Worthwhile to upgrade ram Aspire 5612ZLMI?

Have contacted Acer and they inform me one of the memory slots is under the hatch but the other one is under the motherboard.

They recommend only if you are 'experienced' you attempt the upgrade
from 1Gb to 2Gb or 4Gb. (Problems with accessing the memory under the motherboard??). Would not invalidate warranty only if upgrade damaged the computer...which seems reasonable..and need not be Acer memory I'm told.

How easy is this achieved as never done this before but have installed memory in PC with no access problems to contend with??

If I just changed the memory under the memory access cover to 2Gb
and left the 512mb module under the motherboard giving a total of
2.5Gb would I achieve a worthwhile improvement on the current 1Gb or would the fact it is now not a matched pair negate the extra ram.
Also views on installing 1.5Gb (changing just one 512Mb to 1Gb)...would this give a negligable advantage if at all)?

Any ideas on a cheap source/supplier of memory from an outfit that would also install it too (in the UK).??

Advice appreciated for user not fully up to speed technically.

 

I would just put a 2gb into the access slot and leave the motherboard alone. 2.5gb is a lot of RAM, more than you probably would ever need for XP and plenty in Vista. Tests show you only lose about 3% by having unmatched RAM as opposed to matched.

In short, having 2.5gb of RAM is a huge advantage over 1gb. The 3% penalty is minuscule. The pros far outweigh the cons. If you get ambitious later you can add another 2gb under the motherboard.

 

Crucial (a memory supplier) inform me if I use unmatched pairs (only replace one memory module under the memory hatch (not the in-accessable memory under the motherboard) say with a 2gb module giving 2.5gb total the first slot to be replaced has to be a 'Primary' slot for it to work.
i.e.if the Primary slot is under the motherboard swapping the 'accessable' one under the memory slot cover will cause the memory not to be recognised and not work.

Is this a load of rubbish or are they right? Another supplier says this is not the case and any slot swapped with the correct unmatched memory will work.

Advice appreciated before I purchase please ...Inclined to buy just one 2gb stick... DDR2 667 5300 200pin Non ECC CL=5 ??....does it have to be Dual Channel?? as someone else says so BUT I dont see that mentioned on memory sites.??

What is Dual Channel sounds like it might be relevant to unmatched pairs?

 

Is accessing memory under the motherboard a scary job with potential for lots of parts to come adrift/break/not go back easily or is it as simple as removing and replacing a few screws?
I assume access to motherboard is more than removing memory hatch on this model.

Easy to take apart.. a real pain to get back together and working!!

 

Advice please on last 2 posts if you can.

 

Going ahead with 2gb single module to give me 2.5gb ram (other module under motherboard is 512mb).

Cost £32 from Crucial (Micron) including next day delivery.

 

you only get a benefit with more ram if you NEED it
for Vista the desktop uses 730Mb just to load (with antivirus etc)
again for Vista you get 95% of the benefit going from 512 to 1 gig
for vista
Go to start, control panel, administrative tools,reliability and performance monitor, click tab marked memory. It will tell you if your system is under excessive load and needs more memory or not.

you can also press ctl-alt-del and choose start task manager look right at the bottom it will tell you what percentage of physical memory is being used

also if you are adding unmatched pairs check with the computer manufacturer, Crucial is right it can matter a lot or not at all, depends on the motherboard.

Do you have diagrams of the latch. Laptops are almost designed to be broken when you remove the covers. There are often tabs or hooks of plastic which break if moved the wrong direction. I have installed ram on a compaq and my aspire ( not your model ).

If I were you I would check if i actually need more ram. And if so pay a little extra and get a acer service center to do it if you have to get under the keyboard.

re read your post their recommendation about only experienced is a polite warning not to try it yourself

I hope this is helpfull

 

Thanks...Read the advice after I WENT AHEAD..CAREFULLY.
Acer gave me wrong advice..the memory was under the cover (both 512MB) and not one module under the keyboard...which I wouldn't attempt changing.
Went smoothly (care is needed removing cover..your advice is right!!).
Laptop struggled to keep up with photo/video editing/rendering so definately seeing the benefit. Some ram used by shared graphics.