Pros and cons of upgrading memory?

Question

I bought a laptop with 1GB of DDR2 memory. Is it better to just buy one with 2GB or can I upgrade? What are the pros and cons of upgrading it myself?

Answer 1

Pros:

1. You save yourself $200
2. You learn something.

Cons:

1. On the offhand chance you find a way to jam your memory in backwards, you could break your laptop.
2. It makes you look like a nerd (I look like a nerd anyway, so I don't care).

Answer 2

Upgrading memory in a laptop is no big deal. The manual that came with the unit will explain just how it's done. First take a look so that you know if the manufacturer used one or two sticks. If there is only one, 1 gig stick, then there should be no problem adding a second. They just snap into place.

Answer 3

Make sure you get the specs right though. If your laptop has dual channel RAM then you need to replace both memory sticks. Also, you need to know how fast the RAM is (533 MHz for example). You don't want to mix them.

Answer 4

You can upgrade yourself but sometimes it can be difficult to access (you just end up taking all the panels off the laptop til you find it!) and if you're buying new its probably best to buy one with 2gb RAM to begin with.