I'm running an HP Pavilion ze4900 right now and it only has about 256MB of RAM. I was surprised when I found that out a few days ago.

* Back-story: Don't read this unless you're curious *
I try to run applications that do not use much RAM or virtual memory, but in this day and age, it's hard to do that. This was my dad's laptop and it isn't that old (IMO). I try to give comps as much life as possible and I'm easy to please. My dad is a goofball however and buys the crappiest computers (one of my desktops is an Emachine and the other a 700MHz Celeron from CompUSA). At least I don't expect much. But unfortunately, even though he has used PCs for decades, he doesn't seem to understand the importance of quality. I imagine he thinks 256MB is good enough and I'd be wasting money if I bought RAM and he should disown because I don't know how to spend money. Yeah, you can see, I'm a little bitter.

OK, enough of that crap. I want to upgrade my RAM. I know that the ze4900 has two slots available. I found this website that sells RAM for it. I don't know much about RAM. I'd like to find something cheaper, but I don't know what specs I need. I just know I'd like at least a 512MB stick, preferably 1GB. Can anybody help me?

Buy from Crucial, the memory is guaranteed to work or your money back. Its quality memory with lifetime warranty. No I don't work for them

The amount of memory you need depends on what you're doing with the computer. 256Mb these days is not enough for most people (its adequate for office work and a spot of internet surfing but that's about it) , you need at least 512Mb, preferably 1Gb. Most people will get away with a total of 512Mb so you would just need the 256Mb stick on offer at Crucial, however the 512Mb in addition to your 256Mb that you already have will provide more than enough breathing room.

This post has been edited by Neil Jones: Jan 11 2008, 06:01 PM

I should be able to find something much cheaper than that, so I'd like to know what specs I need for the RAM. I'm not talking about the size.

Hi there

Your ram specs are:
DDR333 (PC2700) SODIMM (200 pin)
CL 2.5
non ECC, unbuffered
128M x 64 (for 1GB modules); 64M x 64 (for 512MB modules); 32M x 64 (for 256MB modules)
Max of 1GB per module.

Your system requires DDR 333MHz but will probably work with 400MHz (PC3200) as well. If you can find a suitable module elsewhere for less money, then fine but bear this in mind:

1. The reason Neil Jones advised you go to Crucial, is because they guarantee their memory will be compatible with your system. The chances are providing you match the above specs, then any module should work fine but there's no guarantee. HP systems can be a little fussy about memory...

2. Do not buy generic ram - this is often only a little cheaper than branded stuff but is likely to be less reliable. Also you will normally only get a 1 year warranty with it, as opposed to a lifetime warranty that comes with decent memory.