chips-20072_640If you have an older computer, you’ve no doubt considered replacing it with a newer, faster model with all sorts of bells and whistles. Keeping your older computer, however, can still be an idea worth considering. In previous blog entries we’ve covered a few tips and tricks for improving your computers’ performance. In this article, we’ll look at actually updating your computers’ hardware to update performance.

One of the best things you can do for a computer is to increase the amount of system memory (RAM, or random access memory) it has available. RAM is the crucial go-between in your computer, between the slow hard drive (where data is stored) and the CPU – where information actually gets processed. A computer, no matter how fast the CPU, can only process data as fast as the RAM can feed information to it. The more RAM your computer has, the more information will be readily available to the CPU for processing. The result will be a faster, more responsive system overall. We recommend 8 GB (gigabytes) of RAM as providing the best bang for your buck.

There are some levels of complexity, however, which can complicate your upgrade. You have to know what type and form factor of RAM your system will accept. You also need an operating system that will be able to use your new RAM – 32 bit versions of windows are limited to using 4 GB of RAM, for example, and anything past that is wasted. Laptops and desktops use different formfactors of memory. If you’re not tech-savvy, getting an expert to help you might be the best bet. They can tell you what kind of RAM your system can use, and install it for you as well. We offer this service at IMSInkspot, as well – contact us for more details!

Next time, we’ll cover another important system component – the hard drive!