RAM Performance Needs

Here we will go over actual RAM performance, where to check how much your computer has, and how much RAM is enough for what the computer is used for.

Checking Our PC’s RAM Performance and Capacity

The amount of RAM loaded into computers has gone up tremendously over the last few years. The reason is simple – new operating systems and new programs require more. One example: The jump from the Windows XP operating system to Vista doubled the required amount of RAM… just to run the operating system itself.

Inexpensive computers may not have enough “working memory” installed from the factory. A case in point was a PC I was working on a couple of years ago, before Win7 came out. This computer was very slow, freezing, etc. and when I checked the amount of RAM I was shocked that it only had 520mb installed. It takes 520mb (megabyte) just to run the Vista.. and run it very slowly. To then open the browser you would literally lock up the system.

But enough of history.. let’s look at how much RAM your PC has: Go To Control Panel, find and click “System”. The middle of the System box should look similar to the snip below. Notice this PC has 2gb of Memory or RAM.

How Much RAM Do We Need?

Memory needs vary due to several factors. Here are some minimum requirement examples:

Operating Systems:
Microsoft Windows® 7 32-bit – 1GB (64-bit 2GB)
Microsoft Windows® Vista 32-bit — 1GB (64-bit 2GB)
Microsoft Windows® XP — 512MB
Software:
Adobe® X Pro – 512MB
Microsoft Publisher 256MB
Games:
Crysis – 1GB
Crysis 2 – 2GB

This information is from Crucial memory upgrade company. They recommend that you take the minimum requirement and at least double it. So for Win7 OS you should have no less than 2GB. If you are playing an intensive game such as Crysis 2 on a Win7 operating system PC then you should have at least 4GB. To check more out of Crucial’s site on recommendations and prices click Here.

Using Windows Task Manager To Analyze RAM

Another good way to check RAM performance and if it is causing your PC to be slow is to go to Task Manager. To bring it up, right click on an empty spot on the lower tool bar of your desktop and select “Task Manager”. It should look something like this:

If you will look at the lower bar on the Task Manager – “CPU usage: 9%” and “Physical Memory: 58%”. The Physical Memory is the RAM. So on this computer the operating system and any programs that are running have taken up 58% of the total RAM available. That is OK. But if you find that your computer is running 70% or higher then it may be a cause of your computer being slow. You can try turning off programs that you don’t need running and see if it helps.

You could also cut off your computer, restart (re-boot) it and then check the Task Manager again with just the operating system and programs that start off automatically. What is it at now? Then open another program such as your browser and see what it does…. and so on until you can get an idea of what is using up the RAM. You may want to check out what programs are starting at startup too. (see Programs Running In The Background)

Bottom line, RAM performance is crucial to your PC’s operation. Hope this has helped.