Upgrading your Netbook’s RAM: Things to Look Out For
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Netbooks were never meant for heavy duty work, which allows them to be relatively cheap compared to laptops. Some netbooks only come with 1GB of RAM inside, which is alright for light tasks, but barely enough for light gaming. Upgrading to 2GB of RAM is an absolute must for those who use their netbook often, and it’s actually not that difficult. Read along for a list of the thins you need to watch for when upgrading the RAM in your netbook to ensure perfect compatibility.
Size & Manufacturer
If it isn’t obvious enough, you’re looking for notebook-sized RAM. That means, 204 pins, not 240 pins like its big brother desktop counterpart. Also, in the case that you have two RAM slots instead of one, it’s always good to use the exact same model of RAM that’s already in your machine. If you can’t properly identify this, it’s still recommended to stay with the same manufacturer of the original stick of RAM if you can find that out.
Type of RAM
Determine the type of RAM that your netbook requires – typically DDR3, but it could be DDR2. You can probably find this out by simply looking at your netbook’s box, but if that doesn’t have it, look it up online. This is quite important and having the wrong type of RAM can result in your system not working all together.
Speed of RAM
Your netbook’s motherboard will support a maximum RAM speed, and typically you want the maximum. RAM speeds are measured in Mhz, and your netbook’s RAM speed will likely be 800 Mhz, 1066 Mhz, 1333 Mhz, or 1600 Mhz. You’ll have to find this out as well. If you plan to have multiple sticks of RAM in your netbook, your system will only utilize the lowest speed of the two sticks of RAM.
Operating System
This issue likely won’t apply to many netbooks as most will just make the jump from 1GB to 2GB of RAM. However, for those who want to fit 4GB of RAM in their system, you’ll need to upgrade to a 64-bit OS or your netbook will only use 3 out of the 4GB of RAM installed. Unfortunately for all versions of Windows, there is no way to simply ‘upgrade’ to a 64-bit version. A clean install is required if you want to run 64-bit Windows.
Other
When buying RAM, especially online, look for reviews that state it works with your netbook or a similar netbook. This can help make sure that the RAM you’re purchasing works with your netbook – you don’t want to be stuck with RAM that’s incompatible.
For instructions on installing RAM in your netbook, refer to your netbook’s manual. You may have to manually set your RAM speed in the BIOS if it is not automatically detected.
Image courtesy of Flickr
