This Season, A Gift for your PC Too. #1: RAM

Want to boost the speed of your computer? Try adding more RAM. It is one of the first upgrades you should try on your computer.

A typical absolute minimum memory to have today is 512 MB. If you do lots of work on your computer - run lots of programs, browse the Internet with lots of tabs open etc, you should try a minimum of 1 GB RAM. If you are an advanced user, run latest software and can afford it, go for 2 GB RAM.

The First constraint is the maximum amount of memory that your motherboard supports. To find out your computer's limits, look up your computer's specifications. If yours is a branded computer like HP, Dell etc, you can easily find the information on their website. You can also contact their customer support for the information.

If you have an assembled computer, or if you are unable to get the information from your computer vendor, you can look up the information from your motherboard manufacturer's website. You can open up your computer and find the motherboard model number printed on the board itself. Then, look up the information on the motherboard manufacturer's website. Also make note of what and how many modules are already installed on the computer and how many slots are available / free.

For example, Intel® Desktop Board D845GRG supports the following memory configuration:

• Two 184-pin DDR SDRAM DIMM sockets
• Support for single-sided or double-sided DIMMs (DDR 200 and DDR 266)
• Support for up to 2 GB system memory

For latest Intel motherboards, click here. For legacy / archived Intel motherboards.

The Second constraint is the number of Available Memory Slots on your motherboard. Lets consider an example. Your motherboard has a total of 2 DIMM slots. You have one 256MB memory module already installed. That leaves you with just 1 more slot free.

If you need to upgrade to 512 MB, you can buy One 256 MB module. If you need to increase your system's memory to 1 GB, you have to buy One 1 GB module only. Leaving the old module intact, Your computer will have a net of 1GB + 256 MB: 1,280 MB memory. Or you could add just one 512 MB RAM and get a net of 768 MB RAM.

If your system does not have free DIMM slots, you may have to discard the old modules. (You may be able to readily sell them in the grey market).