Will Upgrading My Ram Increase The Speed On My Old Computer?

Auron · 06-28-2007, 01:11 AM

Hi guys. I'm thinking about getting my computer's RAM upgraded(soon!), because it is a fairly old laptop with only 512MB of RAM(Yeah, yeah, I hear you guys laughing...). I play demanding games, I run intensive graphics applications, and I like to multitask. My computer is quite slow at the moment; it freezes for about 5-10 minutes when it starts up, and multitasking makes it really slow. You know how when you click on an icon, it indents for a moment, and then pops back out, launching whatever program? Well, on my laptop, I push the button and it indents for about 2 seconds. I've eliminated all unwanted programs from my hard drive and startup, and it's still too slow for my liking. I am not running Norton products.(Only talk to me about hardware, please)

However, the basis on which my question rests is that the processor is also old; it is a Pentium M @ 1.6 GHz. I have a 80 GB hard drive.

What I need to know is if upgrading my RAM is going to have any positive effects whatsoever in terms of speed, I mean, does processor speed and power limit computer speed? Will upgrading my RAM have ANY effect at all, since its still the same processor?

I found compatible RAM for my computer if I do choose to purchase it, and my laptop's maximum RAM is 2 GB.

I need to know if I should upgrade at all, upgrade to 1 GB, or upgrade to 2 GB. Is it worth it? What is it like to have 1 or 2 GB of RAM?

My laptop is a Toshiba M30. It uses PC2700 SODIMM RAM. Can I actually use PC3200?

TheMajor · 06-28-2007, 01:20 AM

I'd say it's worth it, 1GB.
You will notice some improvement.

ComputerGuru64x2 · 06-28-2007, 02:38 AM

Upgrading to 1GB you might see a slight or moderate change. At 2GB you will improve your overall speed by alot. If you want to run intesive graphics applications you will need to upgrade your video... Which is hard to do on a laptop. RAM will make your computer run faster. But I reccomend working on a desktop when running a large graphics application such as 3D Gaming or Rendering because you will need a good graphics card to see improved performance on visual effects or FPS. If anything you would be better buying a Dual Core computer because you specified multi-tasking. Try Intel Core Duo 2 or AMD Athlon 64 X2. Or if you would like to stay mobile get AMD Turion 64 X2. Or get The Centrino Duo 2. If you want to stick with your old computer than the RAM will help with 5-10 minute delay and the delay on double clicking programs. But as far as Graphics program, it wasn't meant to withstand 3D Gaming.

TheMajor · 06-28-2007, 10:04 AM

Going from 512 to 1024 will probably be a larger difference than going from 1024 to 2048.

justinups · 06-29-2007, 10:32 AM

you only need so much ram because once you hit that point you dont need any more unless you edit a lot then i woudld just go with the 1 gig.

Kornowski · 06-29-2007, 11:48 AM

I noticed a difference when I went from 1GB to 2GB of RAM, everything loaded faster, windows, games and applications.

TheMajor · 06-29-2007, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kornowski

I noticed a difference when I went from 1GB to 2GB of RAM, everything loaded faster, windows, games and applications.

But the difference is not as big as the difference between 512 and 1024.

Kornowski · 06-29-2007, 11:58 AM

No, it isn't, but you still notice it, so imagine the difference from 512MB to 2GB!

06-28-2007, 01:11 AM	#1 (permalink)
Auron New Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1	Will Upgrading My Ram Increase The Speed On My Old Computer? Hi guys. I'm thinking about getting my computer's RAM upgraded(soon!), because it is a fairly old laptop with only 512MB of RAM(Yeah, yeah, I hear you guys laughing...). I play demanding games, I run intensive graphics applications, and I like to multitask. My computer is quite slow at the moment; it freezes for about 5-10 minutes when it starts up, and multitasking makes it really slow. You know how when you click on an icon, it indents for a moment, and then pops back out, launching whatever program? Well, on my laptop, I push the button and it indents for about 2 seconds. I've eliminated all unwanted programs from my hard drive and startup, and it's still too slow for my liking. I am not running Norton products.(Only talk to me about hardware, please) However, the basis on which my question rests is that the processor is also old; it is a Pentium M @ 1.6 GHz. I have a 80 GB hard drive. What I need to know is if upgrading my RAM is going to have any positive effects whatsoever in terms of speed, I mean, does processor speed and power limit computer speed? Will upgrading my RAM have ANY effect at all, since its still the same processor? I found compatible RAM for my computer if I do choose to purchase it, and my laptop's maximum RAM is 2 GB. I need to know if I should upgrade at all, upgrade to 1 GB, or upgrade to 2 GB. Is it worth it? What is it like to have 1 or 2 GB of RAM? My laptop is a Toshiba M30. It uses PC2700 SODIMM RAM. Can I actually use PC3200?

06-28-2007, 01:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
TheMajor Silver Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: The Netherlands Age: 22 Posts: 187	I'd say it's worth it, 1GB. You will notice some improvement. __________________ My profile

06-28-2007, 02:38 AM	#3 (permalink)
ComputerGuru64x2 Gold Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 431	Upgrading to 1GB you might see a slight or moderate change. At 2GB you will improve your overall speed by alot. If you want to run intesive graphics applications you will need to upgrade your video... Which is hard to do on a laptop. RAM will make your computer run faster. But I reccomend working on a desktop when running a large graphics application such as 3D Gaming or Rendering because you will need a good graphics card to see improved performance on visual effects or FPS. If anything you would be better buying a Dual Core computer because you specified multi-tasking. Try Intel Core Duo 2 or AMD Athlon 64 X2. Or if you would like to stay mobile get AMD Turion 64 X2. Or get The Centrino Duo 2. If you want to stick with your old computer than the RAM will help with 5-10 minute delay and the delay on double clicking programs. But as far as Graphics program, it wasn't meant to withstand 3D Gaming. __________________ Gaming System/Media Center CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Windsor @ 2.2Ghz Socket AM2 MB: Abit AN-M2HD nVidia GeForce 7050PV nForce 630a HDMI mATX RAM: 2Gb(2 X 1Gb) OCZ Platinum Revivsion 2 PC2 6400 @ DDR2 880 (3-4-4-15) HDD: Western Digital Caviar 80Gb 7200RPM IDE GPU: MSI GeForce 8600GT 256Mb DDR3 128bit OD: LG DVD-RAM Black Sata Case: nMEDIAPC HTPC 200BA Black Speakers: Logitech X-240 2.1

06-28-2007, 10:04 AM	#4 (permalink)
TheMajor Silver Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: The Netherlands Age: 22 Posts: 187	Going from 512 to 1024 will probably be a larger difference than going from 1024 to 2048. __________________ My profile

06-29-2007, 10:32 AM	#5 (permalink)
justinups Bronze Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 54	you only need so much ram because once you hit that point you dont need any more unless you edit a lot then i woudld just go with the 1 gig. __________________ Microsoft Windows XP Professional AuthenticAMD ~2165 Mhz Total Physical Memory 1,024.00 MB gforce 4 1 gig ddr 333 mhz ram 260 gig segate hdd

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