Buying new RAM?

[RedMenace]

I've got a Sony Vaio PCV-RS 430G, which I havn't changed from its factory specs except that I replaced the ATI Radeon9200 it came with with an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb.

The computer came with two sticks of 256mb of DDR RAM, which is 512mb in all for those who can't count.:D

Now, I want to add another gig of RAM, so I was wondering exactly what I need? What do I need to buy, what do I need to know? I'm pretty sure I need PC-2700, I'm pretty sure I need DDR333, and I'm pretty sure I need 184 PIN RAM. I don't think it can take ECC.

SO, what else do I need to know? What's REG and what does ECC do? Do I have to install my RAM in pairs? What does that mean? Can my pair of two 512mb's be of a different brand than the 2 256 sticks the computer came with? Any help is appreciated.

[nightdagger]

PC2700 and DDR333 are the same thing. It's just a different way to say the speed. You could install faster RAM (the next step up is DDR400/PC3200) but it would run at the speed of your slowest RAM so the increase in price would be useless. DDR is all 184-pin (not DDR2 - that's 240-pin.) ECC can be taken by any computer but it's expensive. Pairs of ram CAN speed the computer up if it runs in dual-channel but you probably wouldn't notice. You can install any brand of RAM but some perform better than others.

I would reccomend this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820134008

It's Kingston (a fairly reputable brand), a single stick in case you want to upgrade later, has good timings, and is DDR400, which is the newest standard for DDR.