FW 4gb SODIMM does anyone have a cheap source?

I just bought a FW465j/h from Amazon and would like to upgrade it to 8g as I do software development and other geeky stuff.

(We can discuss the horrors of Sony drivers under x64 at another time.)

So far the only source I can find that definitely has 4gb sodimm that should work is Crucial, but they want like $229 for each 4gb sodimm.

If anyone has a better or preferably cheaper source, please post it.

Also, is the memory access just under that plate in the middle on the bottom of the Sony? No need for me to look yet, just curious.

 

http://www.crucial.com/index.aspx

 

$229? Consider yourself lucky.

Back around January when I received my FW290 with its 2gig config, I immediately bought a pair of 2gigs (cheaper to do it that way than what Sony CTO was offering). This got me to 4gigs total. Plenty for nearly ANY notebook user out there.

Speedy 2.8ghz Core2 Duo + Vista64 + 4gigs DDR2 SODIMM + HDV Editing = sucky experience. A simple single-track timeline playback buried the CPU & Memory guage into red with unuseable results. 1 video frame every 2 seconds.

The reluctant conclusion was more RAM.

No one was buying 4gig DDR2 SODIMMs and market prices showed it. By the time I was ready to buy, Newegg's then 2 listings for 800mhz PC2-6400 4GB SODIMMs dissappeared. Kingston and Crucial seemed to be the only two manufacturing this type. Kingston wanted $402 EACH. My only recourse was to try Crucial at $365.

$730 of RAM on top of a $1700ish config. Vaseline & latex glove, please. I knew pricing would eventually come down, but productivity couldn't be put on hold.

The silver lining was that HDV editing was instantly a workable thing with 8gigs packed into this rig. Memory guage hovered around 38%. Timeline playback with HD in PremierePro CS4 was as smooth as working standard-def on a lesser machine.

And yes, the middle vented hatch reveals the 2 SODIMM slots.

As of this post, NewEgg is listing four items. Use the sidebar filters to drill down to the right type. 200-pin DDR2 800 PC2-6400 4GB. Make sure you're avoiding the listing where it's a 4GB kit (2 x 2GB)

Having used my machine for the past 8 months daily, it's been running like a champ. No memory problems with the Crucial sticks.

 

Thanks, Carter. Looks so far like Crucial is still the only game in town when you examine the chip build, latency, etc. I definitely prefer running x64 (despite numerous issues) with 8 gigs.

Hopefully Patriot or one of the other OEM companies will come out with lower priced chips. Yes, I already know I need 2 4g chips and to avoid the 2x2g scenarios.

 

I have a VGN NS 305D/S with 2 gigs. If I swapped it all out with 4 or 8 gigs of 667, would I notice a difference from 800 of the same 4 or 8 gigs?

 

I found this Patriot Signature 8 GB (2 x 4GB) PC2-6400 DDR2-800 SoDIMM Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit - PSD28G800SK on Amazon for $360.

Got the delivery today, removed the one screw holding the memory plate on the bottom of the laptop, removed the battery, and replaced the 2 x 2GB SoDIMM with the 2 x 4GB.
Replaced the memory plate and the battery. Fired up the Sony, went to Computer (right click for Properties) and saw that the system now was recognizing the upgrade to 8GB of RAM.

NJROSSDAWG: If you are running a 32 bit version of Windows then even with 4 GB installed the system will only recognize 3 GB. If you have a 64 bit version of Windows a system can recognize the full 8GB. For me the upgrade was as a developer although other programs and the system can take advantage of the extra RAM.