Alright, so I want to upgrade my Sony RS520 from 512 megs of ram to 1GB. However, I know virtually nothing about the different types of ram, etc, and I certainly don’t feel like throwing down $100+ on an upgrade only to find out it won’t work.
So my question to those in-the-know, what kind of Ram should I be looking for?
Specs on my computer here:
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=310615&pfp=BROWSE
Thanks.
The easiest way (but perhaps not the cheapest way) is to walk into your local comp usa, or best buy and ask the guy in the computer section for PC2700 (333 mhz) DDR Ram for a desktop system.
He SHOULD know what that is.
If you’re not sure what type of RAM is in your computer, take out one of the existing RAM cards and take it with you to the store. Make sure the new RAM is the same size and has the same connectors. If necessary, ask the tech person at the store to help.
Unless you have an application that is actually making you RAM-starved with 512 MB, I might reccomend either saving the money or spending it elsewhere.
I’ll note that most people do not in fact use more than 512 MB of RAM in the vast bulk of circumstances.
Do you do audio/video rendering? Database hosting? Data mining?
Well, I’m not that naïve.
I’ll be doing some extensive video-editing and DVD rendering projects, the 1GB RAM amount was recommended by most articles.
As kinthalis said, and from the specs you posted, it’s PC 2700 DDR RAM. You need to know a few things though. In the computer where the RAM is inserted you need to see how many slots there are, and how many are available. It says your max RAM capacity is 2GB, so I’m guessing there are only 2 slots. I am also guessing that on a system like that, both slots are taken up with 2, 256MB ram modules. If that’s the case, you have some interesting choices…
If you want to go all the way to 1GB of RAM, you’ll need to remove BOTH of the RAM modules, and you won’t be able to use them in that system. (remember, this is only IF there are 2 slots, and both are full).
If there are 2 slots and one is full (and thusly the stick in there is 512MB), then you just need to buy one more 512 stick of RAM to get to 1GB.
If they’re both full, and you want to upgrade, but can only afford a 512MB module, I say it’s not worth it. At that point you are only gaining another 256MB worth of performance, and I can’t imagine a scenario where 256MB makes that much of a difference. If you play SimCity 4 or the new Splinter Cell, or are awaiting the new Half-Life, just another 256MB isn’t going to make much of a performance difference. Not to mention that you then have another 256MB of RAM just lying around that you can’t use. Enter ebay, but still.
PS there ARE 1GB modules that you can buy, but the prices are usually really expensive, even on pricewatch.com and other good deal sites.
Anywho, take a look at how many slots there are, and how many modules and let us know, this way it’s not just conjecture, and you can make a more informed decision.
After a quick visit to http://www.crucial.com I plugged in your computer model number:
Sony VAIO PCV-RS500
There are (2) configurations of this box, one has (2) DIMM slots, and the other has (4). Depending on your available slots you have a few options:
Option #1:
You have (2) slots and (1) slot is filled with a 512 MB DDR DIMM. You just need to buy a PC 2700 DDR DIMM of 512 MB to get to your desired 1 GB.
Option #2:
You have (4) slots and (1) slot is filled with a 512 MB DDR DIMM. You can follow the same advice as Option #1 and get a 512 MB PC 2700 DDR ram chip. This leaves (2) open slots for future expansion should the need arise.
Option #3:
You have (2) slots and (2) slots are filled with 256 MB DDR DIMMs. This situation really stinks cause you will have to replace at least (1) chip to get to 1 GB of ram. Chances are, you’ll want to buy (2) 512 MB PC 2700 DDR chips and replace the existing (2) chips. You can try to sell them on Ebay or use them in another system at home you might have that is in need of memory.
If you want a good selection of PC 2700 Memory to look through, go here:
Hopefully this was helpful! 
Wow, thanks for the informative answer,
Here’s the deal though, I don’t actually have the PC yet. I just ordered it today and am trying to prep as much as I can before it arrives, thus I have no method of finding out how many slots it has. Looks like I just may have to wait until it arrives, unless someone else is familiar with this particular model.
Thanks tubbytreats! That makes a lot of sense, I can only hope that my computer is not situated around “Option 3”/