How Much Memory Is Enough?

How Much Memory Is Enough?

Since the days of Windows XP and Mac Mountain Lion, operating systems have expanded at a nearly exponential pace. This is good in the sense of being more robust and feature-rich, but it has taken it's toll on many machines, forcing folks into upgrading before the usefulness of the machine had been maximized. That may be part of the plan, but I'll refrain from conspiracy theories at the moment.

Another factor in the need for more internal memory, or RAM, is moving from 32-bit to 64-bit processors. This was necessary to handle the ever-increasing storage capacity. It is common now to see 1 TB (terabyte - that's 1,000,000,000,000 bytes of data) disks as part of the standard configuration. We used to think 1 GB (gigabyte - that's 1,000,000,000 bytes of data) was huge.

At any rate, bigger has become better and the need for more internal memory is greater than ever. Unfortunately, to keep the "base system price" low, the computer manufacturers continue to load the "minimum requirement" of RAM on the systems they sell. This has settled in at about 4 GB. Unfortunately, this is really not even enough for the casual user. Because of the added stress of the larger operating systems and larger processors, I recommend a minimum of 8 GB.

My rule of thumb when asked the question, "How much is enough?", my reply is the same. "Buy as much as you can afford."

The one redeeming factor in this issue is RAM is relatively cheap. A 4 GB stick of RAM is around $20 - 30 for most machines. If you are not sure how much memory your computer has, there are several ways to find out. Because the method varies so greatly I won't try to tell you here. You can Google the method for your particular device, or you can go to www.crucial.com and use their tool to scan your system. It will tell you how much you have, and how much your machine can hold. If it is user-replaceable, it will even give you pricing on purchasing additional memory.

If you have any questions about this process, or if you would like assistance upgrading your computer, let me know. I'll be glad to help.

Dudley Harris
256.366.4201
dudley.m.harris@gmail.com