Using an automatic memory finder

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So, which is better? Using an automatic memory finder or looking in your manual to try to determine which type of memory your laptop takes? If you’ve become absolutely frustrated by looking through your manuals (or heck, with these computers these days, even finding a manual can be tough), you definitely might want to consider going for an automatic memory finder instead. These tend to be pretty accurate, and will tell you just what type of memory your computer will take based on a number of factors. The automatic finder will look for certain details as the type of chipset your computer has, the type of memory installed, and others to determine which type of laptop you actually have. From there it will consult its own internal database to determine which type of memory should go into the laptop. What comes back is usually a pretty accurate description of the type of RAM it takes, and how much exactly the laptop will take. The second is very important to know. While there may be a number of open slots in the laptop that could physically take a large amount of RAM, the operating system and hardware itself may only be able to take a smaller amount of it. Case in point: My current laptop I’m writing this on will fit two PC2700 SDRAM modules without a problem, no matter the size. However, the laptop itself is limited to 2GB, even if it’ll physically take more. It’s something you need to know right off the bat before you place your order.

Automatic memory finders are also great if you simply can’t find your manuals. It’s a shame, but many of the cheap laptops are now coming with very little documentation, if any. You’re paying for a laptop that will be good to do basic things on; they don’t expect that you’ll spend a lot of time on upgrades and so forth. From my experience Compaq has been the worst about giving you actual paper manuals, but a little-known fact is that many manufacturers will give you manuals in the form of electronic ones. If you go into your help menu (F1), you can often find links to the manufacturer’s model-specific manuals either online or buried somewhere in your hard drive. This will have all the details about which type of RAM your computer will take, and even tell you how much it’ll take total. If you don’t trust an automatic memory finder, this may be the way to go.