Vista and RAM

Forgive me if this is in the wrong forum. I want to buy my first laptop. The guys at the big box store say that I need one with at least 2 GBs of RAM because Vista uses almost one full gig all by itself. Of course, most of the less-expensive machines ($400-$600) come with one gig, so I would have to upgrade (conveniently, at that same store) for an additional cost. Are they right? What should I do? Thanks.

 

2GB is the conventional wisdom, but it depends on how you run the OS (you can save a bit by trimming the fat, as it were), and how many/what type of applications you run.

You can run on less than 2GB. Heck, Acer was once shipping Vista laptops on 512MB shared ram. However, 2GB is future-proofing a bit. Can you perhaps run it on 1GB, and upgrade to 2GB later should your usage require it?

 

I guess that is a question I should ask while shopping. At the store I mentioned, I was told that they would do the update from 1 GB to 2 GB for $100 while I waited. Does that sound like an unusually-good price?

 

thats about an average price, if it incudes both ram and labor.

 

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Recs=30&Nav=|c:1726|&Sort=4

Here's some pricing on laptop memory. Not sure what speed you're looking at, or how many sticks you need, but looks like an average 1GB stick runs about $30 CDN. If I had to guess, you'd need two to replace two 512MB sticks currently in the machine.

Whether the labour costs are fair or not would probably depend on your level of skill. Personally, I wouldn't pay a red cent to have memory installed.

 

I replaced two memory sticks on my 1998 Gateway desktop, and I was shown where the sticks are on my current Dell desktop and I know I could replace them. With that amount of ability, could I do the same with a laptop? I wouldn't be afraid to buy 1 GB if you tell me I can upgrade the memory instead of paying to have it done. Also, is Acer a good brand? Any brand that I, as a person with moderate computer knowledge, stay away from?

 

Thanks for the help. I'll keep these things in mind as I look.