Imagine this. Your once-dependable computer is acting strangely—it is freezing, lagging, or having tantrums. It might be time to give it some memory boost.
The same way increasing the RAM on your phone can improve the speed at which apps operate, you can restore your computer’s lightning-fast performance by boosting its RAM.
While this is the case, how can you tell if a memory problem is the cause of your computer’s slowness? Here are signs to look out for:
Applications open and close too slowly
When Chrome replied to your clicks instantaneously, and Photoshop opened quickly, do you recall that? If you find yourself looking at spinning wheels and progress bars for what seems like forever, your RAM is probably having trouble keeping up with the needs of your applications.
You can’t multitask
Are you attempting to manage several open tabs, documents, and programs yet encountering annoying lags and crashes?
This is a well-known sign of inadequate RAM. Simply expressed, your computer lacks the storage capacity to accommodate all the data required to maintain the simultaneous operation of these apps.
Your Computer Stops Working
All actions—clicking, typing, and scrolling—feel choppy and delayed. This is your machine begging to be left alone. Overcrowding RAM causes even simple operations to become frustratingly slow.
Programs Suddenly Crash
Another warning sign is those unexpected program crashes, frequently accompanied by confusing error messages.
The crashes occur when your system switches data to your hard disk, which is far slower than RAM. As a result, your RAM overflows and crashes.
You have a “Low Memory” Warning.
You should take action when your operating system notifies you directly that it is running out of memory. This is a clear indication that your system is ready for an upgrade.
How do you choose the right RAM for your device?
Type of RAM
Did you know that RAM found on a laptop is not the same as RAM found on a desktop computer? DIMM, or “dual in-line memory module,” is the designation for RAM modules. There are several varieties of DIMM available on the market:
The most popular RAM module available for PCs is called UDIMM, which stands for Unbuffered and Unregistered. RAM is most likely UDIMM if described as just “DIMM.”
The second most popular type of RAM is SO-DIMM, which is required for laptops. The term “small outline,” or SO, just means “DIMM,” but in a more concise way. As mentioned, SO-DIMM should be what you anticipate finding for laptop RAM and can be Unbuffered.
Similar to the above, but even smaller than SO-DIMM, is the MicroDIMM. Although these RAM module types are much less prevalent than the previous two, they might be used in laptops or other tiny computing devices.
You should confirm your device’s ideal type of RAM and buy it from a reputable store such as Boost Hardware.
DDR
DDR, or “Double Data Rate,” is the abbreviation for RAM. The number that comes after (such as “DDR4”) indicates when this double data rate standard was created.
Dynamic Random Access Memory, or DRAM, was initially used to describe early RAM in computers.
Most RAM is still just DRAM; better circuit designs have only made memory operate faster and hold more data.
A clock signal interface was first added to enable the DRAM to synchronize with other system components, leading to the DRAM’s rebranding as SDRAM.
Then, DDR was created to provide you, the user, and the other machines with twice as much data bandwidth.
After that, DDR2 and DDR3 RAM were developed, and most modern gadgets use DDR4 RAM. Although DDR5 is a recognized memory standard and may be found in some graphics cards.
In any case, the specs of your motherboard and CPU will be vital in selecting the type of DDR RAM you require for your PC. Be sure to familiarize yourself with them before making your RAM selection.
Capacity
It goes without saying that having more RAM is preferable to having less RAM. Due to this, the primary feature consumers search for when purchasing is RAM capacity. A computer with 8GB of RAM will perform better than one with 4GB of RAM.
But you can’t just buy as much RAM as you can afford. Up to 4GB of RAM can only be used by a 32-bit operating system and process, so any additional RAM on such a device is essentially wasted.
Although the majority of contemporary PC CPUs are typically capped at 32GB to 256GB of memory, most new systems are 64-bit, which potentially supports up to 4 petabytes of memory.
As previously indicated, consult your CPU’s and motherboard specifications to find out how much RAM your system can support. Then, by the maxim “more is better,” strive for the higher end of that range.
Speed
This is where RAM becomes a little more complicated. RAM has high speed primarily due to two factors: timing and frequency.
The frequency of the RAM, which is far too frequently called the speed, comes first. It’s possible to see RAM products identified as DDR4-3200 or DDR4 2666 MHz. Those four-digit figures indicate the RAM’s frequency.
The frequency at which your memory cycles through reading and writing the currently loaded data is the number of times per second the memory performs this cycle.
A 3200MHz frequency cycle, or around 3.2 billion read/write cycles per second, is what DDR4-3200 refers to.
While a higher frequency is preferable, but remember that certain CPUs and motherboards might not handle specific frequencies well, so if you want to maximize your performance, you might need to research further on it.
While this is the case, you should note that high-frequency RAM costs a lot.
Parting shot
If your computer is lagging or switching itself off, chances are that it’s low in RAM. When getting a new RAM, take time to research and ensure that you get one that is ideal for your device.
While there are many places you can buy the RAM, don’t be in a hurry and buy from the first place you come across. Instead, you should take your time and find a reputable place stocking high quality devices.
