By eHow Computers Editor
Rate: (15 Ratings)
The best way to improve your computer's performance is to add random-access memory (RAM). Installing new RAM is quite straightforward for most PC owners, but if you're not confident of your abilities, have a store technician do the work.
Comments
adminguy said
on 7/14/2008 The easiest way to figure out what you have and what you need is by using the free "Check My System" tool at www.4allmemory.com. In one click it showed me exactly what I needed. Pretty Cool!
ChadGo said
on 6/26/2008 There really is no choice in the type of memory you can get. You must purchase the correct format memory for your computer/motherboard. While it's true that you can install any speed module in a computer, as long as it's the correct format, you will be limited by the operating frequency of your Front Side Bus (FSB). So if your computer takes DDR memory and your FSB maxes out at 333MHz, You can install DDR400 (400MHz) modules and they will work just fine, however they will only operate at 333MHz. FYI - DDR400 is pc3200 and DDR333 is pc2700. If you have questions or need guidance, visit www.upgradecomputermemory.com or call 1-888-277-5227, you can ask for Chad, thats me :)
dspark said
on 3/21/2007 with vista 1.5 gb is a minimum, i noticed my system sometimes uses 1 gb memory while no programs (ie , outlook,...) were even running.
Anonymous said
on 7/1/2006 RAM is an important part of your system and upgrading it is arguably the most efficient way to improve your system's performance. If you want to get the maximum performance out of your system, don't be frugal.
First, get the fastest RAM your computer supports. DDR2 is the fastest bus type, DDR is the mid standard, and SDRAM for low end. Don't even think about getting SIMM's or any other oddball bus types, since those are outdated. For the most part, stick to DDR and DDR2.
Second, get the fastest memory supported by your motherboard. Mine is DDR 400 aka PC 2700. Faster RAM is generally more expensive, but if you get faster RAM than you motherboard supports, your RAM will just downclock and you will experience no performance gain.
Third, get lots of it. 256mb is the very bare minimum and 2gb is the maximum. Personally, I believe that anything over 1gb is overkill, but some gamers still want 2gb. If you get more that 2gb, you will experience no performance gain. I recommend 1gb for media or mid-level gaming, and 512mb for word processing, e-mail, or web surfing.
Finally, get your RAM from a trusted manufacturer. For gaming, most brands have special high performance RAM. I really have no experience with most companies' claims about their gaming ram, but I do know that Crucial Ballistix is very good.