The Basics of PC Shopping - RAM

Hello!

Today I'm going to tell you about RAM, which is a vital part of every computer. This blog is intended for anyone who is considering buying a computer in the near future or recently bought one and would like to know whether they found a great computer or not.

To start things off, what is RAM? RAM is an acronym and it means Random Access Memory and is typically measured in GB or gigabytes. When a computer is operating, all information currently being worked on is stored in RAM.

Think of it like this: You have a large project due soon and it involves many different sheets of paper, open books for reference, and you're munching on food while you're doing all this. Well, this project will require a lot of desk space. If your desk is 1' x 1' in length and width, you're going to frequently find yourself running out of room. However, if your desk is 5' x 5' you will find that you have adequate space for your papers, books, and food. Think of your available desk space as RAM.

In that sense, you can see how vital RAM is to a computer. If your computer has low RAM, but you're doing multiple tasks at the same time, your computer will have decreased performance because it is constantly switching out information on the RAM.

Two final notes about RAM:

While shopping, you may notice something called DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 used when describing a computers RAM. No, this is not Dance Dance Revolution. These are different types of RAM. They look different, operate differently, and fit into different slots inside of a computer. You can not build a computer that requires DDR2, but substitute it with DDR or DDR3 instead. Don't worry, though. Most computers in today's market have DDR2 and you won't even have to locate and recognize them at all.

RAM also has something called processing speed. This is the speed at which the RAM is capable of dealing with information. This speed is typically measured in megahertz, or MHz. DDR comes in speeds of 100, 133, 166, and 200 MHz. DDR2 comes in speeds of 200, 266, 333, 400, and 533 MHz. Finally, DDR3 comes in speeds of 400, 533, 667, and 800 MHz. In any case, the higher the processing speed and storage space (the GB I mentioned), the better your RAM is.

=== Shopping ===

So, how much RAM do you need? Well, that depends on the OS (Operating System) your computer comes with. If you've managed to find a computer that comes with Windows XP, your required RAM is much lower compared to if you were running Windows Vista or Mac OS X. I'll give you a break down of what OS needs what amount.

=== Windows XP ===

If you're running Windows XP and use your computer in a very generalized form, such as music, internet, and social media messengers (AIM, YIM, MSN, etc.) you could get away with 1 GB of RAM (whether it's DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 won't really matter). If you are constantly multitasking on your computer, and typically have 5 - 10 windows or more open at once, you will want 2 GB of RAM (again, type doesn't matter). For very high end users like intensive audio or video editing, photoshop hobbyists, and high-end gamers, you'll want 3 GB, which is the maximum capacity for Windows XP.

=== Mac OS X ===

Most Macintosh computers come with an appropriate amount of RAM for general use. However, if your requirements include heavy multi-tasking or you work with Aperture, Final Cut, Photoshop, high definition games, Logic, or some other process-heavy application, you can request to get more. The maximum amount of RAM ranges per model of Macintosh, but in today's market you can potentially reach up to 8 GB of RAM on an iMac or MacBook(Pro). If you have a Mac Pro, you can reach up to 32 GB of RAM if necessary. Speak to a Mac Genius and they should be able to tell you how much you need based on what you'll be doing.

=== Windows Vista ===

Although Vista brings many excellent features into the tech world, it is very energy intensive. If you're buying a computer with Windows Vista, make sure it has DDR2 or DDR3 RAM. DDR2 is much more common at the moment, and I doubt you'd even find a computer with Vista and DDR RAM on it. No matter what type of RAM you find, and no matter what you will be doing, you will want at least 2 GB of RAM for Vista. If you're fortunate enough to have a x64-bit version of Vista (should be noted in the computer description sales page or display model) then you practically have no limit for RAM. In this case, if you're an intense computer user, have many windows open at once, or run very intense programs like games and audio and video editors, you will want 3 or 4 GB of RAM. If you have this and still find that you'd like a faster response from Vista, you'll probably need to upgrade something else on your computer. The maximum amount of RAM any general user should need on a Windows Vista computer is 6 GB, but that's rare.

=== Windows 7 ===

At the time of this writing, Windows 7 is in closed beta and no computers are sold with Windows 7 pre-installed. Windows 7 is estimated to release in 2010, but this is a simple estimation. If you happen to have the released beta on a computer, here's a run down of how much RAM you'll want. Windows 7 is not as energy intensive as Windows Vista. A general user can get away with 1 GB of RAM. Moderate users will want 2 or 3 GB of RAM. And finally, high end users will want 4 to 6 GB of RAM.

=== Conclusion ===

In the end, it all depends on what you're doing and how much you're doing at once. If you bought a computer and play minesweeper, you shouldn't concern yourself with details like this. If you want a computer that won't cause you to pull your hair out down the road, I hope this blog has helped you!

Thanks for reading,
-Nick