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

A

Auron

New Member
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?
 
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.
 
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.
 
I noticed a difference when I went from 1GB to 2GB of RAM, everything loaded faster, windows, games and applications.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top