How to Buy RAM

Increasing RAM can be the single easiest way to improve the performance of your PC. These instructions apply to adding RAM to your existing PC or buying RAM for a home-built computer.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• RAM

1. Save money buying online, directly from the manufacturer or select an online vendor that provides manufacturer-direct offerings.

2. Pull down the brand of your PC (e.g. Dell) on the pull down menu, and click submit.

3. Identify the model line of your PC (e.g. Dimension) on the pull down menu, and click submit.

4. Select the model number or name of your computer, and click submit.

5. Review the options presented. Assess whether those RAM options will work with your computer.

6. Pay attention to the number of slots and banks of memory your PC has. If you have banks of 1, then each of your memory card can have a different capacity. But if you have banks of 2 or more, all cards in each bank must be the same size.

7. Consider buying the most RAM memory you can afford, as this will maximize the performance of your computer.

8. See "How to Choose the Right Amount of RAM for Your New Computer" for more help determining how much RAM you need.

Resources

• Crucial.com: RAM by Manufacturer
• TigerDirect Memory Configurator