samsung np1w45-jp02 netbook questions

I was reading the reviews on best buy about this laptop and it seems almost all agree that the memory needed to be upgraded from 1 GB to 2 GB ram. None of them said why though.

What exactly doesn't run ok with just 1 GB? Is it streaming movies don't run well on 1 GB but do run well on 2 GB?

Also, seems you have to partition the netbook into 2 hard drives. Is this a Samsung thing or do all netbooks make you do this now? Is it better to have more memory on the C: drive or D: drive?

What's the difference between ddr2 and ddr3?

Thanks.

 

All netbooks are kitted out with 1GB RAM in order to get better prices from Intel and Microsoft but Windows will run better with 2GB because there is more room in RAM to hold Windows and programs without needing to use the virtual memory (which means temporarily storing RAM contents on the HDD, which slows down the performance). If you only ever run one program at a time then you may not see much difference in performance, but if you want to have several programs running and swap between them, then the extra RAM will be welcome.

Samsung provide a utility that allows the user to partition the HDD on first usage. One reason is that the Samsung backup utility (SRS = Samsung Recovery Solution) makes copies of C: which are stored on D:. Personally, I like the partitioning and store all my personal files on D: because, if Windows falls over and it is necessary to restore it from a backup file then C: gets replaced. I suggest 1/3rd of the HDD size as C: for Windows and programs and 2/3rds as D: for user files and backups.

DDR3 is newer and a bit faster. The modules are physically different and not interchangeable.

John

 

Thanks a lot.