How much of a computer memory
upgrade do you need?
The answer will very much depend on a number of deciding
factors but the principal questions should be
What is
the age of your computer, Pc or
laptop?
What do you
actually use it for?
Free Computer Memory Scan
The first thing it would
be best to do is to have a computer memory
scan. These are free and a memory
scan will enable you to see quickly exactly what type
of memory is used in your computer no matter
if it is a desktop or laptop system.
Another good thing about a memory
scan is it will recommend and guarantee a match for
your system and in addition will let you have the price
of your memory upgrade so you can see straight
away how in-expensive a memory upgrade really is.
Generally speaking, if your computer is more than 4 - 5
years old then a computer memory upgrade may be a waste of
money unless you can get some used older memory at a
sensible price from somewhere like the The
Computer Part Store for
example.
Older computer memory is often more
expensive when bought new as there is less demand, and
equally older machines tend to still be running
on older operating systems that are less memory
hungry. You can find out what memory your computer
uses by doing a memory scan.
If your system is younger however, then a
computer
memory upgrade most certainly will
give you a very worthwhile boost in performance.
Historically a high percentage of Pc's
have been sold by vendors in the past with barely enough
memory to run the system efficently, this is often done to
keep the price point low or to make the computer look like
good value for money.
The problem with this strategy is the
average consumer just doesn't realise how a system
works and don't realise how important a computer
memory upgrade is (and why should they?) so they
don't get drawn into paying for extra memory or don't
realise it is neccessary. As a result they end up with
a slow computer.
Memory Needed For Running Additional
Programs
As soon as they start adding background programs
(anti-virus etc.) when they get home
or later and/ or start using multiple programs,
Physical memory usage goes up and is exceeded causing
the computer to use virtual memory on the hard disk
which is massively slower
For most systems a memory upgrade that adds or
doubles the exisiting system memory is an
exceptionally cost effective way of increasing the
performance of your computer system and
extending its life into the bargain.
So How Much Memory Do You Really
Need?
The answer very much depends on the age of
your machine and the use to which you put it to so to help
you decide we have included a handy matrix below.
Have a look at the matrix and decide what category best fits
your daily computer use and remember sometimes a larger memory
module will be cheaper than buying two smaller modules.
The bottom line is that adding memory makes your
computer more efficient and allows you to do more things at
once.
Computer Memory Upgrade
Matrix
What do you
do:
Here's what you
need:
Minor
Administrative Some word
processing, occasional
e-mail
384MB – 512MB
Fair
Administrative
Word processing and e-mail, spreadsheets, fax and
communication software, simple graphics programs,
two applications open at once
384MB – 512MB
Intense
Administrative/Student
Word processing and e-mail, spreadsheets, fax and
communication business graphics, general gaming
software, three or more applications open at
once
384MB – 512MB
Executive/Management
Word processing and e-mail, spreadsheets, fax and
communication software, presentation software,
illustration software, photo editing, Web
browser
512MB – 1GB
Professional
and Gamer
Word processing and e-mail, photo editing, font
packages and multimedia software, CAD software, CAM
software, gaming
1GB – 2GB
Heavy
Graphics Design
3-D CAD software, modeling
software
2GB and up
Whilst the above matrix gives a good guide
our own personal rule is generally Windows XP 1GB
Minimum and for Windows Vista 2GB
Minimum providing your machine is capable of
taking this amount of memory.
A Computer memory upgrade is relatively
inexpensive and this simple computer
upgrade in a majority of cases will give your
system a welcome boost.
Recommended Computer Memory Upgrade
Supplier
If you are comfortable conducting your own memory
upgrade then we can highly recommend Crucial as our
Computer memory upgrade supplier of choice.
To help make life nice and simple
they even offer a Free
Diagnosis & System
Scan to ensure that any memory upgrade you
order is 100% guaranteed and it also comes with free
shipping.
Crucial Computer Memory
Crucial awarded the Best Memory
Manufacturer in Personal Computer World, January
2007
Crucial is a division of Micron, one of the largest DRAM
and flash manufacturers in the world and carries more
than 110,000 memory upgrades for more than 20,000 desktops,
notebooks, servers, and printers. As well as Flash memory
cards, High-performance Ballistix™ gaming memory, and
graphics cards so we consider them the best choice for your
computer memory upgrades (and more).
If you are not comfortable conducting your own computer
memory upgrade then contact your local computer repair
professional near you by selecting your local area from the
links provided.
Older computer memory is often more
expensive when bought new as there is less demand, and
equally older machines tend to still be running
on older operating systems that are less memory
hungry. You can find out what memory your computer
uses by doing a memory scan.
The problem with this strategy is the
average consumer just doesn't realise how a system
works and don't realise how important a computer
memory upgrade is (and why should they?) so they
don't get drawn into paying for extra memory or don't
realise it is neccessary. As a result they end up with
a kit_2.gif "Computer Performance Memory Upgrade")
The answer very much depends on the age of
your machine and the use to which you put it to so to help
you decide we have included a handy matrix below.
