Issue 16.15
“More is better” is a true statement about most things in the computer world. More space on your hard drive, more speed, etc. all hold true for most people. In the world of computer memory, it is especially important because the newer operating systems such as Windows 7, 8 and 10 rely on the amount of memory to perform faster and handle more tasks at one time. In essence, you can do fine with 4 Gigabytes on most systems and 6, 8 or 12 will take your machine to its full speed without breaking the bank. For more detail, read on.
You can check your memory by clicking on search and typing in system information. You will get a number of things about your computer displayed, but installed memory is what you want to look at. This does not tell you how much you can install. You have to find that out by looking at your manufacturers manual which either came with the computer or (more likely) is available online through the manufacturer’s website. In the case of a custom built computer, you will need to find out the make and model of the motherboard and look at that manual or website. These can also tell you what type of memory the motherboard will accept. Since there are over 70 types of memory now and only the ones designed for your motherboard will work, this is important to know. The older motherboards could only support memory chips up to 2 Gigabytes each, but many of the new ones can handle 8 Gig and even 16 Gig chip packages.
Windows XP worked fairly well with 1 Gigabyte of RAM (Random Access Memory) when it was new. Even after all the updates that came along, it worked well with 2 or 3 Gigabytes, but 3 was pretty much the limit it could work with. Vista made progress, allowing up to 8 Gigabytes, but most machines made do with 2-4 because of the cost of memory and the architecture of most motherboards (where you plug the memory in).
With the newer systems (7, 8 and 10), the systems can handle much more memory and performance increases as you do. Some systems come with 2 Gigabytes, but most now have at least 4, with 6 and 8 Gig configurations not being unusual. There is a difference based on which version you have. If your version of Windows is a 32 bit type, you are pretty much limited to 4 Gigabytes. However if you have the 64 bit version, you can have up to 16 Gigs on the Home Premium of 7 and 8 and a whopping 192 Gigs on 7 professional and 512 Gigs on Windows 8 Pro.
I admit that it is overkill for most people to go beyond 8 Gigs on most home systems unless you are doing major multitasking (many windows open at the same time) or memory intensive projects such as CAD or fine detail graphics design. That may not be as true in the future as software companies take advantage of the ability to use more memory when they need or want to. Gaming is also memory intensive and that little edge created when you have more memory can make a difference in your experience.
If your system seems slow, this is one way you may improve performance. If in doubt, call your local professional for help, and always remember to back up anything on your computer that is important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 33 years, 26 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or shaun@musicomp.net.