If I purchase a computer now can I add memory later?

Question

I am contemplating on buying a 512 MB computer but was told I should probably get a 1GB. My old computer was a 512MB and I did just fine. Can I purchase the extra memory at a later date?

It is expandable up to 2GB and is a MacBook

Answer 1

Sure, just one word of caution:

I bought a laptop with 512 MB of RAM thinking I could just buy another 512 MB stick later on. Come to find out, I only had 2 memory slots and BOTH were filled with 2 - 256 MB sticks *sigh* So I ended up buying 2 - 512 MB sticks later on to get my desired 1 GB, and now I have 2 - 256 MB sticks just lying around my house.

So find out EXACTLY what's in that computer, how many slots it has and how many are currently taken.

Answer 2

Great idea IN THEORY. Practically speaking, however, there aren't many machines shipping nowadays with less than a gig. So buying the extra memory later just means you pay a premium for it.

You're better off saving the extra to buy the full gig because all the software these days is getting bigger and bigger, plus Vista is a memory hog too, and the boys in Redmond still can't reuse memory effectively, so some gets wasted anyway.

My recommendation: Wait 6 months, read all the Vista reviews, then buy the computer that COMES WITH THE SOFTWARE you expect to use the most. Good Luck

Answer 3

I really depends on the computer. The short answer is yes but there are several factors that need to be taken into account. First of all, you may not be able to "add" memory since it is possible (especially on laptops) that all the memory slots will be full. If that is the case, you would have to actually replace some(or all) of your memory with a larger capacity RAM SIMM. If the computer you buy has additional slots available, then you should be able to add more memory without having to swap out any of the old memory.

Answer 4

Certainly you can. I assume you're talking about RAM. We're now using DDR2 type of RAMs with recent PC systems. If you're not going to use your old computer anymore, you can actually pull off its 512MB memory and add it to your new computer, so it will have a 1GB ram. You have to make sure that they are the same kind of RAM tho. But you can buy one later to add the memory.

Answer 5

Yes, you can buy memory from any store that sells computer parts and either add or replace the new memory with your old memory.

Answer 6

you usually can add memory but it's kind of a pain and costs more

It's better to get as much memory as you can when you buy it to save time money and aggravation