XL301 - adding more RAM

[Lar77]

I'm about to swap out the video card on my XL301 http://club.vaio.sony.co.uk/clubvaio/GB/en/forum/viewthread?thread=55880 , so while the PC is open I'm going to add a gig of RAM so it's up to the maximum of 3gigs. Is there an empty slot in the PC for another Gig or do I have to remove an existing one and add a 2gig module? Will any RAM work or should I be getting a specific type?

I'm sure this is all answered in the manual but I can't find it right now.

Thanks for your help.

[Blencogo]

You will have four memory slots and two will be empty. You will have 2 X 1024MB sticks installed in slots 1 and 3.

You need a 1GB, 240-pin DIMM, DDR2 PC2-5300 Non-EEC memory module. Most of us here get memory from Crucial.com. It will cost £14.68 for 1GB. They guarantee compatibility and plenty of us can recommend them. Have a look here: -

CRUCIAL.COM PC2-5300

You have to remove the Graphics Card to put new memory in - have a look at the guide here: -

http://support.vaio.sony.co.uk/tutorials/memory/memory.asp?m=2562&site=voe_en_GB_cons

[Lar77]

Thanks for the info Blencogo.

After reading the guide it sounds like I would have to add 2 memory modules as the guide says you have to add them in pairs Could I add two 500mb modules or do they have to be 1gig modules since the ones currently in there are 1 gig, i.e. do they all have to match? Is there any benifit in adding two extra 2gig modules since apparently the system is only able to use 3gigs.

[Blencogo]

Hi Lar77,

The specifications say you have 4 slots in 4 banks of 1. This means that you should be able to insert modules one at a time and not necessarily in pairs.

However, most memory modules work better in identical pairs because of the dual-channel effect and your model supports dual-channel.

I believe most users with your model would increase the memory to 4GB (4 X 1GB) for two reasons: -

1. Increased performance from the dual-channel memory effect.
2. Vista will be able to use more memory in the future.

[Lar77]

Thanks for the advice, going to order 2 gigs now