Upgrading Ram Questions

Okay, so I got one of the new Powerbooks back in Nov (and I'm not the slightest bit miffed about the new Macbooks, k. I LOVE THIS POWERBOOK TO DEATH AND WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING). I just have the standard 512mb of memory, and would like to upgrade.

My question: Should I buy a 512mb stick from crucial and use both 512mb for 1gb total? Or should I buy a 1gb stick and use both for 1.5gb? Can I even do the latter?

Thanks for your help.

Oh, BTW, do both sticks have to be the same speed? IE 4200 or 5300? Right now I have 1 512 4200, so I should get another 4200 stick?

RamJet

Cheaper than crucial and just as reliable. I was interested in 2GB and worked him down to $225 shipped.
Yes, get another 4200.
Yes, you can do the latter. There are 2 slots, neither are hard-soldered, you can replace both, or just add one.

EDIT: just looked at their new prices, they're now even cheaper than when I bought my RAM. 2GB is only $200

surfwax95 said:

RamJet

Cheaper than crucial and just as reliable. I was interested in 2GB and worked him down to $225 shipped.
Yes, get another 4200.
Yes, you can do the latter. There are 2 slots, neither are hard-soldered, you can replace both, or just add one.

Click to expand...

Thanks, you rock

Go for the maximum RAM you can afford. You don't have to match modules. Get the PC4200 (DDR-2 533 MHz) there's no point getting RAM that's faster than your memory buss can go.

Also check out Data Memory Systems for modules - they are currently at US$ 98

Thanks
Trevor

CanadaRAM said:

Go for the maximum RAM you can afford. You don't have to match modules.

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I disagree with this statement.

If you NEED your Powerbook to perform at absolutely max capacity on intensive software, like video or graphics editing software, then by all means you should max out your RAM and buy all that you can afford. And if you're doing that sort of work, you know it--you're not just messing around with iPhoto now and then.

But if you're just a little miffed that Microsoft Word lags a taddy bit when you have ten applications open, or that Safari gives you the pinwheel when you've got 30 tabs or windows of it open, then get 512MB stick and call it a day.

RAM, like diamonds, becomes exponentially more expensive as the capacity increases. Don't make the mistake that lots of Powerbook users make by paying for extra speed that they'll neither appreciate nor use.

jn4jenny said:

I disagree with this statement...
RAM, like diamonds, becomes exponentially more expensive as the capacity increases. Don't make the mistake that lots of Powerbook users make by paying for extra speed that they'll neither appreciate nor use.

Click to expand...

Well, that's where the "you can afford" factor comes in... :miner:

In any laptop, if you have enough RAM that you don't have to write pageouts to the hard drive, then you may be able to get more battery life by the hard drive being able to sleep.

At US$98 per Gb. it'll hardly break the bank : the sensible choice on this Powerbook is between 1.5 Gb for $98 or 2 Gb for $196. Putting in a second 512 Mb for US$49 and maxing out the machine's sockets at 1 Gb for a savings of $49 doesn't make much sense.