Blogs
- PC World editors make your system tweaks and upgrades easier than ever with visual guides that take you through each process step-by-step.
Subscribe to this blog
Step-By-Step
Bulking up your computer's memory remains one of the most popular upgrade projects: It's inexpensive, it's relatively easy, and it can dramatically improve performance. And today's memory-hungry software can make upgrading your PC's RAM a virtual necessity. For example, Microsoft recommends at least 128MB of memory for Windows XP; 256MB is better, however, and 512MB is better still.
Most desktop PCs built over the past few years use dual inline memory modules. PC100 (100-MHz) and PC133 (133-MHz) SDRAM DIMMs are most common for Pentium-based PCs built one to three years ago; systems of that vintage based on AMD processors often use PC1600 (200-MHz) or PC2100 (266-MHz) double data rate modules.
Recently, faster DDR modules have become the standard for both Pentium- and AMD-based systems. The most prevalent type is PC2700 (333 MHz), and PCs that use PC3200 (400-MHz) DDR memory are starting to appear. Some high-end computers use dual-channel DDR memory for extra speed. Rambus memory is still available as well. High-performance Pentium 4-based systems often use more-expensive Rambus inline memory modules. Older machines typically have 800-MHz RIMMs, while new systems use 1066-MHz modules.
We get oodles of mail about memory upgrades. Check out "Frequently Asked Questions: RAM Upgrades" for some helpful answers.
Click here for past Step-By-Step columns. Stan Miastkowski (stan_miastkowski@pcworld.com) is a PC World contributing editor.- Page 1 of 3
- Next ยป
Print 50% more pages than with refilled inks. Trust Original HP Inks. Hit Print Reliably.
Upgrade to IE 8
Featured APC Accessories For Your System
10% Off Entire Cart at Online Store
-
APC Back-UPS ES
Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
- APC SurgeArrest Performance Highest level of protection for your professional computers, electronics and connected devices, as well as provides surge protection.
Focus on Personal Productivitysponsored by Microsoft
- Personal Finance 2.0 These free and fee-based Web services not only aggregate data from your online bank accounts, they give you tools for managing your money.
- High-Tech Travel Tips Plenty of stories provide advice for elite mobile professionals. But what about you, the unproductive traveler?
People who read this also read:
Best Prices on Graphics Cards
GeForce GTX 260 Video CardPrice: $169.99
Radeon HD 4890 Video CardPrice: $199.99
GeForce GTX 275 Video CardPrice: $245.00
DMX-WL1 BRAVIA Wireless Link - wireless audio / video dPrice: $299.00
Radeon HD 4850 Video CardPrice: $109.99
GeForce 9800 GT Video CardPrice: $89.88
All PC World Blogs
- Google Chrome OS, BlackBerry Tour, and CrunchPad on PC World Podcast 35 Join the editors of PC World for a frank discussion of the week's tech news.
- U.S.-South Korea Cyberattack: Lessons Learned Five days after the start of a widespread cyberattack on the U.S. and South Korea, security researchers say they know where the governments likely slipped up.
- Open-Source Media Player VLC Hits the Big Time Longtime favorite free and self-contained media player VLC finally makes it to version 1.0.0--and brings a host of new features.
- Wise Disk Cleaner Pro Gives Your PC a Thorough Cleaning Clean up junk files with this full-featured program.
- 2007 Microsoft Office Suites Comparison This paper compares and contrasts four suites of the 2007 Microsoft Office system: Microsoft Office Standard 2007, Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007, Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 and Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007. This paper is intended to help organizations understand the applications and capabilities offered, and to identify the suite that best fits their needs.
- Windows Vista Migration: The Business Proposition It's not so much a matter of "if" but "when" for most organizations regarding migration to Windows Vista. Laying the groundwork now for this migration can yield higher ROI than waiting until later. This Computerworld Technology Briefing explains it all.



