[Quicksilver]

Hi all, I just recieved my Dell Mini a couple of days ago and I'm very happy with my purchase. Of course I wasn't expecting a lightning quick computer but it is acceptable. I'd like to know is it really worth upgrading to 2gb ram? How much of a speed increase (if any) can i expect to get, my main tasks right now are browsing the web (with lots of tabs open) and a little java programming on top.

Btw, I'm running Linux with an 8gb ssd drive. Thanks for any help, looking forward to frequenting this site more often.

[brynden29]

In a word... yes, it is worth it.

[ade099]

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 908AANZLUF

i dont have any CS degree to back this up, but i think that in a nutshell, CPU speed has the bigger impact on your computer's speed. RAM helps the apps run more smoothly which we probably perceive as them running "faster." hope that helps!

please correct me if i'm wrong!

[rpminmn]

from my own personal experience...
going from 512MB to 1GB gives me a noticeably more responsive system... very much worth it.
going from 1GB to 2Gb doesn't show a difference for the majority of the time, unless I'm playing with things like ram disks.

If you're at 512MB right now, go for 2GB. You'll notice it. It's cheap (less than $25).
If you're at 1GB right now and you don't have any complaints, you might not see any difference, but then again, what the heck... it's still cheap and it might come in handy at times.

also, take a look at this thread, which not only has a discussion on how to upgrade, but why...
2GB RAM Upgrade Guide

[helius]

Whether or not you'd notice an increase really depends on what you are doing with the machine. It sounds like the OP wouldn't notice a difference, but if you are running Windows 7, Vista, and potentially even XP, 2GB almost always resorts in a marked performance increase, just because the operating system itself requires so much more memory. Also, starting with Vista, Windows will actually put spare memory to use, caching files that it notices you access regularly.

[Quicksilver]

Thanks for the speedy replies. I have 1gb at the moment still don't know what to do, so many differing opinions. :? I'm leaning towards getting it, as long as it's less than £20.

This may be another silly question but I'm assuming 2gb of ram will drain the battery quicker than the current 1gb I have?

[Quicksilver]

My machine is running Linux, I did have the intention of installing XP but I'm actually starting to warm to Ubuntu.

[TekWarren]

I'm happy to see some real answers here...there is no "yes" or "no" answer. It really does depend on what your doing with your mini. The "need" should really be obvious to most, does the mini not perform well when your using it? Maybe you could benefit. Does it work for you as is? Probably don't "need" to upgrade. Someone will most definitely say that its cheap so do it...what your money is worth is your call

[dethl]

Originally Posted by ade099

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080820001908AANZLUF

i dont have any CS degree to back this up, but i think that in a nutshell, CPU speed has the bigger impact on your computer's speed. RAM helps the apps run more smoothly which we probably perceive as them running "faster." hope that helps!

please correct me if i'm wrong!

I do have a CS degree so I'll chime in here - active applications are stored in RAM while lesser used apps are stored in a page file on the hard drive. The less RAM you have, the more that is going to be stored on the page file. When an application is moved to or from the page file, your system performance takes a gigantic hit as RAM is faster than the hard drive (or SSD in the Mini's case). With more RAM, you can run more applications at the same time without needing to go to the page file on the SSD. As such, you won't see an increase in CPU speed but you'll see a more responsive system as a result.

EDIT: When I get my Mini 9 I plan on turning off the swap file. It takes up too much space, is used way too much, and 2GB of RAM is more than enough for Windows XP or Ubuntu. If you have 2GB of RAM in your Mini, feel free to turn off paging.

[Circs]

Please see my response to: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2418