Ideal ram

pushVTEC

I just got a toshiba s129 notebook for christmas. It's not too bad for what it is, and will work perfectly for what I want it to do (programming). My question is it only comes with 256 megs of ram, and I know this is pretty much the bare minimum that should be used when running windows xp. Now here's my question, when I go to throw more ram in, should I spend the extra money and get another strip of 512 or is it not worth the money and just get a strip of 256? Thanks!

System specs:
Intel celeron @ 2.4 ghz
256 megs ram
16-64 megs shared video memory
dvd-rom/cd burner
15" tft XGA display
40 gig 4200 rpm hd

Thrax

Another 256 would do fine for WinXP.

If you can foot the bill, sure! Get a 512. But 256 will be a-ok.

pushVTEC

Yeah I was thinking about 512 but going from a 256 strip to a 512 strip is pretty expensive. But this thing could use some more pep, feels like after I run a program that requires a decent allocation of resources it kind of falls on it's face for a few minutes afterwards. Hopefully another 256 strip of ram will help that out. Although I have a feeling it's the 4200 rpm hd that's really hurting load times.

Thrax

Yeah; the difference between 4200/5400/7200RPM drives in a laptop is just staggering.

pushVTEC

Also, is there any possible way of upgrading the screen? I like the laptop a lot as it offers ample power to do the things I need it to do (coding, web browsing etc) but it doesn't have the best viewing angles. And the backlight isn't that great either (particularly strong at the bottom) and when I watch dvd's on it it becomes irritating when it goes to a darker scene.

Madball

I think the only way to upgrade the screen is to buy a new laptop.