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Speed up your PC with
more Memory
One of the factors that will
determine how fast your PC runs is the amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) that
is in your system. The reason for this is because if you have a small amount of
memory for the application programs you are running, the PC will be spending
time (processor time) swapping information in and out of the limited amount of
memory to your hard drive. Processor time spent swapping data in and out of
memory is time that could be spent performing the activities of your running
applications. If more memory is added to the system (assuming space is
available) then more applications and or their data can remain in memory,
reducing the amount of time wasted swapping information in and out of memory.
If your PC is a few years old and
now appears to be running slower than it did when it was new, this is probably
because new software or software upgrades that you have added to the system are
putting evermore demands on the available memory.
If you want to get some idea if
memory might be a problem for your slow PC, then check your PC's RAM usage by
opening the Windows Task Manager. You can start the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del
at the same time (Vista users will have to click Start Task Manager) and then click
the Performance tab. If the
figure next to 'Available' (or 'Free' in Vista) in the 'Physical Memory' section
is getting close to zero, for example if only 10% or so of your PC memory is
available, you probably need more RAM.
In general a standard Windows XP
user will find that 1GB of RAM should give them satisfactory system
performance. For users who run lots of demanding applications simultaneously or
they do a lot of working with digital video or other large graphics files then
they should have 2GB of RAM or more.
If you are planning to upgrade
your PC to run Windows Vista, you can run this operating system with 1GB of
RAM, but for a better Windows Vista experience then 2GB of RAM is recommend.
Having decided that you need to
increase the amount of RAM in your system to improve its performance you then
have the following questions to answer:-
1. Are there any empty memory
card slots available in your system?
2. Will I have to remove some of
the current memory to make room for new memory?
3. What type of memory does your
system require?
4. Is your PC using dual-channel
memory, if so then you must install a pair of memory cards for maximum
performance?
You could read your PC’s manual
to answer these questions and others, but the easiest thing to try first is to
surf to one of the reliable RAM manufacturer’s website using the PC you wish to
upgrade. The main RAM supplier websites have online tools for identifying the
right RAM for the PC you are using to surf to their website. These tools can
tell you what memory you are currently using, if you have any empty memory slots
and what upgrade options are available.
Using these online tools can
clearly show you your upgrade options and really helps your to know that you
are buying the correct memory for your system.
When you receive your new memory
you will then have to read your PC manual to understand how to open up your PC
and correctly insert the new memory. One thing you should be aware of when handling
memory is that static electrical can damage these memory items and your PC’s
other delicate circuits. That is why you should read your manual as it should
explain that you must earth yourself to the metalwork inside your PC, before
removing your new memory from its protective covering and adding or removing
items inside your PC.
Crucial are a large RAM supplier
who have a very good online tool as described above, click on the links or image
below to go to the Crucial website to try out the online RAM tool. For USA users click the following:
Crucial.com
For UK users click the following:
Crucial.com/uk
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