if i need more ram (for a laptop)do i have to replace it all together or can i add additional ram to supplement my existing ram?

It depends if you have more slots or not. What kind of laptop to do you have and what kind of RAM/how much do you have now?

the best way to check how much ram you can fit is to visit www.crucial.com, the have a great system to tell you how much ram your machine can take, will be able to tell you how many slots etc you have, and the bonus is they have great prices, got a 2 gig chip the other day for £37.00.

Hope this helps.

Ken.

some types of RAM need to be installed in pairs-you may want to investigate this further before making a single chip purchase. One easy way to tell is if you have two slots and both are filled-especially with smaller capacity RAM modules (e.g. 2×512MB=1GB total system memory).

sndfreQ I believe is talking about dual channel memory (the stuff that comes in pairs). For example if you get two 512 mb sticks that specifically say dual channel, it will be a bit faster than a single 1 Gb stick, as long as your computer recognizes dual channel. Usually the price isn’t much different for dual channel kits. If you have 2 already in your system, it does not necessarily mean it is dual channel. What you can do is download a freeware called cpu-z and it tells you what kind of memory you have, if it is running as dual channel, all its speeds, your cpu speed, and a bunch of other crucial information about your computer. Check it out.
Theres also a gpu-z if your interested in how your video card is running :)

A few things to keep in mind when purchasing. If you get the wrong kind (DDR2, DDR, etc) it won’t work. If you get some with a higher speed, it will work but it will be slowed down to work, which is fine. I strongly recommend dual channel if you can get it. Also, if you have 4 slots, you can have 2 running dual channel, and 2 not. This is the case with my laptop, cuz I kept the stock non-dual channel memory.

I’ve probably said way too much for a simple question. Oh well, sorry mate. Hope it helped

@8: great info!

ok i have a question similar to this topic: does it matter if I have two memory units of different speed on my dell laptop ?

If Your MOTHERBOARD supports 533Mhz,and You put a 800Mhz DDR (DIMM),it will work on 533Mhz speed.
Vista x64 supports up to 4GB RAM,and x32 up to 3GB!

@sndfreQ: Thanks!

@mirza: If the two units are at or above the speed that your motherboard supports, then you’ll be fine. I would suggest buying your memory from a place other than that sight because you can get some that is better quality that will still match your system for the same price or even bit lower price. I highly recommend www.newegg.com They have the greatest service and shipping times you can ask for.

newegg memory for you

I picked the kind you need (by the link you sent, I’m assuming you need 200-pin DDR2 PC2–4200), so just pick the memory size (512 mb, 1Gb, 2Gb, etc) you want on the left. I suggest brands like gskill, corsair, or kingston, and don’t forget to check the review ratings!