What’s Gotta Stay

In today’s Internet-driven world, it’s a pretty safe bet that you have a computer.  The fact that you are reading this blog increases the odds of that significantly.  How nice or old of a computer you have could vary completely though.  I found these interesting facts about home personal computer ownership:

• Three or more computers in the household: 26 percent
• Two in the household: 20 percent
• One in the household: 36 percent
• No personal computer: 18 percent

Source: TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence via kansascity.com

The real stat I was looking for but couldn’t find right off was the average length of time people own a computer prior to replacing it.  Some people want (and can afford) the latest and greatest of electronics and tend to get a new computer every other year or so.  Others hold on to that old machine forever and milk it until it finally dies or just can’t run the software they need.

Whatever category you fall in, or if you are somewhere in between, it’s fairly likely that you would like your computer to run faster than it does.  Hey, who doesn’t want that program to open a little quicker or that music not to skip when you have ten different things going at once.  There are plenty of things you can do to increase the performance of your computer, from cleaning up the programs installed to cleaning the registry or defragmenting the hard drive.  Above all of these, likely just adding some additional RAM (Random Access Memory) to your computer will make the biggest difference.

The cost of the average home PC has dropped over the years to the point that for even a few hundred dollars you can get a decent new computer.  That said, to get in the low price range computer manufacturers have to cut as many corners as possible, one of the first of which is to only install the bare minimum of RAM that your machine can run on.  When you call in to order your computer, that is one of the first things they will try to upsell you on - which of course you skipped in the interest of saving a few bucks.

The reason RAM is so significant to performance is pretty basic.  Whether you are running Windows or Mac, the operating systems loads whatever you are working on into the working memory.  When you hit the limit of your physical RAM installed, the operating system then starts using “virtual memory” which is really just a fancy word for storing additional information in temporary files on your hard drive.  RAM is much faster performance-wise than your hard drive, so when you are working with virtual memory you take a performance hit.  It’s not a bad thing for this to happen, other than your computer slows down significantly when you get to this point.

The average Windows based computer ships with 256 MB of RAM these days, which truly is just enough to run the basics of Windows XP, much less the programs you want to run.  Call it “program bloat” or whatever you want, but this is just the facts.  So, even in the process of just starting up your computer, you are maxing out your installed RAM and having to rely on virtual memory.

I have done this simple upgrade time and again for various friends and clients, and the performance increase is significant.  Windows loads on average in half of the time or better.  Even more than this, programs open faster, you can switch faster between applications, and simple tasks like printing and loading internet pages are significantly faster.  This is all because the programs are able to run completely (or close to) in physical memory.

Depending on your computer set up, you may have limits to how much RAM and in what configuration you can upgrade to.  Do not fear, at worst you can take your computer into a local computer shop and have them do it for you.  You may pay $50-75 to have them do the job for you, but if you are less than technically inclined, this may be worth it.  If you feel even a little bit brave though, it is not difficult at all.  Once you open the computer, it is simply a matter of making you are static free before touching the RAM (hold one hand against the computer frame) and then clicking the RAM in place.  To purchase the correct RAM for your machine, simply take the model number and brand of your machine to your local CompUSA or similar and they can look up what you should purchase.

You can see a performance boost with 512MB or better, but I recommend if you are making an upgrade, go to at least 1 GB.  This may require that you remove the current RAM and install 2 individual “sticks” of memory to get to your desired size.   Again, don’t fear the tech side of this too much, just lean on the tech in the store to get you the right purchase.  Also, RAM often goes on sale, so watch for the best price on what you need to buy before making the purchase.

If you use a computer often, this simple upgrade will increase your productivity and quite frankly your quality of life.  No more will you have to get frustrated and curse the screen as you wait on the next task to get completed.