Some help with ram please.

So im planning to upgrade from 2gbs to 4gbs but first i was wondering what the speed of the ram should or could be? I know right now it says the speed of the ram is 667 MHz but at the bottom it says max memory speed 800 MHz. So I just want to know if I need to buy ram that's 667 MHz or 800 MHz? And one more question would there be any type of increase in performance from my nvidia 7150m since it shares its memory with the ram? thanks

Heres a picture I took of my system info

 

You probably won't notice much difference.

But what OS are you running? Are you sure you'll be able to use all 4GB?

 

from the picture i guess its xp and prob 32bit
unless you intend to upgrade to x64 3gb will be enough.
so just get a 2gb stick same specs as the 1gb you got installed.
moving from 667 to 800 will give very little (if at all) unless you intend to overclock your ram.

 

So it would be possible to get ram with the speed of 800 MHz?

 

Yes....but as he mentioned there's won't be any noticeable difference unless you plan to overclock. And if you will need a 64bit OS to use 4GB.

 

Noticeable difference unless he plans to overclock?
No, there WON'T be a difference. Unless he's got a very special laptop, he's not going to be able to run DIMMs at 800mhz, they will just downclock to 667.

 

Well I guess I misphrased that. Faster memory allows for more overclocking. But yeah you really won't notice a difference

 

That version of HyperTransport I believe only supports PC5300 not PC6400. You need to confirm your chipset/MoBo supports more than 2GB's remember this is not Intel so need to check. If it does support PC6400 by all means go for it.

 

From what I can quickly find (and remember this early in the morning), you have 3 "best options" for 4GB of RAM I'll link you to below. It's all dependent on the future of your laptop... and why does it say "Maximum installable memory" is 2GB? Not at all familiar with that program, and the computer I'm on right now has a terrible monitor, so I can't make out all of it since this thing is a megablur.

Couple details on RAM:

1) especially when paired with Dual Core systems (but also with single core ones), it is always a good idea to have 2 RAM sticks instead of 1 if it's an option, and it's especially preferred to have 2 that are the same size. It's even a good idea to have them be the same brand to avoid hardware conflicts (I've installed crucial beside G. Skill and it didn't go over well. They didn't play nice-it was like having stepchildren move in.)

2) Should you upgrade to Vista (assuming you're using XP), you WILL see more than 3GB... with Service Pack 1, Vista will read 3.5-3.6gb of RAM depending on the BIOS, definitely worth getting 4 for.

3) Even with vista home edition, you can update to ultimate for $69.99 or maybe even less as a student, since they DO offer student discounts for people with enough initiative to inquire about it... and you may upgrade to a 64 bit system in the future, so why not plan ahead given everything else (including the very small diff in price!)

4) With 4GB (2GB sticks x 2) of RAM, you can choose to either have a faster speed (800mhz vs 667mhz) OR have a lower latency (CL 4 vs CL-5). I think on Crucial's site it has a good description, and I don't have time to explain much since this forum mate my post the first time around! Higher speed with higher latency in theory bumps up the benchmarks by a couple hundred points (out of thousands)... Lower speed (667) with lower (4) latency is what I'd recommend if you are going to be maxing out your RAM a lot. It takes MUCH tighter control in production to produce low-latency RAM, whereas making it faster... that's not that tough up to a certain point (one that hasn't yet been reached except on 4GB cards to total 8GB for some systems)... the CL4 RAM is considered by some to be more solid... what I've actually noticed on low-latency (regardless of speed) sticks is that they function the same even when they are being maxed out, whereas higher latency cards start to lag more. In that respect, because I myself max out 4GB of RAM with little effort, I'd feel more secure getting something at 667mhz with CL4 (as low as 2gig sticks currently go to my knowledge) over something at 800mhz with CL%. If you find you are not going past 3GB, the tiny boost of speed would likely benefit just as much as the lower latency... in any case, it should have a lifetime warranty. Not sure these do-check, though!

So here are 3 options, 2 G.Skill brand and 1 OCZ brand. I see OCZ being put in more systems, probably because it's not so expensive and is generally well-respected, but I've never personally used it. Still, it's so inexpensive with this rebate, and it has good reviews! The CL-4 G.Skill also has stellar views and performs as well as Kingston "hyper" memory... good stuff, and I KNOW that. Also, if you're not sure your system can benefit from/read the 800mhz (if it's gonna down-clock it to 667), get the CL-4 unless the $30 is a big incentive.

G.Skill at 800 with CAS Latency 5 ($85):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231156

G.Skill at 667mhz with CAS Latency 4 ($85):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231154

OCZ at 800 with CAS Latency 5 ($77-$25 mail in rebate=$52!):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227251

 

Wow thanks this really helped.

 

Just to let you know, Vista only "sees" the amount of RAM it does so that people don't freak out. ALL 32-bit operating systems can only about 3-3.5GB of your RAM since it needs to be addressed for every part of your computer. However, your computer will still use all that RAM, you just can't see it since it's behind the scenes.

Also, what I've noticed throughout my usage of RAM, there really is only a difference in speeds as long as the speed/latency ratio is better. For example, in my old laptop, I had 533MHz RAM running at 4-4-4-12 timings, then when I upgraded, it went to 667MHz w/ 5-5-5-15 timings. Now, the ratio I'm talking about is the memory speed went up by about 20%, but so did the latency, and because of this there was no real increase in speed.
This link shows better what I'm talking about: http://tinyurl.com/5md9an (take note of the rated settings in blue)