As new software is brought to market, there is a growing need for higher performing computers to run them. More people are using more Internet applications, complex networks as well as various complicated office utilities, all which require more RAM (Random Access Memory) on the computer. At some point, you may find your computer is not performing as fast as it used to.
There are several reasons as to what could be slowing it down including not having enough RAM. In this case, extending your RAM can help solve this problem and bring noticeable improvements to your computer’s performance. Below are instructions on how to extend your RAM and important information you need to know before you make a purchase.
Instructions:
- First, you will need to know the current size of your RAM. Right-click on “My Computer” (“Computer” in Windows Vista® and 7) and choose Properties. Read the information in the “Computer:” section.
- Next, read the manual of your motherboard and find out what the maximum RAM size and type that can be installed (e.g., up to 4GB DDR2 800MHz RAM ).
- Then, open the left side of your PC case and using the manual of the motherboard, locate the RAM modules and slots. Here you should see a number of free slots. Remove the current module and read its details. For example, you may see two modules plugged in and two free slots and you may find that the details on the current modules are 512MB DDR2 800Mhz.
- Now you have all the necessary information and will need to decide how much memory you would like to have in your computer. For example, you know the maximum is 4GB, you have 2 x 512MB = 1GB and you have 2 available slots. So let’s say you would like to double the size, then you can buy two 512MB DDR2 800MHz modules or one 1GB DDR2 800MHz.
Tips and tricks:
- You can replace your current modules and buy new ones that are faster or larger. Continuing with the above example, you may have 4 slots and 2 x 512MB modules, so you could buy 4 x 1GB or 2 x 2GB modules and then you will have 4GB RAM, which is the maximum allowed by your motherboard.
- If you are buying RAM, think about the “CL (CAS Latency)” feature. The lower the number is, the better, but it is more expensive.
Warnings:
- Take into account, that if you are buying new RAM modules of different brands having different features, they may not work together properly.
