A SHORT LOOK AT MEMORY
Let’s take a short look at memory on your computer. When asking about memory most people may think about the size of storage on your computer, for instance what size is the hard drive? Actually the size of your hard drive doesn’t have much relationship to your memory. When asked about the memory on your computer the reference is to the memory modules installed in the memory slots on the motherboard. These modules usually install in the PCI slots. There are two things to keep in mind about this memory. One is “Form Factor” and the other is the type of modules installed, and they must match.
On XP and Vista operating systems you can find out how much memory your computer has installed by clicking on the “Start” button then on “My Computer” or Vista’s just Computer. From there right click anywhere within the window that will open. Next, click on “Properties.” The information here will tell what operating system is on your computer, who the manufacturer is, the processor that is installed, how much memory you have, rather you are using a 32 bit or 64 bit system (older computers may have 16 bit), and the product ID for your windows operating system.
I am not going to get into Form Factor because it would take several pages just to write about this subject. Unless you are into building or going to replace internal parts it is not something needed just for normal use. The easiest way I have found to learn about my computer, the memory installed, and what kind of memory to purchase to upgrade is go to a source that sells the memory. Two sources that make searching for memory use easy are www.crucial.com and www.kingston.com. My reason is they provide a download, then scan your computer after which they will tell you how much memory you have and how much you can increase. The memory modules they ship are guaranteed will be the correct ones for your system. If you know what memory you need and how many modules, then you can also shop at “Tiger Direct.” You will find a direct link from this site, and after you know what modules you need; it very well may be cheaper from Tiger Direct. I prefer ordering from them. For best performance use the most memory your system will support.
Let me provide a short reason for adding memory. When you boot your computer and the operating system is loaded it will be transferred from a storage location to the memory on your computer. As you work with applications, more is placed in the memory sections of your computer. If you don’t have enough memory, you have to wait while the windows application searches through the hard drive to find what it needs. If you have enough memory installed the search is much shorter because this location is much faster than searching through the hard drive. When purchasing a new computer it is unlikely the manufacturer will have installed the maximum amount of memory.
Be sure to make your purchase from a reputable supplier because if your memory modules are of poor quality they will most likely adversely affect your computer and causing system errors and instability. Some suppliers may deliver used modules. When your memory modules arrive look for the manufacturers date stamp stamped on the chip itself. The date will be shown as year and week. It will be in this form, YYWW with the Y representing the year and the WW showing the week of the year. An example would be 0952 representing the 52nd week of 2009. If it has an older date stamp I would question whether it is a used chip. Take a good look at the edge of the chip for a reflective and polished, protective coating appearing on new chips.
I hope this article was helpful, add your comments or email questions and suggestions.
Kermit
