Upgrading my RAM

[sumo]

Hi there! I'm wanting to upgrade my memory on my laptop. At the moment i have 256mb of DDR333mhz of ram. I'd like to know if it is possible to install faster ram e.g.533mhz? or if i have to stick to the 333mhz?
Also is there any benefit from doing this? :confused:

[pop pop]

Welcome to PCGuide.

More information is needed like what brand and model of laptop?

As for benefit, yes. There is always benefit to more than 256MB.

[sumo]

Sorry for the lack of info i'm pretty new to all of this! My laptop is an Acer Aspire 1362LC.It has an AMD Sempron 2800+ processer.

[i an not a nerd]

Well, like Pop Pop said, welcome to PC Guide!

Firstly, what are you using your laptop for?

Also, is the RAM that is already installed onboard? Or is it in a slot so that you can examine it?

If it is onboard, then no, you can't improve the speed (unless you OC the RAM, which is not a good idea on a laptop). If it is not onboard (guys, help me out here, what is the term for RAm that is not onboard? Offboard?), it is generaly same thing. With laptops, the speed is (most of the time) fixed (but i have managed to OC a TOSH vid card by +50mhz! :) ) Myself, i wouldn't reccomend OCing a laptop though. In my situatuation, i had the laptop in my "OC experimental cooler" aka fridge. :p

[sumo]

Thanks for the welcome guys! I mainly use my laptop for the internet, but when i get myself a bigger hd (which will be external) i'll be editing photo's and film. I'm not quite sure what is meant by onboard or "offboard" ram :o but i will quote my user manual (ahem) " upgradable to 2048 MB with dual soDIMM modules" Thank you!

[i an not a nerd]

well, Onboard RAM means that the RAM is built directly to the Laptop's motherboard, offboard means that it is a removable stick that uses a slot to connect to the motherboard.

You will definatly want to get at least 512 mbs of RAM for basic photo and film editing (windows movie maker?), but if you are using something like adobe premier, you will want 1 GB minimum. Now if your manual says that you can use 2 moduals, then the RAM is probably offboard/removable/replaceable!

[sumo]

Thanks for the advice!
It's definately removable i've had a look before now. As for the ram speed then, would it be wise just to stay with the 333mhz or get faster e.g.533mhz?

[saphalline]

You can't get 533MHz RAM to work in your system. DDR SODIMM's only go up to 400MHz. And no, unless you OC your CPU (not possible on a laptop) you wouldn't benefit from getting faster RAM. You can buy faster RAM and it will work in your laptop, but it will only operate at 333MHz, so why spend the extra money?

256MB of RAM won't be enough for editing movies. I think we can all agree on that. ;) Tripling your RAM to a respectable 768MB would be the most cost-effective upgrade you can do. Here's the RAM (http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.asp?Mfr%2BProductline=Acer%2BAspire+Note books&mfr=Acer&cat=RAM&model=Aspire+1360+Series&submit=Go) that Crucial says will work with your system. If you buy the 512MB module for $86, your system's editing prowess will probably double! Later on down the line (if you still have that laptop), it would be a good idea to dump the 256MB module and get a 1GB module, for a total RAM of 1536MB.