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Laptop RamHow much laptop ram do you need?512 MB of RAM is the absolute minimum for anyone buying a new laptop with Windows XP. Vista uses even more RAM, so while you might get by with 512 MB, 768 or 1 GB is a much better choice. What typically happens when all the available RAM is in use, and will happen often in a system with Vista and only 512 MB of RAM, is that the hard drive is used for temporary storage instead. You can think about a computer in operation in terms of a CPU waiting to get data to process. Consider it this way: A CPU is very fast, and has different types of memory that it uses built in to it. This memory is the first place the CPU looks for data it needs to process, and the memory is all fast so we'll give it a value of 10 for speed. RAM is not as fast as the CPU, but this is the next place a system will look for data it needs. RAM is fairly fast and we will assign it a value of 2. A Hard drive is slow. Compared to CPU memory and RAM, it is extremely slow. If a CPU has a value of 10, hard drives have a value of .00001 CPU - 10 RAM - 2 HD - .00001 Because it is so slow, every time the hard disk is accessed the system has to wait. So the less the hard disk is accessed the better, and the best way to achieve that is to have enough RAM. I strongly recommend anyone purchasing a new laptop get at least 512 MB of RAM with Windows XP and 1 GB of Ram with Vista. Other notes: You may have the option to get the ram in 1 or 2 "banks" or "slots" of your laptop. Designs vary, but many laptops have two places to insert RAM. If you buy a laptop with all 512 MB in one slot, you could always add more later, which could be very convenient. If each slot has 256 MB in it, you end up with 512 MB, but to add more, you drop 256 in the process because you have a limited number of slots. Often it is worth paying a little more to ensure you have 1 free ram slot when you get your new laptop. Another reason to get enough RAM is to increase battery life. With 512 MB or less, the hard drive will be used more during normal operation of the laptop. The hard drive uses more power than RAM, so there will be a real loss in battery life if you don't have enough RAM. Finally, vendors charge various amounts of money for memory upgrades. In most cases, it's easy to simply remove a few screws, and insert RAM you’ve purchased yourself. Typically this will not void your warranty at all, and can be a great way to save money but still get plenty of memory. Recommendations Budget System If at all possible get 512 MB, especially with Windows Vista. Your first upgrade when buying a new system should be, before a faster CPU, a bigger hard drive, or a bigger screen, moving up to more RAM. It probably isn't a huge expense, and the performance rewards can be dramatic. Value System 512 MB is enough RAM for Windows XP, but more is better. If you run a ton of programs all at once, moving up to 768 MB or 1 GB is a good idea, but really. With Vista get at least 1 GB. One thing to consider, depending on the price, is getting RAM all in one slot on the system, instead of two. That way it will be easy to upgrade later. This probably is not a worthwhile change if it's very expensive, but for $10 - $20 probably does make sense. High End System Move up to 1 GB with Windows XP and 1.5 GB to 2 GB with Vista. Your high end system will probably be doing lots of work and the extra RAM will increase performance considerably. |
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