Introduction
Updating a computer can be time consuming and at times, expensive. One of the most common things that folks upgrade on their computer's is the computer's memory. When you upgrade memory, you are basically giving your computer more to work with which can potentially make a sluggish computer run a lot faster.
In order to upgrade memory, you need to first see how much memory you currently have on your computer. The process to finding that out is to go to your 'start' menu on your desktop. From there, click 'my computer' followed by 'properties'. Once you're on the 'properties' page, you will see how much RAM you have. RAM is another name for memory. If you want to upgrade memory, keep in mind that most computers now a day only have 2 sticks of RAM. You will then need to open up the back of your computer (once the computer is completely powered off) and see what type of memory sticks you have. More than likely, you'll need to discard one of the two memory sticks, in order to achieve an upgrade of memory.
Once you've determined how much memory you currently have and how much you need for a memory upgrade, you'll need to purchase a new memory stick or memory sticks. You can do this by visiting any local computer and electronics store, like Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and etc. Memory chips come in different sizes and capacities, so make sure you know which one you need before taking a trip to purchase one. You can get memory sticks in 128MB, 256MB, 512 MB, 1GB and 2GB. Your best bet is to ask a store employee to assist you in finding the right memory stick.
You then will need to get back to your computer to upgrade memory. Once you're ready for the process, you'll need to make sure your computer is again, entirely powered off. You can typically just insert a memory card into your computers card slot, which is located either right on the PC's console or through a memory card adapter which you can attach to the USB To upgrade memory, make sure the card is inserted label side up. Once you've inserted the memory stick, your computer should automatically recognize the card and automatically make the space immediately available on your computer.
Tips
Once you've done a memory upgrade, go back into your 'start' menu, then to 'my computer' and 'properties'. You once again will be on the 'properties' page, where you can see that you've done an upgrade to the memory, as you should see your RAM or memory increased. How much money you spend on a memory upgrade will completely depend on how much memory you actually purchase. For example, a higher MB memory stick will cost a bit more than a smaller MB memory stick. Most of the time, you can actually purchase memory sticks online for a much cheaper and discounted price than at a local electronics store. Remember, that people often refer to a computers memory by calling it RAM (Random Access Memory). These two terms mean the exact same thing.
