Feb 1st, 2010 | Written by tc | Posted in Hardware |

Random access memory (RAM), or memory for short, is one of the most significant, performance affecting features of your computer. Coupled with a decent processor, a good amount of system memory can help your computer accelerate in everything from browsing the Internet and multitasking your workload, to playing resource intensive video games. On the flip side, short changing your PC in the memory department can make it a crippled, crawling, sorry mess – and I think we’ve all had one of these (probably still do).

Luckily, it’s relatively inexpensive to upgrade your RAM, and if you learn how to do it properly, it’s a pretty quick and painless process. The most important thing you can do to make sure the upgrade goes smoothly is ensuring that you purchase the right kind of memory. It may sound like a know brainer, but even IT professionals occasionally screw up and order the wrong parts… there are a lot of them out there, and it’s very easy to do (I know from experience). It’ll save you time, money, grief, and your PC’s integrity if you do it right the first time.

It’s honestly very simple. Just visit a computer parts site like New Egg, Tiger Direct, or Microcenter, and consult their memory finding wizards. It will break things down for you simply, first specifying whether you’re looking for desktop or laptop memory, then characteristics like how much you’re willing to spend, and the horsepower you’re looking for. Just pay extra close attention to the maximum amount of RAM your PC can handle, and whether or not it requires any special features like buffering or error checking (don’t worry – quality finders like the aforementioned lead you in the right direction).

Once you match up everything with the correct model of your computer, go ahead and order what you’re looking for. Once the product arrives, you’re going to save a lot of time and money if you complete the installation yourself, though you do want to be extra careful as not to damage your new parts. It’s a pretty easy installation, but if you’ve never done it, visit the manufacturer’s website and download the step by step manual that they’re almost sure to offer for free.

For more information on how to use a laptop memory finder, visit GetYourHandsNerdy.com.

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