Question Purchasing Laptop RAM

[Arrowstar]

Hi all,

I'm currently looking into purchasing another stick of RAM for my laptop (to fill an empty slot) and I have a question about the process and what to look for. I'm fairly confident that I need to purchase the same type of RAM that is in there now, which I have found to be DDR2-667. Beyond that, is there anything else I need to ensure is correct before I place an order? Power usage, pin count, anything?

 

[dbeachy1]

Don't worry, DDR2 laptop memory DIMMs are all standardized (200-pins). As long as you order DDR2-667 (or faster) laptop RAM you should be OK. You can check out Newegg.com to browse different DDR2-667 RAM brands and read user reviews here.

 

[Arrowstar]

Can I order faster RAM, or do I need to stick with -667?

 

[dbeachy1]

You can order faster RAM (be sure it's still DDR2, though). However, faster RAM won't increase performance unless your motherboard can support RAM speeds above DDR2-667. In other words, RAM speed rating simply indicates how fast it can go.

 

[Arrowstar]

Sure, that makes sense. Is the supported memory speed typically listed as a spec for the motherboard?

 

[dbeachy1]

Yes. Check out the technical specifications for your laptop model. If you can't find them, try to find out what chipset your laptop uses and then look up the supported memory speeds for it.

 

[Arrowstar]

Sure, okay, I'll do that. I've heard stories of mismatching RAM speeds actually decreasing performance... is there any truth to these stories?

 

[dbeachy1]

Well, it certainly shouldn't. The only way that could happen is if there is a BIOS bug and it incorrectly sets the RAM timings for the higher speed even though the RAM is still running at a lower speed because the system can't actually run the RAM at its rated speed. During system initialization the BIOS reads RAM timings for different RAM speeds from the SPD data stored in each RAM DIMM by the manufacturer. Bottom line: The real-world performance difference in a typical application between DDR2-667 and DDR2-800 is only a few percent anyway, so don't worry about it too much. :tiphat:

 

[Arrowstar]

Alright then, looks like I'll just fill in this remaining slot with matching DDR2-667 and be done with it. Thanks for the info, dbeachy!