How to Upgrade the Memory in Your Computer
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.
- Difficulty:
- Challenging
Instructions
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Find out how much memory your computer has. Here's how:
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In Windows XP, click on Start, then Control Panel, then Performance and Maintenance, then System. In other versions of Windows, double-click on My Computer, then double-click on Control Panel, then double-click on System.
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In Mac OS X, find the Applications folder, double-click on the Utilities folder, and double-click on Apple System Profiler. In Mac OS 9 or earlier, select the Apple System Profiler (usually found in the Apple menu).
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Check your manual or manufacturer's Web site to determine whether there are open memory slots on the motherboard. Also see what the maximum amount of memory your computer can take, as well as the type, category and speed of memory it uses. For example, PC2100 DDR 133 MHz RAM means PC2100 is the type, DDR is the category, and 133 MHz is the speed in megahertz.
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Compare your current memory with the maximum. You have two choices: Add new memory in open slots; or, if all slots are full, replace the existing memory with new, greater-capacity modules.
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Tips & Warnings
Good tools for choosing memory are available online, including Crucial.com (you don't need to purchase from them to use the selector tool). You can also check the shopper sections of most computer magazines.
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Comments
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dspark
Mar 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. -
dspark
Mar 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.
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Jul 01, 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.
