Computer Memory Upgrades

Have you noticed that your computer is running slower after installing new software? Did you upgrade your Mac to OS X Lion and feel it’s just not running as smoothly as before? Overall slow computing?

Your computer may be a perfect candidate for a memory upgrade.

First, you may be asking what computer memory does? Your computer memory is different from your hard disk drive which actually stores all your programs, documents, photos and other media. Memory, on the other hand, is used by your processor to store data that it’s immediately working on. A popular analogy is that memory is like your desktop: you keep your immediate working files on so they’re quickly accessible while the hard disk is like the filing drawer and houses all of your records that you’re not working on.

Second, how do you really know if adding memory will make a difference? As a current rule of thumb, if you have 2GB or less of memory, you should definitely consider upgrading your memory to ensure you’re not running out of space. Both Windows and Apple OS X use something called a swap file to allow you to multitask and run many programs with a limited amount of memory. When you load multiple programs and don’t have enough memory, the computer will use your hard disk to temporarily store information that would normally be stored in memory so you can run the currently selected software. When you switch between programs, you may notice there is a delay and the programs may not be very responsive. This is the OS writing and reading to the swap file. By adding memory, you will be able to store more active data in memory and avoid writing to the slow hard disk.

Let’s quickly go over how to determine your computers current memory and see much it’s actually using.

Ready to upgrade your memory? Contact Nerd Busters for a quick estimate and you’ll be on your way to faster computing. We’ll even throw in a complimentary system optimization.