I'm looking at Amazon to be on the safe side, and not end up with a worthless broken piece of metal. But my thing is, my Toshiba Satellite L40-15G currently has two 512Mb sticks... What can I upgrade to, without having compatibility issues? It would be cool to have at least 3Gb. Thanks for your wisdom in advance, guys!
Nah, there isn't much that could go broke when it comes to RAM. Dead on arrival units probably aren't nonexistant, but there's definitely no more risk than with any other electronics, probably even less, actually since RAM is solid and doesn't have any breakable mechanical parts.
If your'e buying through a third party who is selling on Amazon, you're pretty much protected. If you initiate a return or refund, the seller has to abide and pretty much do what's necessary to make you happy - If they get too many negative reports, the seller can get removed by Amazon. That may not be EXACTLY how it works and I'm paraphrasing a bit based on memory, but you should be fine. Alternatively, I've only ever really bought things through NewEgg and have never had problems.
Yup pretty much this. Protection is so much geared toward the buyer and not the seller, that you could potentially even exploit this fact, but I digress. Buying RAM online for the most part is fine, especially on Amazon or Newegg. It's very rare to have defective RAM but it does happen. If that were the case then contact the seller and they'll replace the part for you like their life depended on it. (Note, please do not exploit the seller and don't take my advice to mean that I'm encouraging you either. There is a current problem with Amazon and paypal about this problem and it was just fresh on my mind, so I decided to share it.)
If you buy from reputable sources and a reputable brand of RAM, then it doesn't matter if you receive a defective unit - it'll get replaced immediately by those companies. RAM has very low numbers of defective units, much like most products, so your fears about getting something that won't work are pretty unfounded.
I don't think you should be concerned about this. There are little to no odds of getting defective RAM, and if you had that 0,000001% chance, you'd get a brand-new one upfront, no questions asked (of course, if you bought it from reliable sources) As of what concerns compatibility issues, your Toshiba, although a bit old already, can be upgraded to more than 4GB if I'm right, so you should be fine. Overall, your concerns are really not founded, and you should go for it, just don't buy your RAM, nor any other component, from unreliable sources; it's better to prevent than cure.
Nope because I have not tried buying RAM online. When it comes to computer upgrades and hardware devices I prefer to buy it on computer stores or in shopping centers. These devices are quite essential to a computer and any wrong move or purchase is a big waste of money. Some reason why I do not buy computer hardware online. 1. Computer compatibility. Some RAMs are compatible to a one computer but not to another so it is nice to ask a particular vendor personally about the compatibility of your computer. This is applicable not just for RAM but all other hardware devices. 2. Some cases of fake devices. 3. Warranty Card. 4. I prefer to buy see and touch the hardware myself. Check its specs and functionalities. I am a computer savvy and I am keen to details.
Buying RAM is pretty safe, considering that Amazon and the like is always in favor of you and against the seller. If you receive defective RAM, which is unlikely, you will 99.9% always get a refund or a replacement. Although buying computer equipment is always safer in person, buying online can save you a lot of time with minimal risks.
You get a defective RAM replaced online, which of course is fine but not all RAMs fit into the DIMM slots. You've to search for compatibility of motherboards and the matching DIMM modules (RAMs). One more issue is they may give you the said amount of RAM (say 4GB or so) but the bus speed could differ. Slower the RAM bus speed, slower your computer will be. You got to be aware of all the specs before you buy one online.
Purchasing RAM from certified sellers (at Amazon, Newegg, Tiger Direct) is relatively safe. Just remember to read the specifications of the RAM blocks to ensure they can are comparable with your motherboard's DIMM slots. Also, make sure to read the user reviews to make sure they don't have any issues. For RAM, compared to other components, it's pretty unlikely to happen, but sometimes faulty RAM is sent. Do you research, and you should be fine.
