Will my pc run faster just by adding more RAM. It currently has a piffling 256meg.?

Question

I heard that adding another memory stick will make it run a bit faster but I'm sceptical.

Answer 1

hi ian

            yes this is correct,apart from upgrading your processor a memory upgrade is the best upgrade you can do for your p.c

             and as you have allready stated 256mb of memory is a painfully small amount of memory and with newer programs and games requiring alot more than this a upgrade is your best option

              as a immediate purchase i would double your current memory and add another 256mb ram memory module,you would see massive improvements this way and you would also find programs and games run alot better and even web browsing would be better than before

              however as i say to everyone else on answers,you have never got enough memory,the more the better and with windows vista you should be looking at 2gb as a bare minimum

              however 512mb for windows xp is fine,and is far better than just 256mb,however since windows xp only requires 64mb to run you need to be looking for whats slowing down your p.c in the first place

               my initial guess would be spyware and adware,this is the most common reason for slow performance and all you need to do is run a spyware scan with a decent anti-spyware program like "spybot" (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/downl...

             finally allthough theres only three main types of desktop memory you are best visiting the memory website at http://www.crucial.com/

             run the online memory utility on the main page and this will scan your system and return a report on the correct memory for you to purchase,and since its a live evaluation you know the information is correct

              if you can though ian buy as much memory as you can,if your pc can support 2gb then try to use all the memory banks,and if it supports 4gb thats what you need to aim at

             however as with all memory upgrades you may need to sacrifice some of your modules when adding larger modules,so for example if you have 2 x dimm slots filled with 2 x 512mb memory modules and you wish to upgrade to a maximum 2gb of ram you will need to sacrifice the two 512mb modules and buy 2 1gb modules

               however some local pc vendors will use your sacrificed memory as part-ex towards the price of your new memory so you may be able to save some money that way,however consult the shop manager about this

               any problems let me know

                          good luck ian !

Answer 2

Not exactly.

The processor is where the speed comes from. It will make programs start faster, windows load faster and everything faster.

More RAM only makes you computer faster if you have multiple programs running, which use up more RAM, for example if you listening to music and doing something else, more RAM would make it faster.

As for a faster bootup, it would be you harddrive or processor.

7200rpm hdd speed is very good, 2,4ghz processor speed is ideal.

Answer 3

Almost certainly! You'd be surprised at the difference it will make to an already low memory computer.

Answer 4

Depends on the compatible between RAM and processsor

Answer 5

It would run faster because it would be able to store more data in the memory instead of constantly swapping to and from the hard drive.  The hard drive is a lot slower than the memory.

oh.. and hard drive does not equal memory.  

Answer 6

Yes, but only to a point.

You'll reach a stage where the computer is at it's optimum speed and adding more RAM won't speed it up any more.

When this happens, you need to consider a faster CPU to further boost the speed.

Answer 7

yes the more ram u get the faster it goes, if u want to get it changed go into a pc store and ask a member of staff :D

Answer 8

more than just adding more memory, i would throw away that 256MB stick cos even 1GB is going cheap these days

Answer 9

Adding Ram is the number one thing that helps increase speed on any computer.  Well documented all over the Internet.  Not sure why you would be skeptical about it.  The more, the better.

Go to http://www.crucial.com and the web site will run a scan of your computer. It will tell you what memory will work with your computer.