Last Updated on Jun 11, 2011
Netbooks are designed to be a more portable and affordable alternative to regular sized notebooks, but that portability and affordability comes at a heavy cost in terms of performance. Coupled with Microsoft’s licensing requirement that netbooks installed with Windows 7 Starter or Windows XP Home editions should not ship with more than 1 GB of RAM limits the overall performance of netbooks in a variety of different tasks.
Note: Microsoft now allows machines with Atom N470/N475/N550 processors to be pre-installed with Windows 7 Home Premium without limiting to 1GM of RAM.
Upgrading the RAM in your netbook can be one of the easiest, cheapest and most effective performance boost you can give, allowing you to run the operating system better along with more applications at once. For less than $50 , you can buy a 2GB DDR2 SODIMM to replace the 1GB in your netbook — most have a single SODIMM slot, so you can’t just add another 1GB, and the basic Atom N270/N280/N450/N455 platform is limited to 2GB of RAM.
While it’s a relatively painless process to upgrade the RAM in most netbooks, it can be hard to figure out what type of RAM you need without first opening your netbook case and looking inside. As a guide new netbooks with the Atom N450 and N280 processors have a 667MHz front-side bus while the older netbooks with the N270 processor have a 533MHz FSB. Newer netbooks with Atom N455/475/550 processors have 1066MHz FSB if it is paired with DDR 3 memory.
Plugging a higher FSB memory module into a lower FSB machine will underclock it. For exampe, plugging a RAM with 667MHz FSB into an atom N270 netbook will underclock the RAM to 533MHz.
Lucky for you major memory module makers such as Crucial, Kingston, OCZ, Corsair, PNY Optima, Transcend and KomputerBay make memory modules that will fit just fine in just about any brand or model out there.
Click Here to View Crucial Memory Modules
Click Here to View Kingston Memory Modules
Click Here to View PNY Optima Memory Modules
Click Here to View Corsair Memory Modules
Click Here to View Transcend Memory Modules
Click Here to View OCZ Memory Modules
Click Here to View KomputerBay Memory Modules
Consult the netbook’s manual to find out how much RAM it can support, the type of RAM it takes, and the number of slots or banks it has. There are many different types of memory, so be careful to note the exact type you need and cross reference this information if it isn’t coming directly from the manual.
The slots or banks are where you will install your new netbook RAM, but you might have to remove memory already present, so don’t count on being able to add to the RAM already there.
Ten Step Outline to Upgrade RAM
For this article, I’ve chosen to upgrade my Samsung NC10 netbook RAM from 1GB to 2GB.
While opening up a netbook to access and exchange parts might seem scary or even daunting, it’s really not that difficult. These days, most manufacturers design their netbook to make certain parts easily accessible for upgrade or repair. A point of caution though. Memory module chips can be damaged by static charge, so before installing or handling your new netbook RAM, ground yourself or wear a grounding wrist strap. Be careful to handle the sticks by their edges, without touching the gold pins at the bottom.
Pre-check
- Ships with 1GB of RAM in a single slot.
- Upgrading to 2GB means replacing the original 1GB piece with a new 2GB piece.
- RAM Type = 2GB 667 DDR2 200-Pin SODIMM
Tools Needed
- Small Philips screwdriver
- Crucial 2GB 667 DDR2 200-Pin SODIMM memory module
- Netbook Manual
- A little manual dexterity
The Ten Steps
- Turn the netbook off, unplug the AC adapter and remove the battery. Discharge residual power by pressing the power button.
- Discharge your static electricity built up in your body. The best way to do this is to grab onto something made of metal (kitchen sink, filing cabinet, etc.)
- Turn over the netbook. Carefully unscrew the screw from the memory cover. Ensure that it is fully removed.
- Pop the memory cover up and press down on the retaining clips on either side of the memory module to release it.
- Remove the module from the slot.
- Take the new memory module out of its anti-static bag. Be careful to handle the sticks by their edges, without touching the gold pins at the bottom.
- SODIMMs have a cutout along the gold pins which will only allow the module to be inserted one way. Ensure that the groove in the chip matches the groove in the slot. If the groove doesn’t line up right away, flip your module around and try it the other way.
- Insert the module at a 30 to 45 degree angle and push the module firmly but gently into the slot until the security latches on the sockets have locked into place on each side of the module. You should feel a firm “snap” or “pop” when the new module goes in.
- Boot the netbook and the memory should automatically be recognized if you are running Windows 7 or Windows XP Home!
- Once the computer is booted up, hit the Win + Pause keys to bring up the system properties box and check to make sure that the new memory is recognized. If it does then you’re OK, if not you will need to re-boot while hitting F8 repeatedly to bring up the bios, then select the new RAM from the menu to make the computer recognize it.
Where to Buy Memory Modules
The best deal is over at Amazon without a doubt because they sell most of the memory modules lower than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, which is very rare for stores to do. And you get free shipping. Saving you 20 or more percent.
Popular DDR3 SODIMM Memory Module : 2GB PC3-5800 1066MHz 204-pin
Crucial 2GB PC3-5800 1066MHz 204-pin DDR3 SODIMM Memory Module (CT25664BC1067)
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Kingston 2GB PC3-5800 1066MHz 204-pin DDR3 SODIMM Memory Module ValueRAM (KVR1066D3S7/2G)
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Corsair 2GB PC3-5800 1066MHz 204-pin DDR3 SODIMM Memory Module (CM3X2GSD1066)
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PNY Optima 2GB PC3-5800 1066MHz 204-pin DDR3 SODIMM Memory Module (MN2048SD3-1066)
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Popular DDR2 SODIMM Memory Module: 2GB PC2-6400 800MHz 200-pin
Crucial 2GB PC2-6400 800MHz 200-pin DDR2 SODIMM Notebook Memory (CT25664AC800)
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Kingston 2GB PC2-6400 800MHz 200-pin DDR2 SODIMM Notebook Memory (KVR800D2S5/2G)
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Corsair 2GB PC2-6400 800MHz 200-pin DDR2 SODIMM Notebook Memory (VS2GSDS800D2)
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Popular DDR2 SODIMM Memory Module: 2GB PC2-5300 667MHz 200-pin
Crucial 2GB PC2-5300 667MHz 200-pin DDR2 SODIMM Notebook Memory (CT25664AC667)
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Corsair 2GB PC2-5300 667MHz 200-pin DDR2 SODIMM Notebook Memory Module(VS2GSDS667D2)
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Kingston 2GB PC2-5300 667MHz 200-pin DDR2 SODIMM Notebook Memory Module (KVR667D2SO/2GR)
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