Table of Contents

• Step 1: An Introduction to Memory
• Step 2: Buying your RAM
• Step 3: Installation

Step 2: Buying your RAM

What kind do I need?

Remember that your computer will support only one family of RAM, so we need to find out which one that is (if we can also find out the FSB of the RAM you already have that will be an added bonus). There are few different ways of doing so:

• Find out from your computer's manufacturer. This kind of information tends to be buried somewhere in your computer's manual (if you still have it) or somewhere on the manufacturer's website. However, since manuals have a way of growing legs and walking away, and certain websites tend to develop amnesia at an alarming rate, you might need to try the next option.

• Crucial (a RAM manufacturer/retailer) has a "Memory Advisor" tool that will probably be able to figure out what kind of RAM you need. They will of course try to sell it to you as well, which is fine, but you might find a better price at some of the other e-tailers listed below.

• Open up your case and take a look (you're going to have to do so eventually ). Hopefully, the RAM you already have has its family and speed printed on a sticker somewhere. You can also try comparing the slot types: SDRAM slots have two "notches" as pictured here, while DDR and DDR2 slots have just one. If you're really up for counting, DDR slots have 184 gold pins, while DDR2 slots have 204. Instructions on opening up your computer and locating your DIMM slots can be found in Step 3.

• Call us! (x18062) We have a few hardened RAM veterans over here who wouldn't mind subjugating one more memory insurrection...

A note on FSB

If you can't find out the FSB rating of the RAM you already have, don't worry too much. Sometimes it's easier to screw the speeds and just buy the fastest rated stuff that your family supports. With RAM prices the way they are now, this is definitely a viable option. Don't worry about buying RAM that's "too fast"--it'll just clock itself down to a speed that your motherboard/other RAM can handle.

A note on capacity

A stick of RAM's capacity, measured in megabytes (MB), is a measure of how much data it can store. ITS recommends that by the time you're done with this process you have 512MB or more of memory in your system. Your computer probably has either 64MB, 128MB, or 256MB or memory in it, but keep in mind that you have a limited number of DIMM slots in your motherboard, and you may have to remove some of the sticks you already have in there to put in your new one. Also, some motherboards are very picky when it comes to lots of differently-sized sticks running at the same time. For this reason, you may want to buy just one 512MB stick (or two 256MB sticks, since that may be cheaper), trash the stuff you already have, and not worry about compatibility issues.

A note on Dual Channel

Certain newer Intel and AMD motherboard support "Dual Channel" mode, whereby two sticks of RAM act in concert with one another. If your motherboard's DIMMs are colored two different colors (or it has Dual Channel written nearby), then you're probably running in DC. This increases performance, but means you have to buy two identical sticks to go in each channel. Ugh. Such offers do exist, although dual channel setups tend to be picky--you might have to remove your existing RAM in order for it to work.

To the store!

Once you've found out your RAM family (and, if you're lucky, its speed as well) you can actually buy the stuff. You can get RAM from large retailers such as Fry's, Best Buy, Circuit City, and others, but the online-only New Egg has by far the best selection, prices, and return policies.

• Newegg
• Crucial
• Retail chains (Best Buy, Circuit City, Fry's, etc.)
• eBay

One last note: please, please, buy RAM from a reputable manufacturer. Cheap RAM can start producing errors, which ends up as corrupted files, broken operating systems, and unstable computers (the "blue screen of death"). The following manufacturers are recommended:

• Corsair Value Select
• Kingston Technologies
• Crucial
• Mushkin
• OCZ
• Buffalo

Once your RAM arrives, we need to install it in your machine. Choose your computer type:

• Laptop
• Desktop