02/06/2014
RAM Upgrade: How To
Upgrade Your Computer
Memory If your desktop PC has slowed down,
then memory (or the need for more)
may be the culprit. Relax, a RAM
upgrade is a lot easier than you think.
We walk you through the steps, from
figuring out how much and what kind you need to actually installing it. In this age of instant gratification,
nothing can frustrate a computer user
more than a desktop PC that takes a
really looooonnng time to finish a task.
But that's the reality when you've been
using a system for a few years. In the interim there have been new
applications you've downloaded, maybe
even a new operating system that
you've installed because you thought it
would actually speed up your PC. The
most likely culprit for this loss of speed is the memory (or not enough of it). The
good news is upgrading to more
memory is a simple enough fix, and
we're just the ones to walk you through
the steps. When it comes to upgrading your
system's RAM (random access memory),
the hardest part isn't the installation.
Rather, it's the research and shopping
you'll have to do to find the correct
memory module. How Much Memory Do You Have?
The first thing you need to figure out is
how much memory you actually have.
To do that, you point your cursor to the
"My Computer" icon on your desktop,
right-click, and choose Properties. This procedure is slightly different in
Windows Vista and Windows 7, where
you will have to click on the windows
icon in the bottom left of your screen an
then right click on "Computer". The
window that comes up will tell you the basics about your system, including how
much memory you have on board. Do You Have Open Slots?
The next step is to determine how many
empty memory slots you have in your
system. That helps you figure out
whether you just need an extra memory
stick or two, or buy completely new memory because all of the slots are
taken. To find this out, you have to open
your chassis. To do this you may need a
screw driver, the DIMM slots will be the
smaller slots usually located right next
to the processor. In many cases, when you pop open the case you will discover
only one or two of your RAM slots are
actually being used. You actually don't even need to open the
case to find this information. If you built
the PC yourself and still have the
motherboard manual handy, take a
quick look at it to see exactly what type
of RAM you have and in what configuration it needs be installed. If you
don't have the manual, or you bought
your system, there are alternative ways
to determine you memory upgrade
needs. You can download CPU-Z, a great freeware program that will give you all
kinds of useful information about your
system, including what kind of RAM you
are using now. Alternatively, memory
manufacturer Crucial offers an application you can download that will scan your system and tell you what you
are running now, how it is configured,
and what the optimal upgrade would be.
If you want to buy the suggested
configuration you can do it all right on
Crucial's site. These tools can also tell you if your particular motherboard has a
limit to the amount of memory you can
install. How Much Memory Do You Need?
At this point you have a couple of
decisions to make. How much more
memory do you want to add? If you just
want to double your memory, and you
have a DIMM slot available, then all you need to do is purchase another, identical
stick (or module) of RAM. If you want to
add more than that, then you have to
find a memory module with a higher
RAM capacity. If all of your DIMM slots
are filled, then you will have to replace the current memory modules you have
with modules with a higher RAM
capacity. (For instance, if you have only
two slots, and both are filled with two
256MB memory modules, you will have
to replace both with, say, two 1GB modules.) What Kind of Memory Do You Need?
And last, but certainly not least, you
have to figure out what kind of memory
you have. Is it DDR, DDR2, or DDR3
memory? Keep in mind that because of
the way DIMMs are designed, you won't be able to install one kind of memory
stick in a slot meant for a different type.
DDR won't fit in slots meant for DDR2 or
DDR3, and so on. If you upgraded your PC to Windows 7
you might be able to go big and add in
8GB of RAM or even more. There's
theoretically no currently reachable
upper limit on the amount of RAM
addressable in PCs with 64-bit operating systems, though in practical terms 24GB
is going to be the max for most people.
Chances are that most manufactured
today will be able to handle 8GB, but it's
best to check to be sure. And, in general,
DDR2 or DDR3 isn't going to matter in terms of capacities. DDR3 is faster and
more energy efficient, but not inherently
capable of greater capacities than DDR2. Now, all that sounds like a lot of work,
but it really isn't. And what you get in
return is a desktop PC that is significantly
faster.
