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    Memory upgrade for T43

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by g.p, Apr 22, 2005.

  1. g.p

    g.p Newbie

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    I've read that if you're running XP, there is a significant performance increase if you have 768MB of RAM or more. The argument, if I recall, is that you would load the entire operating system into RAM. Is this true? I have three more questions:

    1. Has anyone plotted RAM config vs performance (by notebook model)?

    2. Does anyone have thoughts about or experiences with upgrading a T43 from 512MB to 1GIG or 1.5GIG?

    3. I was warned about the dangers of mixing and matching RAM. I'm not sure whether this just means specs (which to me is obvious), or whether there's something more to it. Any suggestions about specific RAM sticks that are compatible with RAM used by IBM and how much I should be paying (I think Kingston has a sale on)?

    Thanks.
     
    g.p, Apr 22, 2005
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  2. Brian

    Brian Working at 486 Speed NBR Reviewer

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    XP is a resource hog and really needs 512MB to operate well. I'd upgrade to a faster HDD before adding more memory though. As for mixing and matching, if they're the same speed it won't matter.

    Brian

    www.BargainPDA.com | www.DigitalCameraReview.com | www.NotebookReview.com | www.SpotStop.com | www.TabletPCReviewSpot.com
     
    Brian, Apr 23, 2005
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  3. ricola_pak

    ricola_pak Notebook Guru

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    I got my T42 which only has 256MB RAM, so I went out a couple of days ago and got 512MB of additional RAM.

    I cannot comment on the performance yet because my laptop has yet to arrive [ :D]

    But I would say for my desktop, which has a Athlon 1700+, turning it from being a 256MB RAM machine to 512MB RAM machine really enhanced normal windows XP usage. I play a really memory-demanding game called Champions Manager 03/04 (soccer manager), and it really helped.


    Where can I look into for info about modding the harddrive? My T42 comes with a 40GB 5200RPM harddrive, should that be good enough?
     
    ricola_pak, Apr 23, 2005
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  4. Henry Su

    Henry Su Notebook Consultant

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    I've heard somewhere that you need to double the memory to actually see noticeable changes. Also, I saw a graph that is non-linear, meaning the greatest benefits are seen when you upgrade from 256 to 512 MB, compared to upgrading from 512 MB to 1GB, etc.
     
    Henry Su, Jul 2, 2005
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  5. luxuguy

    luxuguy Notebook Guru

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    from 256 to 512, you will see dramatical change in speed/performance ... but unless you have high demand softwares ( like photoshop, games, ...), upgrading from 512 to 1024 won't improve the speed much ...
     
    luxuguy, Jul 6, 2005
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  6. nmzak

    nmzak Notebook Enthusiast

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    My son has a t42 with 256 mb of ram and recently got a 512 mb module from newegg at a good price (total of 768). He notices a big difference especially when playing half life 2 on it.

    I upgraded from a 512 mb to 1 gb and also notice a difference at how smooth half-life 2 plays. Other than that, the difference isn't huge on my T42 (2379 DXU).
     
    nmzak, Jul 10, 2005
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