Upgrade Guide

You're dreaming of one of those spanking-new loaded Pentium II-400 PCs--but it's only a dream. Even so, you do have some real options for rejuvenating your old PC. And of all the upgrades we cover in this column, extra memory is closest to a fountain of youth for PCs.

Windows 95 and NT hunger for memory. At an absolute minimum, you'll want 16MB of RAM--and much more if you like to switch among several memory-craving applications.

If your PC's hard disk activity light blinks inordinately often or your PC suddenly seems stuck in molasses, that's a good sign it's short on memory. When Windows runs out of memory, it starts swapping information to and from your hard disk--a vastly slower process.

For most Windows 95 users, 32MB of memory is a good amount. But if you use space-hogging applications such as professional graphics applications or you run a big database, stepping up to 64MB is wise. And if you're using Windows NT, 64MB is a reasonable minimum. You're unlikely to need more, though most motherboards made during the past several years can handle up to 256MB.

Fortunately, memory prices keep falling. At press time, 32MB cost about $70, making this a truly economical upgrade.

There's a huge and confusing variety of memory types available today. Most PCs made since 1994 use Extended Data Out (EDO) dynamic RAM chips mounted on single inline memory modules, better known as SIMMs. Newer machines often use synchronous dynamic RAM (or SDRAM) chips mounted on dual inline memory modules (DIMMs). Check your manual, or on some PCs your start-up screen, to find out what type of memory and module you now have and need for your upgrade. If your PC has both SIMM and DIMM slots, note that you usually can't mix the two types on the same motherboard. Upgrade with whichever type of memory your system already holds.

Most motherboards made since 1992 have a set of four long, typically white SIMM slots. Many motherboards made within the past year include one or two longer, black DIMM slots, which usually are empty. You can figure out how large each memory module is by dividing your total memory by the number of modules.

Adding RAM is one of the easiest system upgrades. Here's how to do it.