Guide in Buying Computer Memory
Many times we consider in purchasing memory upgrade to speed up our computer. If you are a long time Microsoft Windows user, you should be aware that these operating systems love a lot of memory.
The lack of memory is noticeable with sluggish performance. This is especially true, when you are using an older computer and then installing a new software or game that may have steeper hardware requirement than usual.
How much RAM that is really needed? Well, it really depends on your needs. One basic method is to
- Load all softwares that you usually use, concurrently, like an internet browser and a graphic editing software.
- Work with your computer for an hour or so, just as usual.
- In Windows XP, press Ctrl-Alt-Del and in task manager pop-up windows, select Performance tab.
- Look down into Commit Charge (k) section and read the amount of memory peak
The amount of memory peak can be roughly used as an indication how much memory that you need in your daily use of your computer. Add another 128 or 256 Mb and you have enough memory to optimize the speed of your PC
I have seen a couple of very slow computer that come alive with just adding 256 Mb of RAM, but with really affordable memory price today, it is logical to buy 1 Gb RAM upgrade to give you plenty of space when you buy newer softwares and games in the next few months. But, you should be aware that excessive RAM upgrade might be just a complete waste of money. When you use your PC lightly and your RAM requirement never exceed 1 Gb, an upgrade to 4GB Memory Upgrade or even 8 Gb memory upgrades would be useless. It is like building 4 or 8 rooms in your home, when you only need one room. The extra cash should be used to buy faster processor instead.
How about using the new Windows Vista? If you are using the sleek Aero user interface, large memory size is not the only requirement, a fast and direct-X 10 capable VGA card is good to have. Some PC user had make a large memory upgrade and then find that there is only a tiny improvement in speed. I suggest that you buy 2 Gb memory Upgrade when using Vista, as the OS requires close to 1 Gb of RAM itself.