One thing about owning a computer is that, sooner or later, it can fail to keep up with your demands. People crack jokes about buying the fastest computer in the market only to find out that it cannot keep up with the times as its random access memory (popular as RAM) must be upgraded.
RAM is one of the most crucial specifications of your computer’s hardware. Therefore, it is a very useful thing to understand. A working knowledge of RAM can give you an idea of just what your desktop computer or laptop can and cannot run.
Information in RAM memory cells can be overwritten or erased. That is one of the ways that differentiates it from read-only memory (ROM). Your computer’s ROM is hardwired into your machine’s circuitry. It contains the information that allows your computer to perform basic functions such as initiating the operating system, or activating hardware.
Further, RAM helps your computer run applications. Your computer stores temporary information within the memory cells and refers to the data as it runs applications. If the information is not in your computer’s RAM, the computer has to refer to its hard drive. This is slower than pulling information from RAM. So if your computer doesn’t have enough RAM to run multiple applications or even one big program, it may feel like it is just crawling.
RAM is well-suited for temporary storage, used by software for data that needs to be accessed quickly and frequently. For example, if you are using a word processor to create a text document, it is stored in your computer’s RAM while you are editing it — the speed that RAM can be read and written to, allows you to see your edits shape that document in real time.
Every computer has a maximum amount of RAM it can handle. Once you hit that limit, you have gone as far as you can go with your hardware. So you need to know how much RAM your computer has already. How do you get the most at this point?
If you are using a PC
To check how much RAM is installed on your computer, first open a new File Explorer window. Then, find the icon for your system — it might be labelled ‘My Computer’ or ‘This PC’ or something of your own choosing if you have renamed it. Right-click that icon and then select properties.
This will present you with a screen that gives you a rundown of all your computer’s specifications; look under the System subdivision for the entry marked Installed memory (RAM). You will see information about your computer and operating system, including how much RAM is installed.
What if you are using a Mac?
Apple has made it easy to find out how much RAM you have in your computer. Click on the Apple icon in the top left corner of the screen. Choose the option that says About This Computer (it may say About This Macintosh). You will see a line that says Total Memory. This is how much RAM your Mac currently has.
Once you know how much memory your computer has, you need to find out how much it can handle. There are hundreds of different computers on the market and not all of them have the same features and limitations.
