The operations of your computer are very similar to the operations of the human mind. You see, computers are ‘judged’ by their ability to remember and retrieve stored information. Basically, your computer is only as good as it’s memory. There is one intrinsic difference between the human mind and the computer mind – technology has made it possible for the computer mind to be easily upgraded when it starts to deteriorate, conversely, modern science has not yet discovered a way to ‘upgrade’ the human brain.
Computer memory is easy to understand if we compare it to ‘human’ memory. You’ve probably heard the term RAM many times. RAM stands for ‘random access memory’ and is comparable to human short-term memory. Most of the data that your brain accesses is first stored in your short-term memory before moving to your long term memory. The same goes for your computer. When you enter data, it’s stored in the RAM first!
Cooler still is the fact that your computer will check the RAM millions of times per second. The more RAM your computer has, the faster it will operate. To the contrary, if your PC has too little RAM, it will run as slow as molasses.
Computer memory is enumerated using two terms: megabytes (MB) and then gigabytes (GB). These two units of measure quantify memory capacity. Aside from these, your computer memory will also be enumerated based on the type of memory it has. These include SRAM, DRAM, SDRAM and a host of others. Most of today’s processors are lightning fast, meaning your computer will probably require a dual-in-line memory module (DIMM). If your primary computer is a laptop, you will likely require a small outline, dual-line-memory module (SODIMM).
If you’re planning to use your computer for simple word processing and Internet surfing, you will not require much computer memory, especially when compared to available memory capacities. Storing documents and other standard data takes up very little computer memory, meaning you can store all the Word documents you desire and still have most all of your available memory. However, if you choose to store games, movies, music, photos, or graphic design images, your computer’s memory space can dissipate very quickly.
So, depending on your computing needs, you can easily perform an upgrade so your PC meets your standards. The type of computer memory your machine requires will be printed on your product information sheets. If you don’t have these documents, you will likely find this information via the manufacturers web site. Once you’ve made your determination and your purchase, all you have to do is swap old memory for new. You will find countless step-by-step resources for this process online!
