Introduction
Whenever you think your computer is slowing down or needs an upgrade, the most profitable way to do it is by installing extra space that upgrades memory. It is what will give your computer the biggest kick in performance. Over time, as computer applications and software get upgraded and heavier for systems to handle, you need to upgrade your computer’s memory so that they can better deal with extra heavy load. Most computers and laptops are out of date a week later than when you get them. So basically why do it and what upgrades memory? Ever heard of a computer hardware called RAM? Well then here is a quick review. RAM is Random access memory which is part of the computer that constantly reads and writes data being used. All applications and program when running use this memory to read and write the instructions.
History
Whenever you are using applications or you use too many of these in your system at once, the memory runs on higher capacity and eventually has little room left. With less space it has fewer places to process new data and hence becomes slow. This is the point when you need to realize that you need to upgrade your computer’s memory. A frequently asked question is that is there any software that upgrades memory? Well the answer is NO and it is simple why. You can upgrade the memory’s performance without upgrading it or reformatting it and losing some or all of your current programs. So when you do realize it is time for you to upgrade your computer’s memory, you need to figure out what kind of upgrade you need. There is not just one kind of RAM for all systems. There is SDRAM, RDRAM, DDR, DDR1, DDR2, DDR3, PC2700, and CL2.5 and so on.
Features
The first thing you need to do is figure out what RAM your system supports. You can do that by checking your system’s manual and seeing the kind of RAM and number of slots your PC’s motherboard has. If you do not have a manual, you can always download it from the manufacturer’s website by simply typing in your PC’s model number and motherboard series number. If that still does not work, take your PC to an expert and make him open it up and see what RAM you are going to need. The second thing you need to understand is speed. Speed upgrades memory but that is not always true. It is the maximum speed that your system can support. An old Pentium 4 cannot handle RAM’s above 1GB that well. So you do not want to spend a lot of money on expensive RAMs and still end up with a slow computer.
Tips and comments
Most motherboards have the option of accommodating one or more RAMs together. They have a number of slots, so you can simply buy another RAM and install it and keep using your old one too. The final thing you should observe is the Column address strobe. The lower the case ratings of RAMs the better and faster it is. For example DDR comes in CL2 and CL2.5, that is, their case rating is 2 or 2.5 but SDRAM comes in CL2 and CL3. Unless your manual specifies a case rating, pick the lowest rating you can, as it is the fastest and really upgrades memory space.