One of the most significant factors on how to choose the right DDR3 memory for your laptop is what is compatible with your laptop’s motherboard. Each type of motherboard can handle different types of memory. Some can only handle DDR2 memory. Others can handle only DDR3. Still others can handle both. Read your motherboard’s documentation in order to figure it out. If you do not have a paper manual, look the motherboard up on the internet. Read the manufacturer’s information. That documentation will tell you what forms of memory will work with your laptop.
If your laptop can handle DDR3, the next factors on how to choose the right DDR3 memory for your laptop is figuring out what is the maximum memory capacity of the motherboard. Some can handle 2GB while others can handle much more. If your motherboard has an upper limit of 2GB and it has two slots, you can use two 1GB memory sticks or one 2GB stick. Most technical types recommend using similar memory amounts in each slot if you are not going to maximum your memory in one slot. For example, do not put a 512K stick in a slot and 1GB in the other. The memory will always work at whatever is the slower level.
Once you know that you can handle DDR3 and how much memory you can add, the next factor on how to choose the right DDR3 memory for your laptop is deciding on what balance you want between memory, transfer speed, and price. Transfer speed is how fast data moves into and out of the memory stick. The faster the speed the higher the price is. The larger the amount of memory on a stick the higher the price is. You will pay the most for a fast speed 1600 MHz transfer speed on a 4GB memory stick. Prices go down with slower transfer speeds and lower memory levels.
The final step before actually purchasing the memory is looking at the memory manufacturer’s site. The manufacturer should list all the laptops with which their memory is compatible. This is just a final sanity check before you purchase memory and try it out in your laptop. Taking a little bit to research and look around before purchasing will save you headache and hassle later. And that is how to choose the right DDR3 memory for your laptop in a nutshell.