Why should I upgrade my memory?
Perhaps youve heard that upgrading your memory is important. Or maybe youve heard about upgrading the processor, motherboard, or graphics card. There are many upgrades that are possible for most computers, its just a matter of getting the best bang for the buck.
Not only is installing more memory pretty cheap, most people can get it done for between $50-200. But, its also the most effective as well. It can improve your entire computing experience. From browsing the web, to doing multi-tasking, having more than one computer program running. Its especially important in families where the computer is used by different users. As that can be very memory intensive.
The amount of memory youll need depends on what you use the computer for. So called power users who are playing games, creating videos and DVDs arent going to be happy with less than a few gigabytes of memory. But, at the very least, you should shoot for at least 512MB of memory, and 1GB if you plan on using Microsoft Vista.
However, knowing that you need memory is the easy part. Finding what memory you need for your specific computer is the hard part. It would be much simpler if it was like DVDs, every DVD runs in every DVD player. However, memory comes in different sizes, speed ratings and they are not all compatible with each other. Take note that laptop memory is generally a different size than what you can find in desktops. So, you wont find it interchangeable. The first place to look is in the users manual or any documentation you have with the computer, or on the manufacturers website.
What youll also need to find out is how many slots are used and how many are available. Some PC Manufacturers use all of their slots out of the factory, while others conserve space. For instance, a PC that has 512MB of memory and two slots could have one 512MB stick of memory, or two 256MB memory sticks. So, if you were to buy another 512MB stick of memory, youd have 1GB in the optimal setup or 768MB in the two slot PC.
Typically you can find much of this in your users manual, or the manufacturers website. If not many of the memory manufacturers such as Kingston and Crucial have excellent websites that have the specs for most of the computers made in the last decade or two. Thats an excellent backup source of information.
Once youve done it once, youll quickly realize that upgrading your memory isnt that difficult and youll find your computing experience to be much more pleasurable. Getting a good memory upgrade can prolong the useful life of even ancient(4-5 year old) computers by allowing them to be functional for years longer. If you find your computer processes to be slowing down, and youre waiting around for what seems like hours for the most trivial tasks, exploring a memory upgrade might be an important step for you.
About the Author: David Smith is a specialist in computer repair in Jacksonville, FL. For more information about computer repair, memory upgrades, and laptop repair visit his Jacksonville Computer Repair website.
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Print Article | Download PDF | 122 views | Mar 23 2007
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