upgrading memory on acer aspire 5103wlmi....help please!!

pogsick

hey i have an acer aspire 5103wlmi, it has 2gb memory but can support 4gb(which i want to get)
how do i go about buying and installing said memory it says in the settings that the type supported is ddr2 but all i can find is ddr2 sdram(are they the same thing) i'd appreciate any help ye guys n girls can give me

Solitaire

You're looking for DDR2 SO-DIMMs. And the TL-52 CPU can only support memory speeds up to 667MHz (PC2-5300)

Are both slots filled already? If they are almost any old 2x2GB DDR2 SODIMM kit (like this) will do. If you only have one 2GB module then it may be cheaper to get a single 2GB module to add to it, but you would have to try to get a matching module for the one you already have installed, and AFAIK that model can come with either AData or Transcend modules, so it could wind up messy.

pogsick

it has 2 1gb 1's do i lose anything i have stored when i change them?

Solitaire

it has 2 1gb 1's

Then you'll need a 2x2GB kit (not PC6400/800MHz)

do i lose anything i have stored when i change them?

Not unless you try to swap them out with the laptop still running And you really, really wouldn't want to try that :eek::p You lose everything stored in RAM every time the machine is turned off, that's why you have to do that "Shut Down" thing to turn your PC off without making a mess (Windows sorts out its affairs before the lights go out)

pogsick

how do i know what's stored in ram?

helios12

All files that you have on your HD are secure, removing the ram wont effect that...using windows might;)

Solitaire

Don't worry about that at all. All your saved stuff, installed programs, Windows etc. are all stored long-term on your Hard Disk Drive. RAM is only used to temporarily load the stuff you're currently working on as its much faster than your hard drive. More RAM means you can mess around with more stuff at the same time faster as you don't need to send stuff back and forth from the hard drive quite as much. While slow, your HDD can store a lot more stuff and doesn't lose it when the power is turned off, so when shutting down the RAM loses its information but all the stored copies are still on the hard drive

pogsick

will the suggestion that solitaire made be a good choice??

helios12

pogsick wrote: »

will the suggestion that solitaire made be a good choice??

It will indeed, if your in doubt, use one of the ram buying guides most sites have ( elara.ie, komplette.ie) or bring your laptop to somewhere on the high street but its usually cheaper for this stuff online.

pogsick

any1 know a good site that gives instructions on how to install it ?

Adder1

pogsick wrote: »

will the suggestion that solitaire made be a good choice??

yes but never simply turn you computer off directly always use the shutdown button on the start menu as windows could be in the process of writing or changing data and if you simply switch off the power it could lose this data before it has time to save it to the hard drive and this data could be vital system data that your system needs to run properly

helios12

pogsick wrote: »

any1 know a good site that gives instructions on how to install it ?

installing RAM is easy as pie, it usually involves, opening a section on the bottom of your laptop, pop out the ram thats in there and pop in the ram you bought. If your really worried do a couple of searches on youtube to get an idea.

pogsick

tyvm all i really appreciate all your help