Forum Home
Press F1
Thread ID: 47451	2004-07-27 00:45:00	From The Singapore Straits Times	JJJJJ (528)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
255618	2004-07-27 00:45:00	Hungry for a new PC? Try memory chips By Bill Husted ATLANTA - I never thought I would be typing the next sentence, but let me force my fingers to hit the right keys: You probably don't need a new computer. If your computer came with Windows 95 or 98, you need a new computer and deserve a medal for putting up with an antique for so long. But if your computer was purchased in the Windows XP days, or even a few months before XP came out, you needn't start looking for a replacement. This is because today's computers are so powerful that most of us ended up with a computer that could calculate the annual budget for Brazil in milliseconds. I've owned my 1.4GHz computer for three years now. It's running Windows XP Professional. It is fast enough for me, even though I'm running programs that demand a lot of processing power. But to be able to keep that machine around for a while, you need to soup it up - buy a faster video card if you play games, install a larger and faster hard disk or pop for a replacement processor chip. All that works fine but there's one single change you can make that offers the most bang for the buck - adding memory. It is the closest to a magical fix for a slow computer. When I bought my computer, 128 MB of RAM was really a lot. But nowadays if you have less than 512 MB of memory in a PC using Windows XP, you're wading through mud. Adding memory will put you on a fast track and do it affordably. I need to warn you that buying memory is complicated. For one thing, none of these chips has a Christian name. Instead there is SDRAM, EDO RAM, FPM RAM, DIMM - you get the idea. You need to consult your computer manual to find the type you need. If you can't find the manual, you can go to www.crucial.com or www.kingston.com These websites will tell you what chip you need based on the computer you own. Adding RAM is easy, and the chips come with instructions. You can also find instructions in your computer manual or on the manufacturer's website. Most of you can do this yourself. But if you can't, many computer stores will do it free when you buy the memory chips. Depending on how much RAM you already have in your PC, moving to 512 MB will cost from US$60 (S$104) to US$150 (S$260) or so. So, forget about a new computer, spend the money on some non-fat memory chips. -- Cox Newspapers	JJJJJ (528)
1