Do I Need More RAM?

This week we'll look at computer RAM. What is it? How much is enough? Is it easy to get more?

RAM is your friend

It's been said that a girl can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much RAM. And that goes for you guys, too.

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. It is hardware you can see it and touch it. It's where your computer stores information it needs to remember in the short term. Any program you run needs RAM. The more programs you run simultaneously, the more RAM you need.

RAM is much faster than your hard disk, CD-ROM, or floppy disk. Everything in RAM is ready for easy access, as long as the computer is running. When you shut down the computer, the RAM is cleared. (You did remember to save your work to your hard drive or CD, right?) When RAM fills up, your computer's processor needs to go to the hard drive more often, and that slows things down. If your hard drive light is constantly flashing, or your system is sluggish, you will benefit from having more RAM. (I am assuming your system is not sluggish due to viruses, spyware, or a poor maintenance routine.)

Enough, or not so much?

To find out how much RAM you have in Windows XP:

Click Start
Right-click My Computer
Click Properties
Select the General tab

You'll see the amount of RAM in your computer near the bottom of the properties sheet.

Microsoft says you can run XP with 128 MB of RAM. In fact, most people need 512 MB, and more is better. For Vista, Microsoft says 512 MB will suffice. People are finding that 1.5 GB is enough...maybe.

Wanted: More RAM

So, now you know what you have, and you know more-or-less where you want to be. How do you get there?

RAM fits into slots in your computer. Not all RAM works in all computers, so you want to make sure to get it right. You need to find out how many slots you have, what your RAM capacity is, and if you have any slots available. There are several ways to accomplish this, but the absolute easiest way I have found is to point your browser to http://crucial.com and run their discovery tool which you will see on that front page. (This works best with Internet Explorer.) You don't have to buy from them, but they will be able to provide the specs and their for the RAM you need. For my clients, I run this tool, look at the prices on the Crucial site, and do some comparison shopping locally and online.

If you have the original paperwork from your computer, you may well find the answers to your RAM questions there (absent the prices, of course.) You can also contact your vendor for that information, particularly if your system is still under warantee.

If you plan to install it yourself, be sure to check the manual for your computer, follow the directions and take the precautions outlined there. If you're not comfortable with the idea of opening up your computer and installing RAM, there is nothing wrong with calling in a professional.

Once you've installed the RAM, your computer should recognize it as soon as you boot up. You can check this by going back to the General tab on the My Computer properties sheet as outlined above.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to write with questions and comments. I really appreciate your efforts. If you have something to ask or tell, please send email to [email protected]. Also, you can read any of the past columns at any time by visiting the archives, here: http://rlis.com/column.htm. We're open 24/7/365!

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.