hi i have just purchased a 512 pc3200 ram chip is it true that all i have 2 do is open up the pc and place the ram in the socket there is nothing else??

As long as your RAM is compatible with your motherboard then, yes, it's as simple as that. If you're planning on fitting the RAM in addition to your existing RAM, rather than replacing it, you should check that the old and new configurations are compatible - some DDR RAM is configured to run in matched pairs and won't like the addition of another single unit.

Hope that helps