RAM for T61

I recently purchased a T61 with 1gig of RAM to upgrade myself.
I am looking for input on optimal performance choices about this upgrade.
I.E. product, where to buy.
I have read that vista recognizes only 3 Gb of RAM when 4 is present.
is it possible to set up other aspects to utilize the 'missing' memory?

 

all 32bit OS's which most probably what you have, can only use 3 of the 4gb

ONLY 64bit can only use all 4gb

If your from the US go to www.newegg.com for awesome RAM deals

 

The memory you are looking for is PC5300 667Mhz ddr2 sodimm memory for laptops.

4gb of memory should only run you about $60-70, so its an inexpensive upgrade.

A 32bit operating system will give you about 3.0-3.6Gb of memory. As flipfire mentioned, you will need a 64bit operating system to recognize the entire 4gb of memory.

K-TRON

 

Would I be able to purchase any brand of PC2 5300 for my T61p? What if I purchased PC2-6400, would that work? Currently I'm looking at the Patriot Signature PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 200PIN SODIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit and the OCZ PC2-6400 OCZ2M8004GK 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-15 200PIN SODIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit. There's a 25$ difference between the two with the Patriot being the cheaper. Should I pay the extra for the OCZ? Is it really worth it?

 

Buffalo Certified 4GB 2X2GB PC2-5300 DDR2-667 CL5 200PIN SODIMM Memory Kit
Corsair Value Select PC2-5300 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-667 200PIN SODIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
OCZ PC2-5400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-667 CL5-5-5-15 200PIN SODIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit

I can get those guys for PC2 5300 if that would be better for my T61p instead of the PC2 6400. Those three are about the same price as the Patriot PC2 6400 4GB kit, give or take 10$.

Thanks for your help guys. You've been an abundance of knowledge and advise. I'm very grateful.

 

64 will only recognize the 4gb. it doesnt put it all to use though.

 

Godsownglory,
The T61p will not be able to take advantage of the 800mhz pc6400 memory. The system will simply downclock the memory to Pc5300 667Mhz speeds.
Knowing this, there is no point in spending the extra money on the pc6400 memory.

Just go with pc5300 memory a 2x 2Gb kit will be plenty, and you should be able to get the memory for around $60.

I would recommend looking at brands, such as corsair, crucial, patriot, ocz and kingston. These brands tend to use the higher quality micron and samsung memory chips in their memory cards.

K-TRON

 

Thanks K-Tron, I'll go with the PC2-5300 like you suggested and I'll make sure to go with the brands you suggested. Once again, thank you.

 

really.. why not?

 

Thanks guys. (K-Tron)
working out very well for me. appreciate the info.

 

I have been looking all over the web, and have read conflicting reports on whether or not my T61p will be able to support PC2-6400 memory at 800Mhz speeds. I have the T7500 processor, and am running Vista 64-bit. What is it that won't support 800Mhz? Thank you!

 

Your system will not be able to run the Pc6400 memory at Pc6400 speeds. If you install Pc6400 memory in your laptop, it will automatically downclock to Pc5300 speeds.

The chipset does not support more than 667Mhz memory

K-TRON