upgrading RAM later on

[buckuxc]

hey all,

I have a question about the RAM options on the new powerbooks, the 15" one to be precise. I'm on a pretty tight budget in terms how much I can spend, so I need to skimp back a little on some of the specs. If I buy a PB now with 512MB of RAM on 2 SO-DIMM's, is it possible to remove one or both of those in the future and replace them with larger sticks of memory? Can I purchase a 1GB stick of memory later on and replace one of the 256MB sticks, and then do the same thing a few months after that? Or are these soldered to the inside of the computer?

Also, I think I can go for the 1.25Ghz model, but if I needed to reconsider, how much performance would I be losing with the 1Ghz? I'd be working mostly with your standard college student stuff, Word, Excel, iTunes, iPhoto, but on a regular basis I work with Photoshop, and I usually have lots of photos to sort through and edit individually, so I don't like being stuck waiting forever on each photo.

Advice? Thanks.

sps

 

[stoid]

I'm going for a toned down 1.25 Ghz model (combo drive and 60GB HD) because it's not that the performance will seem huge today, but it could mean the difference between a 4 and a 6 year life span. For an extra 25% processor performance, I'll drop the extra 200. Besides, you also get that nifty backlit keyboard and a nearly overlooked feature of built-in Airport Extreme card (a $90 value). Wi-fi I predict will be everywhere in only a few years, and will definitely be a great feature for the long term.