Upgrading my X24: RAM vs HD

[j-dawg]

I've just installed Xubuntu 8.04 on my X24 and it's reminding me of what a good friend it's been over the last few years. I'm using it more now than my shiny X61 Tablet.

I feel like doing something nice for it, ludicrous as that sounds for an inanimate object. It's a nice computer, but it's still slow. Which would make a more noticeable improvement in performance, an upgrade from a 4200 to a 5400rpm hard drive or an upgrade from 256 to 640MB of RAM?

I don't particularly care about hard drive capacity, so cost isn't too big of an issue, and this drive is loud and old anyway, so I'm leaning towards the hard drive. But on the other hand, RAM is a less risky used purchase and it's generally cheaper than a hard drive--much as I like my X24, I don't want to spend more than, like, maybe $35-40ish.

So, bearing in mind that I'm not planning on installing Windows to this machine ever and that I'm not too concerned with storage capacity, which is a better upgrade, RAM or the HD?

[aceo07]

That's a tough call. It seems like it would benefit from both. I have an X22 and maxed out the ram and put in a 7200 rpm drive. Quite usable. Unfortunately both options aren't cheap any more. I say go with the RAM.

[denisky]

When I got my X22, it had only 128MB of RAM and 20GB HDD. The first thing I considered to do was upgrading the RAM. Then I purchased 512MB of RAM, so the total is 640MB now. I can see noticable performance increase by adding the RAM. No more swapping on HDD. It makes my X22 more responsive, it also loads applications faster and I can switch between opened applications without waiting too long.

Hope this helps.

[aaa]

I would go by how often it swaps. If lots of swap space is used often, go for the ram.

[ajkula66]

More RAM is always a good thing...my last X24 had 640MB and a 60/7200 and OMG that thing was snippy...even with Fedora 8...

Given the prohibitive prices of 7200 drives these days, upgrading the RAM makes a lot of sense...

[virge]

I recently swapped the mobo on my X23 for an X24 one so its technically an X24. This machine is mainly used for MS Office programs and Firefox.

Right now it has a 512MB memory module and a 60GB 7200RPM drive. According to my seat of the pants measurements here's a list of biggest to smallest improvements:

256MB to 620MB
4200RPM to 5400RPM
5400RPM to 7200RPM

[Paul88]

My X24 has 640mb ram and fast enough for me. Go for ram!!

[j-dawg]

Bought the RAM. What a difference. Thanks for the advice guys.

[Raceboy]

4200rpm hard drive is so slow that you can see almost as much improvement from upgrading to 5400rpm/8mb disk as maxing RAM.

[virge]

much as I like my X24, I don't want to spend more than, like, maybe $35-40ish.

I think the upgrades on my X23 cost more than the machine itself! In addition to the upgrade to an X24 mobo, I swapped the lid out for a wifi one, added the 512mb module and the 7200rpm drive. Looking back, I think I should have just purchased an X31.

[faberryman]

[quote="j-dawg"]Bought the RAM. What a difference. Thanks for the advice guys.[/quote]
Good choice. Glad it worked out for you. The X24 is a sweet machine that can be had for under $200. Unless you need USB 2.0, it's a real bargain.

[pianowizard]

FYI, my friend The Spirit of X21 upgraded his X22's hard drive from either 4200rpm or 5400rpm (I forget which) to a 60GB 7200rpm that I sold to him for $30. He said the improvement was noticeable but not huge. You did the right thing by adding more RAM first.