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Random Access Memory

At one point most of us may recall a time when we suddenly could not remember something. Whether it is a person’s name or place it is times like these that get us wishing that we could improve our memory.

Many of the computers that come across my workbench tend to have the same basic problems. One that I see often is insufficient Random Access Memory (RAM), or as most people tend to call it, just plain “memory”.

What is RAM? A Ram is similar to a goat and has horns. Oh! We were talking about computers. My memory must be lacking. RAM is to the computer what a countertop is to a kitchen. RAM is the “workspace” where the computer stores and processes all the current instructions needed to operate programs.

Why is it important to have enough? Glad you asked. When a computer does not have sufficient RAM it uses part of the hard drive to temporarily hold the instructions. This is called “Page File” or “Virtual Memory”. It does this by taking part of the current instructions and moving them to the hard drive, loading up the next part of instructions and executing the commands. When it needs more instructions it again needs to take something out of RAM, move it to the hard drive then move what is needed back into RAM. The computer will keep doing this as long as there is not enough RAM to hold all instructions.

What is “wrong” with using Virtual Memory? There is no problem using Virtual Memory occasionally, but when used constantly more problems tend to occur. How many of us has known someone (maybe ourselves) who has tried to use the “temporary spare tire” in place of a regular tire for a long time? Anyone who has can probably testify that, among other problems, the other three normal tires start to wear down faster and more abnormal. Similarly other problems tend to develop when one is constantly using “the spare memory”. The most obvious is the computer tends to operate slower since it constantly needs to retrieve and put back information to virtual memory. For those who tinker in the kitchen it would be like reading a recipe (add eggs), putting the recipe and other items away before adding eggs because you do not have the space to do it all. Once eggs are added you need to clear area in order to get the next instruction. You keep repeating this until you finally finish the recipe. How long before you grew frustrated and a little hot under the collar? This leads to next item.

HEAT! The more the processor needs to work the hotter it becomes. Overheating is one of the causes of processor death or unplanned computer shutdowns.

Question: Which door on an automobile tends to wear down or develop problems first? Usually the driver’s door as it tends to be the most used. Likewise when a computer constantly uses “virtual memory” the hard drive (area where all your data is stored) tends to wear out sooner.

Speed Zone: I have worked on computers with processors running 4+ times faster than mine, yet mine finished jobs 2-3 times faster mainly due to more memory. Recently I added memory to a computer that was using a “high speed” internet connection. I tested the bandwidth (or speed) before and after adding memory. I noticed on this computer that the internet speed more than doubled after adding more RAM. Not all computers may increase internet speed with more RAM because other items affect speed. But in this case the RAM was the restricting item.

How do I know if I need more RAM? One way for those running Windows 2000 or XP is a little utility called Task Manager that you can access by going to RUN and typing “taskmgr” without quotes or pressing CTRL, ALT, and DELETE at the same time. Choose Task Manger (Windows 2000 only) then click on the performance tab. Look at MEM (or PF) Usage chart and note amount being used. If this amount is close to or greater than the amount listed in Total under Physical Memory then the computer may be a candidate for memory increase.

How do I add more memory? This is too much to answer in this article, however there are numerous sites on internet that give step by step instructions. The first place to start looking is the manufactures’ web site.

Summary: Overall adding more RAM allows the computer to work more efficiently and thus finish jobs sooner. Most people comment that their computer “runs faster” after RAM is increased.