Can too much RAM actually make my laptop run slower? It has 1.5GB now and seems to be slower than before.?

Answer 1

No.

Technically speaking, you can put new RAM in a computer that causes it to run slower. The difference would be hard to perceive. Strips of RAM should be identical. So if you added an OLD strip with NEW memory, try it with just the NEW memory.

I believe that your problem is due to slower Anti-virus, or a build-up of adware or spyware. Here are the steps that I would take.

- Go to RUN in the START menu, and type MSCONFIG. Turn off some of the startup programs that you don't need. Of course, you need your anti-virus.

- Use Disk Cleanup from the System Tools section of Accessories. (via the Programs section of your START MENU)

- Right click on your C drive and pick PROPERTIES. Then pick TOOLS and use CHECK NOW. Run a full test after starting up.

- Run Defrag

- You should have an anti-spyware solution on your computer. I recommend that you go to http://www.download.com and get AD-AWARE and SpyBot Search & Destory. Install, run, update and scan your computer with both programs.

Good luck

Answer 2

Yes it can! But it's not due to the fact that it's too much RAM, though. There's a technology called dual channel, which enables your PC to send data to your RAM twice as fast. The trick is, though, that for this to work you need two sticks of RAM with the same amount of memory, or four with the same amount of memory. Now I suspect you had two sticks of 512mb RAM, and added a third, right? That messes up the dual channel, and slows down your laptop.
Also, if the memory module you added happens to have a slower maximum speed then the others, your computer will compensate by slowing the memory down to the maximum of the slowest module, thereby reducing speed even further. I would take the extra stick you added out, not many programs benefit from having 1.5Gb or 2Gb of RAM, most work just fine on 1Gb.

Answer 3

No. There is no such thing as "too much RAM". Bigger and Faster is always better, with the exception of more heat and more energy consumption (only slightly though).

However some things should be put into consideration.
1. Do you really need more RAM? More RAM will not hurt, but it is not a definite way to increase performance. If your previous RAM was 512 MB (I suppose you add 1GB to it, laptops only have 2 slots of memory), and the best thing you do is just browsing the web or do processor-intensive tasks (encoding video, etc), I suppose adding it into 1.5GB will not really make it much faster. 1.5GB will make a difference if you run big and RAM consuming applications, for example, editing super high resolution images in photoshop, or, when you run a lot of programs, you will spend less time switching between them because you have more part of the program in the memory rather than in the swap memory (virtual memory/physical drive paging file).
2. Usually, more RAM means bigger pagefile. As a general rule, Windows (assuming you use windows) always use your harddrive space 1.5 times the amount of RAM. In your case this would be from 768MB of page file (from 512MB RAM) to 2304MB of page file (1.5GB RAM), so you lost 1.5 GB of harddrive space. So if you have added more RAM, you will usually have less space in your harddrive. This can cause slower performance, again, depending on what application you use.
3. Timing problem and incompatibility. Different RAM has different timings and compatibility problem. For example, your stock RAM have 3-3-4-6 timings (assuming it is DDR memory) at 333 MHz. And your new 1 GB memory module has 2-3-2-5 400 MHz specs. Because you put them together, it will run on the slowest speed at 3-3-4-6 333 MHz. But this will not make your system slower; at least as fast as your previous speed. RAM modules also may have different brand or type of memory chips, which can cause incompatibility problem. But usually incompatibility problem results in stability problem, not speed.
4. Heat. This problem is especially apparent if you use DDR memory in your laptop. DDR memory uses higher voltage than DDR2 (and less efficiency), thus more heat is produced. Two DDR modules will create twice the heat as a single DDR module. Heat may not make RAM run slower (it may create lock-ups though) directly, but higher heat may increase the overall heat of your laptop and your processor or other components in your laptop may reduce its speed as a result of overheating protection. This is unlikely though, especially in the cold winter. Just make sure you have plenty ventilation.

---
Other than that, the slowness of your newly upgraded laptop will not be a direct result of the memory upgrade. It can be other problems like harddrive fragmentation (like you need to defrag).

Answer 4

Simply stated NO.

RAM does not use your computer resources.

It is a resource, and only resides there available for use when needed.

What has probably happened is that your hard drive is becoming more and more fragmented and your PC has to search the hard drive much longer to find all the "fragments" of files or programs when you are trying to access them.

Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Defrag System

run the defrag utility. This may take several hours, so launch it and go away for the afternoon or launch it and go to bed for the night. This should help a lot. You have plenty of RAM so your PC shouldn't needing more for regular computing.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

If the application you are running requires very little and you have a great amount over that, the way it accesses data could cause it to bottle.

Test by running something that requires a lot of RAM. If this runs faster, too much RAM could be your problem.

Answer 6

No. Make sure you inserted the correct memory card (SD RAM DDR and so on). to find out which memory will be supported by your system go to system information in my computer folder or just open the slot on the bottom and compare original module with new one
I've done it many times and it works just fine
good luck !!!!!!!

Answer 7

Check RAM speed both modul must be similar . For example
PC400=PC400. Then its diferent, the PAM works on min speed.
Check HDD interface and speed RPM, probably you could change HDD.
Reinstall your OS

Answer 8

If you installed it properly it should increse the speed of your computer. Run an anvirus program(like Norton). You may have downloaded a worm virus.

Answer 9

Vista sucks up lots of factors, so if your laptop is affordable, it surely won't run at top ability. you ought to attempt turning off Aero and stuff. flow to regulate panel - visual charm and Personalization - Personalization - subject, then turn it to abode windows classic.

Answer 10

that only happen if exeded the limit by alot or if u instalet the wrong way any way check and run the antivirus goodluck