Do I need more memory?

The question comes up often…Do I need more memory?

We’ll first start this discussion with a short description of what “memory” is.  Memory in this sense is RAM.  Your hard drive is not memory, it is simply storage space.  RAM means Random Access Memory.  Everything you do, even viewing this website is stored in the RAM.

When a program is in memory, it is not there alone.  Your operating system always resides in memory.  The computers memory is vital for holding program execution.  Your computer’s CPU (Central Processing Unit) cannot execute a program directly from the hard drive.  Think about it like this…You cannot do something a book says without first committing it to memory.  You cannot know what’s in a book lying on a table until you read the contents.  The same thing happens with the CPU, it cannot execute a program without first reading it, or committing it to memory(RAM).  Essentially, the hard drive is just the shelf that the book (Program) sits on.  Your CPU cannot process a programs instructions until it loads the program from disk to memory.  Essentially, the disk is the long-term storage, and the memory is the short-term storage, where programs temporarily reside while the CPU executes them.

As stated above, your operating system always resides in memory (RAM).  If it did not, you could not load a program from a disk or run it because the operating system itself is what actually loads the programs to and from memory.  The operating system takes a big chunk of your memory, the program you’re using is in there too (loaded by the operating system), and there must be room for data.  See picture below

RAM

So, do you need more memory?

Since a program processes data and the data and the program must be in memory before the program can easliy process the data, limited memory is often a problem for large programs.  Generally, the more memory your PC has, the faster your pograms run.  The extra memory means the operating system will have to swap less to and from the disk as the program operates.  Here are some common signs that you need more memory:

• Programs open up slow
• Programs run slow
• Typing is laggy
• Operating system functions slow

These are symptoms of low memory if you know that your computer is virus free and has no other possible problems.  All to common, people confuse memory with hard drive space.  We hope that this will give you a better understanding of the difference.  You can have an 8 million gigabyte hard drive, but it means nothing for performance if you only have 512mb of RAM.  For average PC users, 1 Gig of RAM is a good start.  More importantly, check the program you purchase to see what the required minimum RAM is.

To read more about RAM, CLICK HERE

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