Computer and Software Support


How much memory should I buy 

To decide on teh amount of memory you should purchase is a very important decision. The amount of memory that programs require in order to run increases as programs get more advanced.

Generally (but not always) it is cheaper to buy memory when you buy the computer than to buy it later. Therefore when you order a computer, you should get as much as you can afford.

Unless you are going to purchase the maximum amount of memory your system will hold, you should get the memory in the largest size stick. To better explain this, I will use a scenario.

You have a computer that will take 4 sticks of memory. Your maximum amount of memory the system can hold is 4 gigs.

Each slot can hold up to 1 gig of memory. I am going to list the prices of memory (The price is not actual cost but made up for this scenario)

  1. One stick of 128 megs of memory costs $25

  2. One stick of 512 meg of memory costs $50

  3. One stick of 1 gig of memory costs $75

 

In this scenario, you purchased a computer that has 4 sticks of 128 megs of memory. The total cost of the memory is $100 and you have a total of 512 megs of memory.

A month later you want to increase your memory to a total of 1 gig of memory. In order to do this you have to remove the existing memory. You can remove one stick of memory and add a 1 gig stick of 1 gig of memory memory for $75. This will give you additional memory over the 1 gig amount you want. That is not the problem but it is more expensive. That is because you had to buy a bigger stick of memory to make up the memory you removed plus adding memory to get it up to at least 1 gig.

Now lets change the scenario,

Instead of purchasing a computer with 4 sticks of 128 megs, you buy the computer with 1 stick of 512 megs of memory. This leaves you 3 slots free. You decide you want to add memory to the system so you have 1 gig of memory. Since you have a slot free, your able to buy a 512 stick for $50 and add it. This scenario is cheaper than the previous scenario.

For information on memory, click here

For assistance on deciding what to get when you purchase a system, click here.