bounds in terms of performance and what they are capable of doing.
Computer memory, often referred to as Random Access Memory (RAM), has
become of greater and greater performance as time has gone on.
One of the famous quotes from back in the eighties was one made by
Bill Gates when he said that no one would ever need more than 640KB of
memory. Well that has been passed for ages now, with high performance
machines sometimes sporting over 1GB of it.
There are many advantages that can be had with more memory.
- Programs run faster
- Less waiting time for programs to load
- More programs can be run at a time
- Overall computer speed is increased
Double Data Rate (DDR) memory is the staple of the consumer market. It
has taken off due to public demand and now comes quite reasonably priced.
Computers don't generally come with less than 256MB of memory
nowadays. My computer after freshly installing Windows 2000 (no, I
haven't gone to Windows XP yet) takes about 80MB or memory. That is
the very least, with no additional programs or anything else
installed. After I have installed all the graphics drivers, Internet
connection software for ADSL, virus protection and firewall it takes
around 160MB of total memory.
From my previous experience, 256MB will do, but after it becomes
quickly filled when running a few programs, Windows reverts to using
the hard drive for memory. It's a way to fake more memory, by using
the hard drive as a temporary store. 512MB now does it for my needs,
but if you run many programs or memory intensive ones, 768MB or even
1GB will do better.
But is memory size the only factor?
An equally important factor is the memory speed. It is measured in
MHz. Most systems use 400MHz DDR memory. This would be the safe bet
with almost any processor you may have. 400MHz has also become the
most common to buy, there is not much slower than that left to buy.
Memory from a reputable manufacturer will ensure that you don't have
problems with it and will also provide a certain amount of
overclocking if you are into that. Even better would be to get faster
memory, it just runs down at the computers speed, even if it is
designed for more.
Another aspect of memory has come into play, being highlighted mostly
by the enthusiastic overclocking crowd, and that's latency.
Memory is a bank or table of places where information can be stored.
In order to get the specific rows and columns certain things have to
be activated within the memory. In a nutshell latency refers to how
long it takes to be able to acces another part of memory. The shorter
the time it takes, the quicker it is.
Low latency memory comes at a huge price premium, with 512MB of top
class memory costing more than some processors.
But does it actually benefit you?
If you are into high-speed 3D games then there could certainly be a
difference. For the rest of us, there probably won't be much
difference. It's still worth it however to keep latency in mind when
shopping around. I would certainly choose a lower latency model when
buying.
Dual channel memory is another recent addition to memory technology.
What it does is it puts the memory into pairs, the two pairs together
can increase on the performance and speed of the memory by up to 10%.
The motherboard has to support it, and the memory has to be the dual
channel kind. Dual channel will work even when not in a pair, but
normal memory will have no advantage when put in a pair.
Finally, DDR2 is a newer addition available for Intel systems. It has
240 pins (the little copper strips at the end that plugs into the
slot) as opposed to DDR memory's 184 pins. In this respect the two are
completely incompatable. DDR2 is by design meant to be in pairs, they
don't have to be, but they all have dual channel capability. Only
Intel processors with LGA775 socket type use this memory, but it is
much faster.
So, whenever looking for more memory, try to bear these factors in mind...
- Do you need DDR or DDR2 (LGA775 systems)
- What speed do I need? Usually 400MHz (named PC3200) or faster?
- 256MB minimum, preferably 512 or up to 1GB
- Dual channel pairs. Do you need them and does your computer support
them?
- Latency, lower the better, but not essential. CAS of 3 is normal.
About the author:
Peter Stewart is a computer enthusiast, his interest in computers and
focus on practical, down to earth advice inspired his two websites.
- Practical buying tips
Fair and honest reviews and opinions
