Thinking about upgrading RAM

I have a few questions though. Where would I go to upgrade RAM? the Geek Squad? I dont want to dissect my notebook. I have an Asus A8JP. Therefore, I would need two sticks to upgrade right? Right now I have one gig of ram. I was looking at the RAM hot deals in the Tech and Bargains and saw this:

http://shop3.outpost.com/product/5001625

Would this be a good deal? Would it even work with my notebook?

 

Memory upgrade is very simple, and not worth the $30-$40 you'll pay the geeks at BB to do it. I don't know whether the A8 has both slots underneath, or they're split with one under the keyboard. Still, as long as you're careful and don't static-fry it, little can go wrong.

To get to 2GB, you will need 2 single 1Gb sticks. Your linked memory will do fine in your A8, as will similarly spec'd (DDR2-533 667MHz) RAM at Newegg.

 

both underneath. Its damn easy =) Id do it yourself, no worries at all.

 

what is the difference between this link

http://shop3.outpost.com/product/5297187

and the link in my first post?

I dont understand the specs of RAM.

 

Any DDR2-667 ram(PC2-5300/PC2-5400) or even DDR2-533(PC2-4200/4300) which is slower the DDR2-667 should work in your laptop. The Crosair ram is slightly faster becuase it has a CAS Latency(CL) of 4 vs the Crucial one of 5(lower CL rating mean more performance but you probably wont notice the difference)

I would just go for the cheapest ram(the first link-crucial).

 

Thanks, I think ill buy the crucial pair today before the deal ends. Also, is 4 gigs of RAM necessary?

 

Moot point, because your system won't see the full 4Gb of RAM, anyway. The vast majority of users will do just fine with 2Gb - I'd stick to that.

 

Go with 2x1GB. No sense in getting more. I have the A8JP and it literally took me 5 minutes to swap the RAM sticks out... not to mention that I've never swapped RAM before in my life.

 

Alright thanks! Do i just unscrew some nails out from the bottom and swap em out?

 

yes.. I did the same for the first time last week.

1) unscrew all the screws attached on the removable panel on the bottom (with the lappie switched off)
2) if you have the RAM ready, you will sort of see its twin there with almost the same looks. next to it will be an empty slot
3) slide in your RAM there in an angle. and when it feels like it fits, press it down so that it lies flat

find all the screws you removed ( I missed a screw and found with the help of a magnet) and put them all in place.

restart! right click My computer and check properties

 

Please be advised that it will take a bit of pressure to press the RAM in place.

 

And take the battery out before you open it up and do anything!

 

thanks. I wouldnt have taken the battery out without the heads up. >_< It still has an effect even though the notebook is turned off?

 

When installing RAM or anything else inside any pc, you don't want *any* possibility of a power source connected to the circuit boards. Battery installed = potential for electrical route to the motherboard etc and that is bad. Even Asus' own upgrade manuals have battery removal as step 1 for anything -- cpu, RAM, HDD, wireless... you really don't want a hot power source inserted when you're mucking around in there.

You always unplug the PSU on a desktop when installing/upgrading components too, same reason. OK, that and the higher voltage/amperage of the AC line is a bit more dangerous to your health .

 

LOL Ya speaking from experience, I almost lost a finger because I forgot to unplug a pentium 3 desktop I was messing around with. Oh and when I was taken to the emergency room, the doctors said my heart was going at an extremely high rate, which is probably why I passed out . Trust me its not pretty.

 

wow. thats scary. So removing the battery, I will positively be safe? Ill be shock free? lol

 

The only other thing to mention is to make sure you discharge any static electricity before opening the laptop. Touch something metal before you open up the laptop.

 

toker, for the A8Jp, do i need to unscrew the entire bottom of it or just the upper left corner of it to install the sticks in?

 

mind if i give this a bump