The easiest way to add more memory to your computer is to hire a computer professional. If, however, you want to add the memory yourself, you may be surprised to find that it is a task that can be handled by the average computer user, given the time, patience, and proper instructions

Assessing What You Have

The first step is to assess what you already have. Don’t know how much memory your computer has? Hold down the ALT key while clicking or double-clicking on My Computer and you will see the System Properties screen which tells you exactly how much memory you have installed. Before adding more memory to a really old system, you must assess whether you want to invest any money into the system or would be better off to just purchase a new computer. Most newer computers, however, are sure to benefit from some additional memory. If you are thinking of upgrading to Windows Vista, unless you have a particularly memory-rich computer, additional memory is almost always required.

Choosing the Right Memory Chips

Actually, choosing the new memory is the hardest part. Not because of the cost, but because of the many different types and configurations of memory that are available. For your computer to perform most efficiently, you need to match new memory with the memory that is already installed in your computer. Once you start looking at memory modules, you will find lingo like SDRAM, DDR, EDO DRAM, and Rambus DRAM thrown around quite flippantly. The easiest way to find the type of memory that you need is to look at the documentation that came with your computer. Your receipt will tell you the amount already installed. The computer documentation should state the type of memory used and the number of slots that the computer has available for additional memory. If you don’t have the documentation or it doesn’t give you the information that you need, a quick call to the manufacturer with your serial number in hand will usually get you the answer. You can also visit the Web site of a company like Crucial who sells memory. The Crucial Memory Advisor Tool takes the guesswork out of upgrading. It will allow you to enter the brand, model, and type of computer and will tell you exactly the type of memory needed.

Don’t be cheap when it comes to memory. Erratic computer behavior caused by poor or mismatched memory modules can be the most difficult problems to troubleshoot. Head off any potential problems by purchasing memory from your computer manufacturer or a reputable source like Crucial.com .

While investigating the memory to purchase, be sure to note any additional requirements. Some older SIMMs must be installed in pairs. Some memory slots will accept only a certain capacity memory module. If you use Crucial’s Memory Advisor, it will take care of all the details for you.

Don’t Be Memory Poor If your computer constantly reminds you that resources are low and performance itself is sluggish, you might be memory poor. Adding more memory is one of the easiest ways to improve your computer’s performance. I hope that the instructions in this How To will be the motivation you need to boost your computing power by beefing up your memory.  And installing that new memory is also a fairly easy task. See my How to Install Memory tutorial for details.