Laptop RAM

[kevomate66]

Hi all,

I currently have a Toshiba Satellite running Ubuntu 9.04.

It is slightly slow. I have a 2GHZ Centrino Duo and 2 GB RAM at 667MHZ.

Will it make much difference if I replace the ram with 4GB at 800MHZ (understanding the RAM usage limitiations of my 32 bit OS)..


Thankyou

[keezel]

If it came stock with 667MHz you might want to research what RAM speed the board can utilize. For that matter you might want to make sure your board can take 4 gigs.

If you pop four gigs of RAM in there and the board runs at 667 max, the higher speed memory will "dumb down" to run at 667MHz anyway. However, it can help quite a bit.

You may also consider upgrading to the 64 bit version when 9.10 comes out next month. Also consider creating a large swap partition. The Ubuntu docs recommend having a swap partition of greater size than you have memory. I personally disagree, but if you have the space to spare you can try giving yourself a 4-6 gig swap partition.

Ubuntu is surprisingly memory hungry, so I believe you'll benefit from the RAM.

[nihil]

keezel is right in that you need to check what you already have.

http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.c...series/150081/

Most toshes I have seen lately support 4096Mb of 800MHz RAM, even if the FSB is 667. I guess the reason is that by standardising the RAM they reduce manufacturing costs, even if the board can't use the speed?

I wouldn't recommend mixing RAM speeds even though you can generally get away with it, it is still a potential source of instability. If you have 667 then add 667 but you may well find that it is actually 800 as I have mentioned.

It is slightly slow.

Is that all the time, or only when you are performing particular tasks or running certain applications?

Memory leaks and program conflicts are another possible cause of sluggish performance, so you might like to look into that?.

[Cheap Scotch Ron]

Just to cover all the bases, check the hard drive (spec & perf) to ensure it's not a dog.