Many users have noticed that their machines often slow down for no apparent reason. This may be virus related, or it may be a memory problem. Determining which one isn’t very hard for the experienced user, but the inexperienced might have some difficulty. It’s important to recognize the difference between malicious software, and lacking hardware.

While viruses can certainly make your computer run slow, there are usually other signs that accompany them. New icons on your desktop, odd behaviors, and programs telling you your machine is infected that you didn’t install. These are all symptoms of a virus and can slow your machine down. However there is one other explanation for these slowdowns that you need to consider.

The other reason is the RAM. RAM is an acronym that stands for Random Access Memory and is very important to your computer as it acts as the system memory. This essential hardware is installed in every machine, regardless of its operating system. The documents and files you saved on your computer is processed by the RAM.

When a program is loaded in your computer, it is processed using the RAM. Unlike the Hard Drive that runs as a static memory, the RAM has a volatile memory. When the power is turned off to your computer, the information saved on the hard disk stays put, whereas those that are loaded into the RAM will be lost. RAM is basically used as a temporary storage facility for your computer to load and execute programs and commands.

Insufficient RAM can make your computer to work really slowly; the reason being is the system’s requirements. For example, an older operating system may only require a minimum of 256 megabytes of RAM in order to function. Working on a bare minimum will suffice, it will not be much though, but your computer will work. A newer operating system may require a bigger size of RAM, talk about 1 gigabyte or 1024 megabytes!

Installing a new operating system on a computer whose RAM size was meant for an older OS will not work well. The reason being is, as operating systems advance there is a greater volume of programs that need to be loaded to the RAM. This is how it works, when you play a movie on the media player, the movie is loaded into the RAM for easy playback. Inadequate RAM will make the movie playback freeze and stutter, which will make you wait until the systems catches up.

Operating systems somehow have a way around your computers inadequate RAM size. It usually designates a part of your hard drive as a temporary RAM and this is called, virtual memory. Nothing is kept permanently on this area, and your computer will still run slow. It’s really a good idea to double the size of the RAM that your operating system requires to ensure maximum performance.

Insufficient RAM or system memory will have a total effect on your computer, this goes to the activities that you enjoy doing with your computer: web browsing, gaming, video streaming and a lot more. While it does share similar aspects as a virus problem, it can be easily solved. You can buy a RAM stick and plug it into any available USB slot, or better yet, buy a higher capacity RAM chip and replace your existing one.

Dorthy Weatherbush realizes just how pertinent her computer is for not just her family but for her business, which is why she uses Crucial Memory. To ensure that her computer has sufficient memory, Dorthy usually upgrades her memory with Crucial Memory every year.