As time has passed, the need to upgrade memory has grown larger and larger. Where 128MB of memory was considered more then enough for any application, now you cannot even launch Windows on that amount of RAM. These days, computers come standard with 512MB or even a gigabyte of memory, and still memory issues crop up. There are many reasons to need more memory – Windows Vista requires a great deal of memory for its own use. Gaming also requires a lot of memory, as does CAD and similar design programs. Working on large art projects in Photoshop may require you to upgrade memory. Even operating in Windows requires more memory as new programs are required to keep your computer free of spyware and virus infections, and these programs must stay active in the background, tying up RAM that would have once been available for other programs to use.
Windows Vista is Microsoft’s newest operating system, and has the highest memory requirements to date. To install Vista, your computer must have at least 512MB of RAM, and is only capable of taking advantage of Vista’s high-end features if a gigabyte of RAM is installed. However, Vista itself will be using most of that installed RAM, leaving less for other programs to use, which slows down the system as a whole as programs are forced to wait for RAM to become free for their own tasks. This requires most of us to upgrade memory to run our programs. For a Vista system, performance only increases by adding RAM, up to 2GB or more only provides more RAM to run programs in.
And for programs themselves, just to keep your computer safe on the internet, a number of programs usually run in the background. Antivirus, firewall, even anti-spyware and anti-malware programs like Norton Anti-Virus, Windows Defender, and utilities like Ad-Aware offer security, but at the price of requiring RAM as they stay running silently in the background of the computer. While it is important to have this sort of security, it also slows down your system if there is not enough RAM available to begin with for other programs, only to have more programs operate in the background and require their own RAM needs.
And then programs themselves increasingly require more RAM. This once again leaves us with no choice but to upgrade memory. Graphically or processor intensive programs such as AutoCAD, Photoshop or Paintshop Pro require a great deal of RAM, or rendering engines like Maya make use of both a great deal of processor power as well as computer RAM in their operation. As recreation, many of the newest and hottest games out, like Battlefield 2142 recommend having at least 1.5GB or more of RAM to play the game at greater then the most basic detail without suffering from jerkiness or stuttering as the computer struggles to keep up with the demands of the game.
As I said above, now is the time to upgrade your system’s memory, especially if you’re looking forward to upgrading to Windows Vista, or to play some of the newest game titles on the market. And it’s pretty easy to add upgrade memory to any system. Desktop computers have at least two to four slots for memory, and in basic configuration are only using one. This leaves the ability to add up to three more pieces of RAM to your computer, easily bringing a computer from struggling with 512MB of RAM to having 2GB of memory to play games with or just to have plenty of space for using Photoshop or Windows Vista.
Laptops also have the option to upgrade memory. While they normally have only two slots for RAM, and one can be hidden away from easy access for the user, the other is easily found on the back of the laptop, and allows for the user to add another gigabyte of memory, more then enough to bring a laptop from having slowdown issues when too many programs are open to being able to multitask more efficiently, with a half-dozen programs or more open.
So why is now the time to upgrade memory? Because right now, memory is at one of its most inexpensive points for the largest quantities available. One gigabyte of memory costs less then $80 for a desktop or laptop computer. Even an extra 512MB of memory costs less then $40, which is affordable on just about any upgrade budget. Let’s take each of the things coming up in order.
These prices are also the same across the board for common types of RAM. 1GB DDR400 memory is less then $85. The price for notebook DDR400 SODIMMs are just as inexpensive – $105 for a gigabyte, or less then $80 for a gigabyte of DDR533 notebook RAM. Whether for a desktop computer or a laptop computer, upgrade memory is affordable. If your system’s been slowing down, or you’re looking at Windows Vista or a new game and wondering if your system can handle it, now is the time to upgrade your system so you’re sure that it’ll work with what you’re looking for.
Interested in getting new memory for your system but not sure what to get? Take a look at the memory tool below. If you’re currently using the system you want to upgrade memory on, finding out what memory you need is as simple as pressing the ‘Check Your Memory’ button. The tool will take a look at your system and be able to tell you what type of memory it uses and what the best upgrade options are. If you know the system’s model, you can enter that into the system field and it will bring you to the same spot, showing you the best upgrades for that model of a computer.
And if you built your system yourself, or are just taking a look around, take a look at the upgrade memory options we have available, and see what’s available right now.