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We Have Moved!

We’re now conveniently located near the corner of Whitcomb and Westnedge behind the Burger King. We are the upper suite in the rear of the building. If you need driving directions, please don’t hesitate to call!

Geek Easy Computers
435 Whitcomb St. UL 201
Kalamazoo, MI 49001
(269)548-TECH (8324)

Q & A: What Does RAM (Memory) Really Do?

Welcome to another segment of Geek Easy Computers series on expanded answers to common questions.  We’re frequently asked  “What does RAM do?” or “Do I need more memory in my computer?” by our clients.  Many people also get RAM confused with storage memory (hard drive data), and we wanted to clear up some of that confusion.

ram

 

RAM stands for Random Access Memory.  It is a temporary location for your computer to copy data for running programs or in-use files while you are actively working with them. The computer is able to access the data copied into RAM much faster than it would if it was only reading the hard drive. However, unlike the hard drive, RAM is considered volatile (can only contain data while the computer is powered on and running). So your hard drive is the long-term storage for all of your computer’s data and RAM is used when you’re actually running the programs and accessing files to speed up the process.

 

RAM helps your computer to multitask.  In a nutshell, the more RAM your computer has, the more tasks your computer can readily complete simultaneously. This allows the program to process faster and have to access your hard drive less (which is slower anyway). The more RAM you have, the more applications the computer can have loaded at the same time without the processor having to cache information on a portion of the hard drive (called the paging file or swap space). There are limits to the effectiveness of RAM, and RAM can only assist in allowing your processor to work as fast as it possibly can. Slower processors won’t benefit from an abundance of RAM because they can only work so fast anyway, so a more limited amount of memory isn’t as much of a bottleneck with slower processors.

 

Computers have limits to the total amount of RAM that can be installed and certain operating systems have restrictions as well. A good starting point for a very basic computer nowadays is 4GB of RAM. 8GB or 16GB is recommended for faster systems, workstations and gaming PCs. Anything lower than 4GB isn’t enough to run most modern operating systems very well. There are also many different types and speeds of RAM. The types are not interchangeable with each other, but the speed of the RAM in most computers is flexible. The majority of computers made in the last 1-5 years are using DDR3 as their memory standard, but DDR4 has been released and will be slowly adopted as manufacturers shift gears. Older systems can use DDR2, DDR, RDRAM or SDRAM (but most of those computers are not as useful anymore).

 

Upgrading your computer’s RAM is one of the easiest upgrades to do, and one that gives one of the best returns on investment.  If you’re not sure if you can upgrade your RAM or what type and speed to buy, stop in a talk to one of Geek Easy Computers upgrade specialists.  We can assist you in determining the best upgrade path for your needs and budget, and we stock the most common speeds and sizes of RAM for the average PC.

 
Geek Easy Computers – Making Technology Easier

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