module. Other Web sites may seem to be a bit more expensive, but don’t
charge sales tax and ship for free. Do the math.
Price differential.Conditions change because of supply and demand. In
a perfect world, a 256MB module should cost a bit less than two 128MB
modules. (Why less? Although the chip capacity is larger, the manufac-
turer has only the expense of one piece of circuit board and pins.) But
sometimes the price differential or ratio goes out of balance. Look for
bargains.Warranty. RAM is a very stable product; it undergoes testing before it
leaves the factory, and in most situations it lasts longer than the com-
puter in which it is installed. A small percentage arrive dead or pass
away shortly after first installed; if the memory works for a few weeks
without problem you can probably stop worrying about it failing. For
that reason, many sellers offer multiyear and even lifetime warranties.
You should look for a good warranty. Buy from a company you can rea-
sonably expect to remain in business for a while. Good choices include
the five I’ve listed in this chapter as well as OEM manufacturers includ-
ing Hitachi, NEC, Samsung, and Toshiba.What do you do with extra memory modules removed from your system?
Well, in addition to selling them on eBay, you might want to consider donating
them to a school or charity that can use them to upgrade their own machines.Checking memory level without removing the covers....................
You can figure out how much memory is inside your machine at least five ways:Read the specifications from the manufacturer.In theory, with a brand
new machine what you get is what you see in the original papers for the
computer. However, I’d rather be absolutely certain that I’ve gotten what I
paid for. And I’d like to be sure that all the memory has made it from wher-
ever it was first installed without coming unseated from its connectors.And, of course, if you are purchasing a used computer, it doesn’t matter
what the specifications say: See if the previous owner has added any
memory and if the machine recognizes all of the installed modules.
I recommend you perform at least one of the following four tests:Watch the RAM counter spin as the laptop boots up.Most system BIOS
test memory when the machine is first turned on, displaying a count
onscreen. The problem here is that the information may go by too
quickly for you to read.86 Part II: Explaining What Could Possibly Go Wrong