Enhance Your Laptop Computer’s Performance
When some computer owners notice after about 6 to 8 months that their machine’s speed has decreased noticeably from what it was initially, they get worried that it is nearing its life span and ditch it to buy another brand new one. The speed of a computer decreases more as a result of new programs installed and the type of programs that you run; more than over a question of age, especially when it is still not even one year old. The difference in speed will be more evident in a computer that came with a modest RAM (random access memory) capacity stated in megabytes (MB).
This type of problem could be easily overcome by enhancing the RAM so that it could load and handle many programs simultaneously without any appreciable loss of speed. In a conventional computer, upgrading the memory (RAM) is something a lot of computer owners can handle on their own while laptop owners may refer them to authorized service agencies. RAMs come in rectangular thin strips called chips or modules that fit into the grooves in appropriate slots on the motherboard. You will have to know the type of RAM used in your computer such as SD, DD (I) or DD (II), required speed and whether its parity or non-parity, before ordering. A computer generally has about 3 slots for memory modules that come in 128, 256, 512 MB or 1 GB capacities. (All this information could be had from your user manual, the manufacturer’s website or a service technician if you do not have that knowledge yourself). However, there are websites such as Ramvalley.com that scan your system online and recommend how much of RAM to upgrade to.
The difference that a small increase in RAM could do to your computer is tremendous; and could easily make your computer you almost ditched to spring to life and pull along healthily for another couple of years or more for a small cost compared to what it would have cost you to buy a new one.
Talking of memory upgrades, what first comes to your mind is what would be the ideal RAM for your machine. That depends on the type of use to which you put the computer. Gaming, graphic designing and video-editing programs need a lot of memory power to operate at reasonable speeds whereas word processing, spreadsheets and general internet browsing, chatting etc. do not need extensive RAM to operate at acceptable speeds even if all those programs were to run concurrently including an added anti virus program running in the background. 512 MB is quite adequate to run all the latter programs simultaneously in the Windows XP environment whereas 1 GB would suffice in the case of the former programs. You may go up to 2 GB of RAM if you are engaged in lengthy video editing, downloading several videos simultaneously, running advanced intensive 3D games or uploading videos to YouTube etc., you should be having a built-in graphic card of around 64 to 128 MB for satisfactory results. In laptops, the graphic card is generally integrated into the motherboard and cannot be upgraded as in desktops.
RAMs could be purchased according to brand names from any stores selling computer parts and accessories. Ensure the compatibility of the specifications of RAMs to be added with those of your computer, notebook or laptop system. This could possibly have been already verified with online scanning as stated above. You should also check if returns are accepted and the extent of the warranty period.
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