to answer considering the fact that nobody knows where on this not so small planet you are. I can give you the address of a very good shop in west Germany but I don't know if this would be of any use to you
The universal answer: Internet (Ebay, Amazon, any other electronics online store).

Also keep in mind you will need a 64 Bit OS to utilize more than ~ 3.15 GB.

 

It has to be a kit? I can't just add 4GB with the one that came with the original laptop?

 

we would need to know the configuration of the individual RAM module(s) currently installed in the laptop in question. is the 4GB RAM one or two modules? if it's one module (1x4GB), then you can buy one 4GB module (for a total of 8GB). if it is two modules (2x2GB) then you will need to purchase an 8GB pack (2x4GB).

 

Most laptops have 2 slots and come with 2 x 2GB. So yes, in order to have 8GB you need to replace the 2 sticks with 2 x 4GB.

Or replace one of them with 4GB and end up with 6GB as I did

 

Honestly, if you or your wife are not planning to do anything that is memory intensive with the notebook, such as graphics/video editing for example, then 8GB is pure overkill. If the machine is to be used for Internet surfing mixed with some productivity, 4GB of memory is plenty in nearly all applications. The price premium for 8GB (2 x 4GB) does not justify the cost in which you may use perhaps half the memory.

As noted earlier, if you are running a 32-bit operating system, upgrading past more than 4GB (which is what you have now) is pointless since the OS will not recognize more than ~3GB of the 4GB installed memory you have now.

Personally, stick with 4GB module, and use that money to upgrade your peripherals.

Just buy "any" RAM? No, I think the OP would be better served purchasing memory that a) doesn't have the word "value" (or any derivative of the word) anywhere in the name, b) offers a lifetime warranty with a reputation for excellent customer service, and c) the RAM is spec'd to run at the minimum frequency/speed that the laptop supports. Recommending otherwise is foolhardy at best.

 

a) There is absolutely nothing wrong with "value" RAM, unless he or his wife is going to be overclocking it, which I highly doubt! This is the only difference between "value" RAM and non-value. If you think differently you better do some research
b) Most RAM manufacturers offer Warranty more than 5 years which is pretty much the lifetime of a laptop. But yes, I agree - pay attention to warranty
c) The RAM should of course support the max speed the CPU allows. If it is an Arrandale CPU though, it doesn't really matter as it only supports the minimum speed of DDR3 anyway. Faster RAM will just be automatically throttled down. I would suggest buying the faster one anyway, as it costs just the same (sometimes even cheaper) but can more easily be resold later or used in another PC (Sandy Bridge) for example if this one isn't.

P.s. My 4GB stick is also valueram and runs perfectly fine even in combination with my 2GB stick Non-value RAM is only useful to overclockers.

 

Yep. I've got one of those too (Corsair Valueram 4GB). I also did wonder what the difference is, after a week of research it turned out that "value" RAM is just not an adequate purchase for overclockers. If used as specified - it makes absolutely no difference. Especially when a long warranty is offered with it, as in 95% of the cases.

 

I didn't say that there is anything wrong with value RAM. It's cheap, affordable, and readily available to the masses. But, I'm not like everyone else, I do care about what I put in my machines, and while value RAM caters to a certain market segment, it doesn't with me.

There's a reason why the "value" RAM niche exists, and it's usually because it's cheap to produce using the cheapest materials possible. You can take that how you wish, I simply avail myself of investing in memory based simply on cost. This attitude goes for both laptops and desktop machines.

Conflicting advice doesn't make for reputable recommendations. Just sayin'.

 

Good for you!
To me function goes above brand, price and model name.

As long as it works as supposed - let it be made out of paper. Whenever it stops - let the lifetime warranty give me another RAM out of paper - all fine with me It works just as fine as non-value RAM.
If you care to do some research you would find out (even officially from manufacturers!) that non-"value" RAM is meant for overclocking or hardware development and is less probable to be incompatible. But if you want to buy the most expensive just for your own ego and don't care about money, let it be it

What I would avoid are brands that no one has ever heard of - I wouldn't want to deal with defective RAM every month. That's why my advise to the Op - buy the cheapest from a well known brand - Corsair/Transcend/Kingston/OCZ/G.Skill/Himym/etc.

This is what makes sense (unless someone can prove the opposite with facts). In my now 8 years long experience with laptop which I usually always upgrade with time, not once have I had a problem (functional or performance-wise) with RAM except once when it came bent because of UPS.

A few results from google on that topic:

http://ask.metafilter.com/17298/Whats-the-deal-with-value-RAM-from-namebrand-companies

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...upgrades/116776-value-ram-vs-regular-ram.html

http://www.overclock.net/amd-memory/636078-value-ram-vs-non-value-ram.html

And here some info on Kingston ValueRam tested by Intel: http://www.kingston.com/channelmark...literature/MKF_125-2_Intel_ServiceSupport.pdf

There is "care about the machine" which I really do and wouldn't put some Elixir or whatever crap in, and there is unreasonable money spending. The choice is all yours.

 

The best sodimm I've seen is 1333Mhz CAS7 and its only 2GB sticks. Pretty much the majority are 1333 CAS9.