can u put uneven RAM in a laptop?

jordan_ellipsis

jordan_ellipsis

New Member
I want to buy my girlfriend some memory for her laptop, for her birthday. Her laptop currently has one 256Mb module, it has 2 sockets, 2 banks (whats the difference between sockets and banks?) and max RAM of 2Gb.

I was going to buy a 512Mb module to stick in the other socket/bank, meaning total memory would be 768Mb. Would this work? or do the two socket/banks need to have equal amounts of memory in them?

Thanks.
 
You don't have to match sizes. If the laptop is capable of dual channel you may want to match them though.
 
LoL, i never heard of giving RAM for a girlfriends bday LOL! Try giving her some chocolates or something...

But no, you dont have to match them.
 
Haha, i know its an odd present, im getting her other stuff dont worry. Just she's been moaning about her laptop being slow and she needs it loads - med student. Anyway, thanks for your help, il order that up :D
 
Argh! I checked that her type of laptop (Toshiba Portege A200) comes with 256Mb of RAM, and yesterday i opened it up to see how easy it is to add memory. Upon appearing the memory slots, i saw the first had a samsung 256Mb chip in it - ok - but to my surprise, and frustration, there was another memory chip in the second slot! It didnt say how much or what type, but when i turned the computer on and checked the system specs, sure enough it said 486ishMb of RAM :mad: Therefore a swapping one of those chips for a 512Mb one wouldnt make much difference.

I dont know where that other chip came from, but when i checked the toshiba specs again, it says

Total Memory Slots : 2 (1 Slot for Secure Digital Card (SD)

What is a secure digital card, and could the other chip be one of these? If so, is it needed?
 
secure digital card is a type of media for mass storage. for example, many digital cameras use secure digital (SD) cards to store the photographs on.

EDIT: Btw, you said her laptop currently has 486mb of ram, with a 256mb card in there that we know about. well, simple subtraction says that 486-256=230mb, so she obviously has 256mb and a 230mb cards in her computer.

If you were to switch out the 230mb card for a 512mb one, it would bring her up to 768mb, a 282mb increase.
 
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Yeah i saw that but can you get such a thing as a 230Mb card?

I just don't want to pay for a 512Mb card, and only get a 282Mb increase, it wont be as noticable.
 
i have looked at the spec of the toshiba a200...it has a integrated intel extreme graphic controller...it only shares "up to 64mb ram"....so the missing ram should have gone "somewhere"

have you tried to just stick one 512mb ram to your toshiba laptop and see how much ram it has?

i have a nec laptop with 512mb ram and using the same intel graphic controller....it shows my laptop has 504mb ram (8mb go to the integrated graphic)
p.s. it is 8mb used not 64mb because it is shared "up to 64mb maximum"
 
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