Upgrading the RAM in Your Desktop PC

With the price of RAM (Random Access Memory) dropping drastically, there is no excuse to wait any longer! If your dinosaur of a machine is running 512 Megabytes of RAM, of if your machine is running on the Vista software and has a measly gig of RAM, there is no better time than now to kick start things by upgrading.

Get the right kind.

The best way to figure out what type of RAM your computer uses is to actually take the case apart and look at the existing RAM. It is possible to double check by searching the Internet for your PC model number; there are several sites out there that will tell you what RAM upgrades will work with that particular machine.

Take the old RAM out.

Turn off the computer! Please do not forget this step, because removing parts from a running machine can really foul things up. There are also electric shock risks, so turn the PC off and unplug it before doing anything! RAM sticks are normally five to six inches long and very thin. They are held into the PC by small white clips at either end. Fold these clips away from the RAM stick and pull the old unit out. It may be best to pull from an edge, but removing it by holding the middle is acceptable, as well. Now is a good opportunity to use some compressed air on the inside of the machine, paying particular attention to the PC fan, especially if there are animals in the house.

Install the new RAM.

The new stick will install in the reverse of removal. Simply press the new unit into the bay where the old one was, being careful to match it up correctly. They have offset notches in them and will only fit one way, so if it fights a bit do not try to force it. Hold it up to the bay and make sure the notches line up first. Once it is pressed in fully, close the small clips at each end, replace the casing and fire the machine back up! There may be a new configuration screen upon startup, but most the new sticks simply integrate flawlessly, and the computer will start up just like normal.

Ensure that the new RAM is working.

Go to the Start menu, and scroll the mouse to My Computer for Windows XP users and to Computer for Windows Vista users. Right click the option, and scroll the mouse down to Properties. A box will open which tells the statistics of the computer, and it will report the RAM speed. It should read the new number, because the machine will not even start if the RAM is not working.

Play around a while - it is fun!

Now open the slowest, most annoying programs, and the new speed will be immediately noticed. Software that took forever to open will now execute at a fraction of the old startup time. If the machine was really slow to begin with, you may even notice that Internet pages open quicker. Games with complicated graphics will no longer jerk and skip around, folders with large media files will open right away, and the computer will even restart faster.