How To Know Which RAM To Buy

Alright, so you want a faster PC and decided to change the RAM. Well, before you move on, let me tell you that this may not always be the best way to increase the speed of your PC. 



The truth is, upgrading your PC's RAM usually only increases its speed by 2 to 3 percent. But, that's only for moving from a 4 GB RAM to  8 GB or even less improvement for upgrading from a 2 GB RAM to a 4 GB RAM. In those cases you might wish to reconsider the decision to buy a new RAM and might have to consider upgrading the processor instead.

Unless of course  . . . (My story)

Around 2 years ago, my desktop went blank. The monitor wasn't showing anything except for a horizontal blue line. I showed it to a computer engineer and he said, " Well, I've checked it all, it seems you need to buy a new computer." 
"C'mon man! It was just a year old! Call the person who sold this!"

The seller sent a 15 year old boy to check the PC. The engineer was standing right in front of him. The boy, turned the computer on . . . blank (perhaps I should say with a blue line). 

The boy said, " It's the RAM. You need to replace it"

The engineer shot off - " That's ridiculous, I checked it myself. There is nothing wrong with the RAM."

The boy was adamant and he changed the RAM and voila, the screen was back and not black ( I like to play with words :) ). Yepeeee!  

That must have been embarrassing for the computer engineer, beaten by a 15 year old (genius).

So, yeah, unless of course a 15 year old genius tells you its the RAM, you should probably get the RAM changed. And, if it's cheap then why not?

So, How much RAM do I need?

Well, it depends on your computer usage, how much your PC hardware can support and the Operating System you are using. For example, for Windows XP it is recommended to have atleast 128 MB of RAM while for Windows 7 32-bit, you require 1GB RAM while for 64-bit you would need 2 GB RAM.

To do a quick check of your PC or laptop (windows or mac) check out the Crucial System scan which tests your hardware and software to determine the amount of RAM you need, the type of RAM suitable for your computer and how much RAM you already have. 

Also read -  RAM: Add more memory to your computer

An article in Microsoft that takes you through all the steps of changing a RAM and determining the amount of RAM you need.

 Selecting the Best Buy for RAM

So, there are 3 things you need to consider before choosing the RAM:

• The amount of RAM you need to buy
• The type and amount of RAM your Computer allows for, and
• The cost of the RAM
• And perhaps,whether the manufacturer is reliable and trusted(Well, I guess that's the 4th thing!)

Hopefully, you know by now the amount and type of RAM you need for your computer. If not, have a look at Crucial System scan.

Now, that you know which type of RAM you need, why not have a look at buying some RAMs online.

Best Wishes,