Upgrading memory from 3GB to 6GB

Hi all, first post.

I play a load of online poker and I use several pieces of software including an SQL database to help my play but it's starting to struggle when I've a load of tables open and I'm hoping a memory upgrade will cure my problems.

Can I upgrade my memory from 3GB to 6GB? It came with 3GB which I'm assuming is a 2GB and 1GB, can I keep the 2GB and put in a 4GB with it to bring it up to 6GB? Can I mix and match memory? I could upgrade 2x 4GBs but that is twice the price and I think 6GB may be plenty for me. I've never upgraded memory before so any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Welcome the world's premier Notebook forum, it would help to know what OS you are running (and if it is 32 or 64 bit) and the make and model of your machine

 

Yes, this would help.

But to answer simply - you most likely can upgrade. Unless your machine is old and will not support anything past a particular memory cap, either due to hardware restriction or operating system restriction, then you shouldn't have any problem with said memory configuration. You might want to stick with the same manufacturer of memory modules though that currently resides in the memory slot.

Let us know some more information on your laptop, and I'm sure the community will be happy to offer advice!

 

Emachines G640
P320 AMD Athlon II X2
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250
3GB DDR3 Memory
64 Bit Windows 7 Home Premium oem version

I've upgraded my Hard Drive to a 64GB SSD Drive which gave me a speed improvement especially to the program that uses the SQL database.

Thanks for the speedy response BTW.

 

It looks like this system will support up to 8 GB. With Windows 64 bit, you could go even higher, but there are often limitations set in place from the system manufacturer.

So you shouldn't have any problems upgrading to 6 GB! Just ensure compatibility between memory manufacturer and system board manufacturer (again, I advise using the same RAM manufacturer as what is installed, unless you replace all the modules with known compatible, working modules).

 

Thanks, I've been on the Crucial site and knew about the 8GB upgrade. I was just unsure if I could add a 4GB stick to the 2GB I have in the machine and if I could mix and match the memory. The programs I use are very labour intensive and I know it will help but 4GB is half the price of 8GB. I know it's not a great price difference but I don't want to overkill with memory if the CPU ends up the bottleneck. I'd also rather buy a new machine in a couple of months so I don't want to throw money away.

 

I opened up my machine and as I thought had a 2GB and 1GB in it but these numbers mean nothing to me:

ELPIDA 2GB 2Rx8 PC3-8500s-7-10-F1

 

That's just a description of your ram type (in this case: SO-DIMM DDR3 RAM).

I would recommend you go for 8GB (2 x 4GB sticks) and ensure both sticks have a low CAS (timings) and relatively high speed... but seeing how you mentioned that it raises the price tag by double (which is odd - where are you looking to get the RAM in question?), you can mix different RAM sticks, though it is preferable you stick with same manufacturer, MhZ speed and CAS to avoid potential compatibility issues.

I think the PC3-8500 means you have a 1066MhZ RAM stick and CL7 (in regards to timings)
If this is the case, then just make sure to get 1 x 4GB 1066MhZ RAM stick of similar timings.
You can check further details on your RAM using CPU-Z for precision.
You could post the screenshot of CPU-Z here and others could help you analyze it.

 

I already own 2GB of RAM that's already installed in my machine. I can dump the 1GB stick and replace it with a single 4GB rather than buying 2x 4GB sticks which doubles the price. I don't want to spend more than I need TBH.

**Edit** 3GB is showing now, I mustn't have put it back in properly earlier.



I just notice that CPU-Z is showing as 2GB, that could have been because I was examining the RAM earlier or maybe it could be corrupt? I'll do a restart and reinstall the 1GB module again.

Many thanks I'm getting to grips with it now and I'm certain extra RAM will cure my problem.

 

Actually with 3GB as dual chanel you are running Asynch where as with 2x2GB or 2x4GB it should run dual channel in tru Synch mode. If you truly are having memory limitations you want to be in Synch mode...............

 

Don't worry about what anyone is saying. Buy any 4GB stick of 1066 or 1333 memory and you are good to go.

 

Thanks for all replies guys,

I opted for 1 x 4GB stick of the type that Crucial recommended to give me 6GB and if I have any problems then I can simply order another 1 of the same brand and have 8GB.

 

Thanks for everyone's help, 4GB arrived today and it's made a massive difference, it's like having a new machine.

 

Glad it's resolved, if you use the RAM in a very dynamic fashion, you might want to eventually consider another 4GB stick, dual vs single channel does make a difference, albeit not that large.

 

4GB + 2GB will still work like dual channel, with only a minor hit to performance.