Kingston HyperX KHX5300S2LLK2/2G review

Unlike PCs, laptops have limited upgrade options.

However, most have easily accessible memory slots, which means you can add more RAM quickly, easily and cheaply. If you're considering upgrading to Vista and your laptop has less than 1GB of DDR2 memory, you should consider adding more to make things run more smoothly.

Kingston's HyperX memory is available in various capacities. We tested the 2GB DDR2 kit. It includes two 1GB PC2-5300 modules running at 667MHz. For those after the really technical details, the timings are CL4-4-4-12.

Before you invest, though, you'll need to check that your laptop has two DDR2 memory slots. You may have to remove some existing memory, as at least one slot will already have a module in it. Although it might seem a waste to bin perfectly good memory, it's best to use matching modules.

We tested the HyperX in a Samsung R410 laptop. The R410 comes as standard with 2GB of Samsung's PC2-5300 RAM, making it ideal for comparison. Unfortunately, if unsurprisingly, the HyperX scored only 150, imperceptibly faster than the R410's standard memory score of 148. Each of the individual application scores was proportionally faster, so there's no particular area where the Kingston RAM has an advantage.

We re-ran the tests using only 1GB of HyperX. The results showed that having 2GB does make a significant difference. For example, it led to a score of 76 in the audio-encoding test, but this rose to 88 with 2GB. Likewise, the Paint Shop Pro test jumped from 124 to 150, and multitasking jumped from 148 to 177.

You can buy 2GB of Samsung's own RAM for about £30, making the HyperX look overpriced. If you can find it cheaper, it could be worth buying. However, the best advice is to check which type of RAM your laptop currently has and, if there's a spare slot, simply buy a matching module.