thanks compdoc and jbennet...

i checked crucial.com out and am looking at about $200 to max out my ram @ 1 gig per slot (4 slots). my apprehension stems from my uncertain knowledge of this hardware and *reliability* of recommendations from reputed professionals... i have to purchase from someone who will honor a return if their recommendation doesn't work... however, it seems that the particular ram i need is not obscure so i should be able to find it from several different vendors and thereby get a good deal from someone.

thanks again.

tws