Upgrade memory on old Aspire One AO532h

I have an old Aspire One, model AO532h. It is running Windows 10, but not surprisingly, runs very slowly with only 2GB of RAM. I am trying to figure out whether my particular model should be able to accept an upgrade from 2GB to 4GB, before I spend the money on the memory. If it may work, I am not ready to give up. I have the correct SN and SNID - it's on the label on the device and confirmed by their detection utility - but the Acer support site will not accept the correct numbers as valid to provide any more detailed specifications. Does anyone know a way to confirm whether buying the larger memory stick will be a waste?

{Thread was edited to add model name to the title}

Accepted answers

brummyfan2

Hi,
You have the maximum memory for this model, you can not upgrade more than 2GB, so I would suggest you upgrade the HDD to a 2.5" SSD, it will improve the performance.
https://uk.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/acer/aspire-one-(532h)

All comments

brummyfan2

Hi,
You have the maximum memory for this model, you can not upgrade more than 2GB, so I would suggest you upgrade the HDD to a 2.5" SSD, it will improve the performance.
https://uk.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/acer/aspire-one-(532h)

Easwar

Hi @SteveG23,

2GB Memory

You can upgrade your Acer Aspire One D255 (DDR3) Laptop to up to a maximum memory capacity of 2GB Memory.

https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/acer/aspire-one-(532h)

I think there are no options to upgrade either the RAM nor the storage.

SteveG23

brummyfan2 - Thanks. I sort of figured. As to the SSD improving the performance, are you just referring to read/write speed, or is there some other impact I'm overlooking?

Also, is there a realistic option of replacing the motherboard with one that will accept more memory? I'm not finding any that I'm sure are compatible, but it's hard to tell.

I really like the size and other features of this machine and don't want to give up on it without a struggle.

billsey

The biggest increase in speed between a HDD and SSD is the seek time between tracks. A really good seek time on a HDD is in the 10-15ms range. If you disk in perfect shape, no fragmentation at all, it's going to take an average of 10-15ms to get to the point where it starts transferring data. On a SSD that number is 0ms (actually it's measured in nanoseconds). In a normal HDD things aren't perfect and most files are fragmented, so you have the 10-15ms for each fragment. Although we are talking about numbers around 1/60th of a second, it adds up very quickly.

There is essentially no chance you can upgrade the motherboard to one with newer technology. Laptop motherboards tend to be designed to fit the case and most years the shape is changed from the previous model. It's much easier to just find a newer model on the used market than to upgrade an existing.

brummyfan2

Hi @SteveG23 Yes, your system will be snappier with a SSD, I don't think you can find a suitable motherboard capable of more memory to fit in the chassis.

SteveG23

Thanks, all. This was a help. I will seriously consider the SSD upgrade, after opening the case to ensure it's not beyond my capabilities. I see the Crucial units and that may be worthwhile.