If you have the nice little Acer Aspire One 11.6″ netbook you may be wondering how to upgrade it for maximum performance. So here is a photo tutorial on how to upgrade the RAM on an Acer Aspire One AO722 laptop. You can also see how to remove the hard drive & upgrade to an SSD
IMPORTANT NOTES:
+always remove the laptop’s battery* before beginning any component removal/upgrade
+be careful of static electricity as it can damage your laptop. To ground yourself, periodically touch a metal object (other than your laptop) to discharge any static electricity -or- invest in an anti-static wrist band.
*to remove the battery: before the battery can be removed, there is a spring loaded tab/switch that must be moved into the unlocked position. The tab is located on the bottom of the laptop near one corner of the battery [just above the "Tutorial" label in the 1st photo below]. You can use a pen, small screwdriver tip, or possibly just the tip of your finger to slide the tab and then you can easily remove the battery…
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- Screwdriver pointing to the one screw you need to remove to access the RAM
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- Pull downward on both of the rubber feet to slide open the access panel
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- Nice and easy access to the memory and hard drive as well as the wifi card!
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- photo only shows one of the tabs being pulled back, make sure to release BOTH memory retention tabs
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- Memory after it has been released and it pops up
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- Remove the old RAM and install the new memory
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- BIOS/UEFI showing the 4GB of RAM installed!
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- Carefully lift the hard drive & then you can remove the (2) screws that secure it to the adapter
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- The two screws that secure the hard drive
Upgrading the AO722′s memory is nice and easy, likewise the hard drive comes out with minimal fuss. With these two simple upgrades, the lovely little Acer performs even better
*Make sure you have a 64 bit operating system in order to utilize all 8GB of memory…
This is awesome JD! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks David!
PS I like the layout of your blog
thanks – very helpful!
Walter Gillett
Awesome Walter, glad it was helpful!
I appreciate this so much! Just upgraded the RAM in my new (first) netbook. THANKS.
Thanks so much for your comment Janet! I am very happy that the tutorial was helpful
You can upgrade the laptop to a max of 8GB of memory. I purchased a stick of Corsair 8GB DDR3 on Newegg for $99 and it works perfectly in this laptop. Do I need 8GB? Not at all, it’s just great to know it can support 8GB.
Wow, that is awesome! Thanks for posting, it is pretty darn cool to know that the A0722 can support 8GB RAM in its single slot. $99 is a nice price too.
UPDATE 2012.Sep.18th: Amazon now has a compatible 8GB memory module for only $39.99 with free shipping!
Thanks so much! Very helpful!
Excellent, I am very happy that it was helpful! Enjoy your nice laptop
Hi JD,
Nice tutorial on how to upgrade RAM and HD for the ACER Aspire One 722. But I want to stress this point to you and your readers: The battery needs to be removed first which is not in your tutorial. The reason is to prevent damage to motherboard and as well as the new/old memory and new/old HD. FYI – a netbook is powered by the battery as well as the power brick, so having the battery plugged in is not a good idea.
Have a wonderful day.
TK
Thank you TK, excellent point about removing the battery before starting! I forgot to include that in the tutorial originally, but I will update the tutorial to include that preliminary step
.
Best regards,
-JD
Hi there,
thank you so much for your tutorial! I’ve never done this before so I have a couple of newbie questions.
What speed of RAM did you put in, ie: the mhz? How many pins was the connection? Does the laptop have more than one slot for RAM so that if I want to upgrade to 4 GB, I could just buy another 2 GB stick? Also, is there a specific physical size I should get for the SSD or are netbook SSD’s the same size as regular laptop ones. What percentage of performance increase do you think you got from these two upgrades?
Finally, do you have a link for where you got your ram and ssd drive from?
Thanks so much!
Hi Bobo,
Thank you for your comment and sorry for the delay in responding!
#1 RAM speed: DDR3-1066/PC3-8500 (so 1066MHz to specifically answer your question)
#2 The connection was 204 pin
#3 The laptop only has one slot for RAM. However, according to previous commenter Jason it supports up to 8GB DDR3 memory in a single stick (that size memory is still pretty expensive and more difficult to find so my recommendation is 4GB for the best “bang for your buck”)
*If I were searching NewEgg or Amazon for memory for this laptop, I would be looking for 1 x 204-Pin DDR3-1066/PC3-8500 SO-DIMM
#4 The physical size of the hard drive / SSD is 2.5″ wide and 9.5mm tall (same as a regular laptop)
#5 Percentage % increase: difficult to quantify, but the laptops feels MUCH faster. For everyday web browsing/rebooting/opening programs to me it feel 100% faster. It performs more like a regular laptop now and less like a netbook. However, there are still tasks/program (Photoshop, compression, etc.) that are limited by the processor.
#5 I recycled some memory from a different notebook, but here is a link to some very nice for a reasonable price Kingston ValueRAM 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL7 SODIMM Notebook Memory (only $21.99 as of today!) and here is the link to the Crucial C300 SSD which has performed so well.
Best regards,
-JD
Thank you for tutorial. J.D. what kind of screwdriver i need for complete disassembly Acer AO 722 netbook?
Hey Alexandre, great question.
A small phillips screwdriver should be all you need. I will update the article to reflect this info.
Thanks, -JD
Thanks so much for your comments JD! I’m going to upgrade mine this week. One last question for you, a bit unrelated. Do you know if this netbook has a powered usb slot and if so, which of the 3 slots it is?
Thanks!
Hi Bobo,
You are very welcome. Congratulations on the upcoming upgrade, very exciting! Keep us posted on how it goes
I do not recall if it has a dedicated USB charging port (so you can charge your phone etc. even when the computer is off), but if it has one then there should be an option in the BIOS to turn that feature on/off. If you don’t see the option, then it probably doesn’t have that feature.
Sorry to not be of more help! If I find out anything more I will let you know or perhaps another commenter can give you a definitive answer?
Best regards,
-JD
I have to join everyone else and say thank you so much for this wonderful step by step description. I have NEVER done anything like this. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever even taken the back off a computer before. I bought an Acer Aspire 077 netbook and with your help just upgraded the RAM from 2G to 4G. Thank you so very much!
Dear Kathie,
Thank you so much for your kind comment.
That is awesome that you completed your first netbook upgrade, congratulations! Enjoy your nicely upgraded machine.
Best regards,
-JD
Hi JD,
I upgraded my laptop tonight. After upgrading I tried to see if I could get the task manager to show the computer using more than 2 gigs under the “performance” tab. I ran a video conversion, rendered a file on an editing software, played TV wirelessly and played an HD video on Youtube, all at the same time lol. The task manager never did get past 2 gigs (it got to 1.92) in the little graph but I could definitely see it caching the extra RAM which means it’s still making use of it. Just the fact that I was able to do all of those things at once without any of the programs crashing was impressive. The video wasn’t playing back smoothly but I’m not expecting this thing to work miracles.
Overall, I’m very impressed with this little laptop/netbook. Maybe one day I’ll even put a solid state drive on it although the price of SSD drives will have to go down significantly first. I’m loving the 500GB of storage right now.
Thanks again for the tutorial and answering all of my questions!
Excellent! Great job and very impressive performance. Congratulations on the successful upgrade and enjoy your nice machine
Hi JD, I have a question for you, the speed for the memory is 1066MHz if you have the C50 CPU.
But my Acer have the C60 CPU and it will go to 1333MHz in turbo mode. Which memory do I need
to installed in my laptop ? Thank you for your answer. Jaroc
Hi Jaroc, thank you for your question.
The C60 is a nice CPU and I am happy you’ll be upgrading your 722′s memory
The Acer specifications list DDR3 1066 MHz for both the C50 and C60 versions:
+AMD C-Series processor C-50 (1 MB L2 cache, 1 GHz, DDR3 1066 MHz, 9 W)
+AMD C-Series dual-core processor C-60 (1 MB L2 cache, 1 GHz with Turbo CORE Technology up to 1.33 GHz, DDR3 1066 MHz, 9 W)
This is normal, as memory speed is largely independent of CPU speed (for example a 2.8GHz CPU and a 3.4GHz CPU may use the same memory). In this case the C50 and the C60 are limited by their memory controller, which limits memory to 1066MHz speeds (even if you install 1333MHz memory). Good luck and enjoy your netbook Jaroc!
Best regards,
-JD
NOTE: there is nothing preventing you from installing 1333MHz memory in your 722. Here is an example from Amazon of 4GB of DDR3 1333MHz memory for about $19 USD.
Also, footnote 5 on the Acer specs page lists at least one configuration that ships with 1333MHz memory…
However, the Acer 722 (even with the C60) does not seem to utilize the full 1333MHz memory speed and instead runs it at 1066MHz speeds:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2198966
Thus, there will likely be no real benefit to the higher speed RAM. However, there will also be no problems when running it either. So the choice is yours!
Thanks for your informations about the speed of the memory. Those informations where valuable for my personal knowledge. In my ao722 the 2G is a DDR3-1333, that is why I was asking the question before.
Also even if the CPU was in turbo mode the memory was at 532MHz and CL 7.
Sorry for my bad English I’m French,.
Best regards,
Jaroc
Awesome Jaroc, enjoy your new memory once you install it!
PS your English is very good, much better than my French
Hi, I own the first version of ao722 with c-50.
Anyway, my question is, I read that this notebook has a free pci express slot. I was wondering if it would work with msata ssd (I´m thinking of having OS there and keep the 500GB for other stuff)?
Hi George,
Thank you for your good question.
Unforunately, from what I have read, the AO722 is not mSATA compatabile
mSATA generally requires the manufacturer to build in support, and unfortunately not many companies are doing it yet. Here is some more info on the topic:
There are a few options which you may have already considered:
#1 NON-MSATA MINI PCI-E SSD
An older style (non-mSATA) mini pci-e SSD may work. Here is an Amazon link to an example SSD like I am talking about. I suggest that type of older mini pci-e SSD because they do not require mSATA support and have generally worked with ASUS/Acer/Dell netbooks since the original EEE netbook and Dell Mini 9 etc. Therefore, there is a good chance they will work with the AO722!
#2 HYBRID HDD/SSD INSTEAD
A hybrid HDD/SSD is also an option if want the space of a HDD and some of the speed of an SSD. I installed a 500GB Momentus XT in my sister-in-law’s laptop and it has performed admirably. Another benefit is that you do not have to deal with seperate boot drive / data drives. Of course it is not quite as cool/versatile as your separate SSD/HDD idea
#3 ALTERNATIVE LAPTOPS THAT SUPPORT MSATA
If you ever decide to change laptops, I highly recommend the Lenovo X220. It is a roughly similar size to the AO722 but it supports 2.5″ 7mm drives (SSDs or HDDs) and it fully supports mSATA! I am running that in my current travel setup. Also, the Dell M6500 (and other similar models) can support FOUR drives: (2) 2.5″ bays, (1) 2.5″ HDD in optical bay adapter, (1) mSATA SSD port
Sorry to not have better news George
Please keep me posted with what you decide, and happy computing!
Best regards,
-JD
thank you for quick and exhausting answer
No prob!
I replaced the 2GB memory thing with a 4GB. Never thought that I would be able to do a “complicated” job like this, all by myself. Your step by step instructions are absolutely wonderful. You made it look like a childs play. Thank you very, very much….
Hi Gusbali,
Congratulations and enjoy your nicely upgraded netbook!!!
Thank you for your very kind words. I am very happy that you were able to install 4GB of memory successfully.
Best regards,
-JD
Hi JD, Thanks for the tutorial about the ao722 and it seems that you know very much about this computer and i have a few questions that i would be very glade if you answer them (i have the ao722 c-60):
1,- What can it be installed in the extra mini pci-e?
2.- So, from what i have read in the previous messages, no sata for the mini pci-e, so, how its called the non sata ones?
i wish to use that mini pci-e.
Thanks for you attention.
-That dude.
Howdy Dude,
Thanks for your nice comment!
I will try to help:
#1 Lots of mini pci-e devices exist, but here are a few common ones: WWAN (3G cellular), GPS, bluetooth, wifi, etc…
#2 You may want to investigate mini pci-e PATA SSDs, here is an example of one and a SUPER TALENT brand SSD…
Sorry to not be of more help, but I have sold my AO722 so I can no longer test new devices on it etc.
Good luck in your search for mini pci-e devices that are comptabile with the A0722!
Best regards,
-JD
Currently there is no way to use the extra mini pcie slot in the AO722. I had to learn that the hard way
Hi Paul,
Thank you for your comment. I am very sorry to hear about that
After reading more about it the conclusion seems to be that at this point: only Acer whitelisted 3G cards working in the extra mini pci-e slot.
http://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thread-Acer-One-722-additional-Pci-e-port-inactive
Has this been your experience Paul?
Best regards,
-JD
PS If this is the case I hope that in the future perhaps a modified BIOS can unlock the usefulness of the 2nd mini pci-e slot.
I’ve found those sites also and further internet scrounging showed that an unlocked BIOS could not enable the second slot.
It seems that it is hardwired to usb and not a fully featured pcie. Its only purpose is, like you said, to allow a 3g card that can utilize the crippled slot. The broadcom HD decodar card and the original wifi card did not work in the second slot. Hopefully I am wrong and it can be hacked/modified in some way to utilize it in the future.
-Paul
Hi Paul,
Thank you for the additional info.
I think you are right about it not being full pcie, but I do hope that at least full support for USB based mini pci-e cards is eventually unlocked…
If only Acer had put configured the 2nd slot for full pcie capability and msata support would be wonderful too!
Thanks again for the info and good luck in your computing endeavors!
-JD
Hi J.D., I finally install a 4G from Newegg, part number KVR1333D3S9/4G for 22$. Everything works perfectly even at CL7. Thank you again for your informations before, I also investigating for a card using the second PCIE port. If I find something interesting I let you know. Yours truly, Jaroc.
Hi Jaroc,
That is awesome!
I am glad you upgraded your AO722 with such nice memory
Here is a link for other people that may be interested in purchasing it: KVR1333D3S9/4G for $22 from Amazon or from NewEgg for the same nice price.
Thanks again for your comment, keep us posted on your future endeavors, and enjoy your upgraded netbook!
-JD
Hi!
I’m lucky to find Your post cause I’m planning to buy this Acer and I’m thinking about install ssd in future. C300 is very nice and fast but I’m wondering how the speed sdd in this netbook. The disk is not limited by the CPU?
Can you do test using ATTO Disk Benchmark and post screen here? Thank you in advance!
One more thing: I see discussion about using second slot and bios. When I changed wi-fi card in my current netbook I must unlock bios and this forum http://www.bios-mods.com/forum/ was very helpful, ppl modified white list (or black, I don’t remember) in my bios and new card is working.
Hi,
Great tutorial. I was able to upgrade my memory in less than 4 minutes start to finish. I do have a question about upgrading to a ssd. Could you give the downb and dirty on why I want a ssd? What are the benefits?
Hey Tracy,
Great job upgrading the memory!
To me there are three primary areas where SSDs trump hard drives:
PERFORMANCE – A SSD can provide a great performance boost when is comes to anything that involves disk access: booting up the computer, suspend/resume, loading program, copying files, decompressing files, etc. All of these operations should be much faster.
POWER SAVINGS – Some SSDs use significantly less power, resulting in longer battery life. Also, since disk accesses are faster it can actually result in the drive being powered on less (i.e. operation completes and drive goes into low power mode more often).
RUGGEDNESS – Finally, SSDs have no moving parts and are thus can be more rugged than a traditional hard drive.
Finally, the main DISADVANTAGE to a SSD is the high cost per GB and the limited capacity. For example a 512GB is about as big of a SSD as you can reasonably buy, and even those are pretty darn expensive. Whereas a 1TB laptop hard drive is actually fairly cheap.
Also, if you are doing a lot of CPU or graphics intensive stuff then you may not notice much increase in speed from the SSD, because it does not have an effect on computational speed.
I hope this help, please let me know if you have any other questions!
Best regards,
-JD
Thanks JD Saved me much time determining how the bottom cover comes off the instructional was great for experienced and not so experienced upgraders
Thank you for your nice comment Mike
Congratulations on your newly upgraded laptop!
Best regards,
-JD
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