laptop ram

[keef247]

ok so i'm thinking of getting a custom dell vostro...
thing is its such a rip off to get a ram upgrade when i could do it myself...
for example 4gb is 130quid extra wtf when you could buy decent stuff for say 50-70...
so what i wanna know is say i go for 1gb and save my cash could i go buy pc2 5300 667mhz ddr2 ram for it and put it in there... i was thinking of going for the 2x2gb corsair value select...
as the lappy says it takes "1024MB (2x512) 667MHz DDR2 Dual Channel [Included in Price]" for example.
if so this would be great to built a sick spec lappy on a budget
thanks

[staffsMike]

yeah I try and spec the lowest RAM and HDD where it saves money. That way you have spares just in case anything goes wrong and save a fair chunk of change

Didn't have to on my current dell though as I got a huge discount

[keef247]

so i definitely can upgrade the ram with pc ram of the same value? or what do i get?
ebay links?

[TheReaFireblade]

so i definitely can upgrade the ram with pc ram of the same value? or what do i get?

DON'T pay for a RAM upgrade from Dell themselves mate
I bought a 17" XPS M1730 laptop recently (mid-April), and they wanted an extra £70 to upgrade it from 2GB - 4GB.
I stuck with the 2GB, and bought myself 4GB (2x 2GB) Patriot Signature PC-5300 SODIMM for £65 (delivered).
I've subsequently got that 4GB installed... plus I've got the original 2GB (2x 1GB) which came with the laptop... all for less than Dell wanted for an additional 2GB


I don't know what speed RAM the Vostro supports, but you'd be safe enough getting PC-6400 (800MHz) I reckon?
Being a desktop... it should do? But if the motherboard doesn't support PC-6400/800MHz, it'll run the RAM at PC-5300 speed (667MHz).
The cost difference between PC6400 and PC-5300 will be negligable, so you're as well to get the faster RAM

As for what make/model: Get as good as you can afford really? It's as cheap as chips just now, and there are some stonking deals on 4GB dual channel kits doing the rounds just now
Patriot, G.Skill, Corsair, OCZ, Geil etc are all decent manufacturers.

Scan don't offer much choice (manufacturer wise) in PC-6400, unfortunately... but this 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2 is good stuff - and costs just £46.44 / £54.57


[edit] On re-reading your first post quickly - and indeed the thread title (duh!!), I now realise the Vistro is a laptop - so ignore all the above
If you want to - PM me, and I'll point you in the direction of the 4GB Patriot Signature I bought... else just browse Scan's 'Memory' section for 4GB SODIMM kits [/edit]

[Infinite]

isnt laptop ram different type and size to normal ddr2 desktop ram?

[Infinite]

This stuff I think;

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=767637

tell me if i am wrong.

[s_kinton]

Scan don't offer much choice (manufacturer wise) in PC-6400, unfortunately... but this 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2 is good stuff - and costs just £46.44 / £54.57

isnt laptop ram different type and size to normal ddr2 desktop ram?

Infinite is right, the RAM that TheReaFireblade linked to is desktop RAM. You'll need SODIMM for your laptop.

This stuff from scan would be ideal (and my preferred choice), although play.com often have some good deals on RAM:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=767637
http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/343633...searchsource=0

[pands@scan]

U need SODIMM, but be careful cos dells are picky with memory that likes to work with laptops.

EDIT : Dual post The above link should work fine

[staffsMike]

I normally buy crucial tbh, good reliable stuff at good prices

[keef247]

cheers guys