newbie, needs RAM badly

[AlbinoNinja]

well, i just tried WoW on my friends computer and the game worked amazingly well (at least compared to mine) I'm currently using a Dell 4600 and when i asked him how much RAM he had, he had 2 chips: 1 256mb and 1 512mb. I did not even know this was possible!

Now I'm thinking I should really buy some additional RAM. The price for the trip is not too steep, and it seems like it would make a world of difference. Of course, being the careful little bugger I am, I figured I better ask the all-knowing CAG for a little help.

How difficult/ pricey is it to install additional ram?
Can my computer even use more RAM?
Are there any other difficulties? (extra cooling, etc.)
Can anyone recommend me a chip?

sorry if this is a stupid question, but i figured id might as well check

 

[Moxio]

(All comments based on specs provided here: http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_Dimension_4600/4505-3118_7-30529709.html)

Difficulty: Arguably the easiest component to install inside the PC. Consists of snapping memory in place, and that's it.

Price: RAM can be expensive, but it is fairly moderate. A 1 GB (2x512) would run you some under $100.

Use: Your computer can support 2 GB of RAM, although you could probably run WoW on 512 MB. 1 GB is usually the standard these days.

Cooling: Unless you plan to overclock your RAM via BIOS (which I doubt you know how to do, since you're asking ), primary cooling is sufficient.

Recommendations: I would recommend the highest quality RAM. For example, Kingston and Corsair are very reputable.

 

[AlbinoNinja]

thx for the help Moxio, when i went on Amazon, this thing came up:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/A...8/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-2825381-0270255

looks pretty decent, and since it works with 2400 it should work with 4600

 

[jaykrue]

Here's some prices via Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ce=&MaxPrice=&SubCategory=147&Submit=Property

While browsing those, take these names into account:

Corsair XMS
Corsair Select
OCZ
Mushkin
Kingston
Crucial
Micron

These are my own personal choice of RAM, best on top, decent quality on the bottom. Anything off that list is questionable. But in my experience, these brands are the most reliable as well stable.

 

[redgopher]

Mushkin is the shit.

 

[Vegan]

If it's DDR RAM, they need to be installed in pairs of matching capacity (2 sticks of 512, 2 sticks of 1 GB, etc.) in order to get the double data rate, I believe.