| How do you know when to buy more memory for | | | | PeripheralsIf you add a printer or scanner to your |
| your computer? Or how much memory you'll need? If | | | | system, you should also consider buying more |
| you can afford it, you should always buy as much | | | | memory. Printers consume system memory |
| memory as you can, since it boosts system | | | | particularly when printing huge files. Scanners consume |
| performance.But not all of us need 1 GB of RAM - | | | | memory when handling large image files.When Your |
| most home users need only about 512 MB of RAM. | | | | Hard Disk Starts 'Chugging'In general, you can tell |
| Besides, computer memory is very expensive - a 512 | | | | whether you should be buying more memory by |
| MB piece of RAM costs about $50. This article will | | | | listening to your hard drive. Yes, by listening to your |
| help you analyze when you need to buy memory and | | | | hard drive. If it makes a long drawn 'chugging' noise |
| much memory is required in various scenarios.When to | | | | whenever you copy or edit large files, you can be sure |
| Buy More MemoryThinking back on my experience | | | | you need a memory upgrade.You see, when your |
| with building computers, there are usually five scenarios | | | | system is low on memory, it borrows space from your |
| under which you'd buy memory for your computer: | | | | hard disk to make 'virtual memory'. This process is |
| When upgrading your operating system | | | | called 'paging' and it's very, very slow and irritating . Get |
| When installing new applications | | | | that memory upgrade and avoid this problem at all |
| When installing multimedia cards | | | | costs!How Much Memory Do You Need?Depending |
| When adding computer peripherals | | | | on the type of software applications you are using, the |
| When your hard disk starts 'chugging' | | | | amount of memory you need will differ. As a bare |
| Let's look at these in turn.When Upgrading Your | | | | minimum, computers these days need at least 256 MB |
| Operating SystemEach time I upgrade my operating | | | | of RAM.Refer to the list below to see how much |
| system, I find that I need to buy more memory. Your | | | | memory you will need based on the type of software |
| operating system is a huge memory hogger. Windows | | | | you use. |
| XP , for example, requires at least 512 MB RAM to run | | | | Administrative: Word processing, email, spreadsheets, |
| smoothly (at least on my PC). Windows 2000 needs | | | | surfing the web, general gaming, not many applications |
| at least 256 MB RAM. Always check the operating | | | | open at once. Get 256 MB to 512 MB of |
| system manufacturer's documentation carefully - they | | | | memory.Executive/Professional: Word processing, |
| always tend to understate memory | | | | email, spreadsheets, presentations, videos, photos, |
| requirements.When installing new applications: Business | | | | surfing the web, general gaming, several applications |
| software like Microsoft Office, video editing | | | | open at once. Get 512 MB to 1 GB of |
| applications like Adobe Premiere Pro and games like | | | | memory.Graphics Design/Software Development: 3D |
| Half-Life 2 really need a LOT of memory. Some will | | | | CAD software, enterprise programming suites, |
| refuse to run if they find your memory lacking. Other | | | | simulation or modeling software. Get 1 GB or more of |
| applications will run but will crawl like a snail. Newer | | | | memory. |
| software these days assume you have a huge | | | | ConclusionThis article has explored the various |
| amount of memory. Again, check the manufacturer's | | | | scenarios when a memory upgrade is necessary. |
| documentation carefully for memory | | | | Once you determine you need a memory upgrade, |
| requirements.When Installing Multimedia CardsTwo | | | | decide how much memory you want. Remember that |
| types of cards come into mind - video cards and | | | | your motherboard has a limited number of slots for |
| sound cards. Video cards have a built-in memory but | | | | memory, so check that whatever memory you buy |
| they also consume main system RAM. Don't be fooled | | | | can fit into those slots. Good luck and happy |
| by that fancy video card that says it'll deliver fantastic | | | | shopping!Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building |
| 3D graphics performance. Video cards depend a lot | | | | computers. Visit his |
| on your main system RAM. Without sufficient memory, | | | | website at for tips and |
| the video cards will still perform poorly even if they are | | | | tricks on assembling a PC, as well as buying good |
| the latest and greatest versions (the ATI Radeon | | | | computer components. |
| 9800 Pro comes to mind).When Adding Computer | | | | |