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| We want to help you select the right memory for your needs. First, you need answers to two questions:
How do I know I need more memory?
There are several signs that tell you memory is getting scarce. The most obvious sign is your computer telling you that you don't have enough memory to complete some operation. Usually, this happens when you try to run an application and there isn't enough memory for it to run.
If your operating system supports virtual memory (eg, Windows95) and you notice that it's running slower than usual or there is an excess of disk activity when you switch applications, you need more memory. Virtual memory will allow you to run many programs simultaneously, even in a fairly small amount of memory, but it will do so at a cost in performance. Virtual memory operating systems don't usually run out of memory, they just run slower and slower as you allocate more and more virtual memory.
On a Macintosh, the Finder will tell you how memory is being used when you select the "About this Macintosh..." item under the Apple menu. If there is little or no free memory, you are obviously running out and should consider installing additional memory.
In addition to applications, most operating systems can be tuned to use more or less memory. If memory is tight, they can cut back such things as disk caches to conserve. However, these measures almost always lead to a corresponding drop in performance.
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How much memory do I need?
As a rule of thumb, most modern personal computers need at least 16 megabytes of memory to operate smoothly. The minimum goes up significantly, however, if you expect to use memory-intensive applications, such as multimedia, graphic arts, software development and many Internet applications. Some operations, such editing complex images with Adobe Photoshop, can profit from almost all the memory you can give them.
A home user who runs standard financial applications, low-end painting and drawing programs, simple word processing software, shareware and other "light" applications can probably get by with the minimum memory configuration for their operating system. This is particularly true if the user only runs one or a couple of these applications at one time.
Users who want to run many applications at once or who use more sophisticated software will need to go up a step from the minimum. By adding an additional 8 or 16 megabytes of memory, more complex applications, such as high-end word processors, extensible web browsers, image editing software and multimedia applications can be adequately supported.
Professional users who manipulate large images, create multimedia or write software will probably want all the memory they can afford. In many cases, the speed and productivity increases realized from additional memory can easily pay for the memory.
Lastly, computers used as file, database or web servers can often benefit from additional memory. For the same basic reasons already mentioned, these machines will benefit from additional memory. However, memory added to a server computer benefits all users of the server.
Now that you've determined how much memory you need to buy, we can help you select the correct type of memory for your computer. Use our interactive Memory Configurator to determine the type of RAM that your computer requires and how many memory modules must be added at a time.
Or if you prefer, you can download our TIPPS database with versions for Mac or PC.
Coming soon to this location: a database of TechWorks Resellers to help you find the dealer nearest you. In the meantime, see our How to Buy page for more information.
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