RAM do you really need it?
So, you’re in the store and the sales clerk says, say the reason your computer is running slow is because you need more RAM and you say something like, really? He goes yeah, really you need 4 Gigabytes, we have it on sale, and it’s easy to install, all you need to do is open your computer and pop-it-in. And you think, humm that doesn’t sound too bad so you tell him you have an HP computer and he goes, no problem I know just what you need, grabs the RAM and hands it to you.
There are so many things wrong with this – where do I start? So, how much RAM do you need, and what does it do anyway? In geek speak RAM holds information from the hard drive in a fast access temporary area so the data may be viewed, edited or used quickly vs. waiting for the slow poke hard drive to fetch it. The more RAM there is the more data is in temporary storage and therefore data becomes quicker to access.
To understand how the computer works think of your own work experience sitting behind a desk. First, there is the worker – that’s the CPU or the central processor, you know her, and she’s fast. Second, there is the desktop – call it RAM and the more RAM you have the bigger your desktop is. The bigger the desktop, the more stuff, like files, you can have on it. Lastly, your file cabinets are like the hard drive. To access files when you need something you have to get out of your chair, walk over to the file cabinet and search for a file, bring it back to the desk and place it on the desktop to work on it.
Well then RAM is a large desktop. Lots of files, photo’s etc. are quickly accessed by the worker without getting out of their chair.
So, the sales person was right. Right? Get a bigger desktop and all your problems with the computer are solved, a quick and easy solution. Hump, not so fast buster. What about matching the RAM to the computer? Are all manufacturers reliable? Did you know different computers require different RAM? Yup. Also, did you know not all operating systems, like Windows XP, can handle that much RAM? Then, there is that little detail of installing the RAM and testing to be sure it works properly. And, oh by the way, if you handle the RAM improperly you could short it out with a static shock and render it inoperable. But don’t worry the big box stores (like Frys) will take it back, restock it without checking it and sell it to the next sucker, err I mean, customer. (Sorry my bad.)
So buyer beware, RAM isn’t as easy to deal with as that department store stock clerk says it is. Although there is a grain of truth to adding RAM, it can be beneficial, but it takes an expert to know when and how much.
If your computer is running slowly, and it used to run fast, the problem isn’t likely to be the RAM as it is more likely either a malware infection or possibly a nearly full hard drive. Hard drives fill up with music, photos and data files. Check your drive and if it is over 60% full – well, it’s full and putting more on it will slow your computer even further. Check your drive now, open my computer, right click on the drive, go to properties and take a look. More than 60% full and your drive access, data access, will slow exponentially (well really by a factor of pi, but heck who’s counting anyway). As the drive passes 70% you’ll get a two times slowing, at 80% four times slowing and at 90% full your drive will be so slow you could hire the worker in our scenario above and have her look up your files faster than the computer and no amount of RAM will help.
Now if your computer has always been slow, RAM might help if the CPU is fast enough to fill the RAM with data before a write state happens. Anyway, have an expert look at your computer, otherwise you could just be bifurcating with the solution going one way, and your money the other.
I’m Will and that’s my opinion.
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