Upgrading my RAM: What should I buy?

I'm looking to pick up some new RAM—thinking 4GB—since I'm currently stuck with just 1GB on my machine.
I'm wondering how the whole buying process works... are there specific requirements I need to worry about? I'd hate to drop money on a stick of RAM only to find out it won't even work in my rig. If anyone could point me in the right direction or give me some solid recommendations on what to grab, I'd really appreciate it.

What motherboard are you running, specifically which brand and model? You can probably grab that info using something like Speccy or HWMonitor

The motherboard is an Intel motherboard

This is what it says regarding your motherboard's RAM specs:
2 x DIMM, Max. 4 GB, DDR2 1066(O.C.)/800/667 Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory

So, you have two DDR2 slots with a maximum capacity of 4GB. I guess I'm not exactly an expert on this stuff, so it might be best to wait for someone else to double-check this for you. But if you just want my take on it, you should probably look for:
a single 4GB DDR2 stick (it's crucial to get the right DDR type, otherwise it won't work), up to 1066MHz,
or maybe two 2GB DDR2 sticks, again, nothing higher than 1066MHz.

Whenever you're shopping for memory, you really have to pay attention to the DDR type and the MHz rating.
But again, I'd suggest waiting a bit longer until someone else confirms exactly what you need; I could easily be mistaken about something here.

Yeah, I get it—you’ve gotta watch your step and be careful which lane you pick... but I think I'll just sit tight and wait to see what anyone else has to say first.

Since it specifies dual Channel DDR2 1066, you have two slots, each supporting up to 4 GB. That means 2x 4 GB equals 8 GB total. If you decide to go with 4 GB of RAM, make sure to buy a 4 GB 1066 MHz stick that is specifically DDR2. Tell them you'll need a receipt so you can return it if it doesn't work...

You're capped at 4GB max. Just grab two 2GB sticks; honestly, I guess speed doesn't really matter here, so maybe just go with whatever's cheapest.

Scott Rodriguez65 said:It specifically says dual Channel DDR2 1066, which means you've got two slots and each one tops out at 4 GB. So, 2x 4 GB gives you 8 GB total. If you're looking to grab 4 GB of RAM, just pick up a 4 GB 1066 MHz stick, make sure it's DDR2, and tell them you want a receipt so you can return it if it doesn't work.

That wouldn't work...

darkowl72 said:wouldn't work...

I love these idiots who won't actually read anything, they just talk nonsense.😬

Alexander Moore67 said:http://www.newegg.com/p/details/memory...m4gddr28k/3469

Great... I've been scouring the web and there are tons of options out there—so I'll have to see which one actually makes sense for me—but thanks anyway for all the advice.
Anyway, once I finally slap 4 GB of RAM in here, am I actually going to feel a difference in speed? Like, how's the machine actually gonna behave? 😁

David White8 said:That's great... I looked online and there are plenty of options, so I'll see which one I pick, but thanks everyone for the advice.
But, once I install 4 GB of RAM, will I actually notice a speed difference and how will the computer behave? 😁

You have to keep in mind that Windows XP (if that's what you're running) won't recognize more than about 3 GB and a little extra. I believe Vista and Windows 7 should be able to handle all 4 GB, but since I'm on Windows XP, that's all I can say for certain.

I was running 2 GB of RAM, and just last week I ordered another 2 GB, but Windows XP only sees 3.12 GB. So right now, I really only have 1 GB more than I did before. Still, I can tell there's a difference. Folders and things like that open up slightly faster—it's not a massive change—but I often leave my computer running overnight, so when I sat down to use it in the morning, everything would feel sluggish. Now, with that extra 1 GB, it's... much less sluggish. It isn't amazing right after a boot-up, but I'm not waiting 2 or 3 minutes for Adobe to launch anymore; it's just a minute :P I noticed a difference going from 2 GB to 3 GB, so I'm pretty sure the jump from 1 GB to 4 GB will be obvious to you too.

wanderingotter98 said:Look, you've gotta realize that if you're still running Windows XP—and hey, no judgment, we've all been there—it isn't going to recognize more than about 3GB and some change. I'm pretty sure Vista and Windows 7 should be able to handle the full 4GB without breaking a sweat, but since I'm still stuck on Windows XP myself... well, that's really all I can tell you for certain...

So, I was running on 2GB of RAM—ordered another 2GB about a week ago—but Windows XP is only recognizing 3.12GB total. Which means I’ve really only gained about 1GB over what I had before... not exactly the massive jump I was hoping for. Still, I can definitely feel a difference. Opening folders and stuff feels slightly snappier, which isn't a huge deal, but I tend to leave my PC running overnight... and usually, when I sit back down in the morning, everything is painfully sluggish. Now, with that extra 1GB, it's... well, it's a lot less sluggish. It’s not like it's lightning fast right after a cold boot, but at least I’m not waiting two or three minutes just to get Adobe up and running—it's down to about a minute now :P. Since I can notice the difference between 2GB and 3GB, I'm pretty sure you'll see a clear jump once you go from 1GB to 4GB.

Yeah, my computer can be a total drag sometimes—but hey, maybe adding some new RAM will finally stop it from crawling... hopefully...
I've got Windows 7... so that should hopefully work... maybe. 😁

🙂 one expert is taking on another one 😬

With 4GB, you're going to see speeds about four times faster.

Don't get ahead of yourself; it probably won't be exactly 4X faster, but I guess it'll still be a massive improvement over what we had before.

Alright, I stumbled upon this:
http://www.amazon.com/dual-channel-ddr2-1066-ram...800mhz__356201
Should I pull the trigger on this?

One more thing 😁—any suggestions for a decent webcam that won't break the bank, maybe under 100-$50
...

It’s way too much $133 to drop on DDR2 when you can grab newer DDR3 $50—honestly, just save your cash and pick up some used DDR2 instead. As for whether it'll actually speed things up, that really depends on your whole setup... but once you get that RAM installed, definitely go with 64-bit Windows.

Here's a camera recommendation ()

graniteharbor85 said:It’s honestly a waste of $133 money to pay full price for DDR2 when DDR3 is $50 out there; just grab some used DDR2 sticks and save your cash. As for whether it actually speeds up your PC, that really depends on your whole setup, but once you get the RAM, make sure you install a 64-bit version of Windows.

Camera recommendation ()

Just find him some cheap, used 2x2 GB DDR2 modules instead.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ram-memory-listing-example

It’s honestly such a struggle to find 🙂