How Much Memory Do You Need

When it comes to adding system memory, the general rule of thumb is the more, the better. On average, doubling the amount of memory in your system will increase its overall speed, especially with today's memory-hungry office programs and graphics-intensive games. You'll be able to run more applications at once, and your system will be less likely to lock up or behave strangely. Adding memory makes your computer more efficient.

Any time you add RAM, consider this money-saving tip - if the memory upgrade will fill all the slots in your system, get as much memory (megabytes) as you can. This will save you money if you ever want to upgrade later. That's because once you fill a system's slots, you have to remove some of the existing memory to make room for new, higher-capacity modules.

How much total memory do you need?

Most current operating systems require at least 128MB of RAM, and preferably 256MB or more. That's just for the operating system. Then, you need to add more memory for each program you plan to run at a given time. To calculate the number, look at the software requirements, and add the amount of memory required for each application you'll likely run at one time to the amount you need for your operating system. If you're not sure how much memory your software requires, the following charts can help.

OS Software

Design Software