When searching for a new computer or simply wanting to upgrade
your current PC’s specs, RAM is a huge determining factor. It’s
very important to choose the best RAM to fit your computing needs.
Pay too much for RAM you don’t need and it’s money down the
drain; However, pay too little and you’ll be frustrated that your
PC can’t keep up with your computing pace. Let’s look at the
different options in terms of RAM so you can decide which is best
suited for your needs!
1 GB
As for anyone that owns a computer, 1 GB should be the bare
minimum in terms of RAM. 1 GB is the perfect amount for the user that
loves to browse Facebook, play an online game and even listen to a
YouTube video at the same time. Don’t expect to be able to
have two hundred different tabs open while playing World of Warcraft
and have your PC to be running smooth and fast. Or be able to
crunch large datasets (such as when working with large Excel files).
Simple tasks can be done with 1 GB. Not much more really can.
Speaking of gaming (or any video intensive activities), on 1 GB of
RAM you will achieve horrible results and may even be frustrated
enough to want to throw your computer out the window. While
many games have minimum requirements below 1 GB, even with this type
of setup, resolution will be low and frame rate will be extremely
slow. If you’re a gamer, it’s best that you look to higher
options in terms of RAM.
From a business perspective, some small businesses might be able
to get away with 1 GB of RAM. However, the demands that most
operating systems place on memory are growing and can leave your
memory with little capacity for business applications (such as
Quickbooks).
2 GB
2 GB is a significant step up from 1 GB and should really be
utilized for anyone that likes to do a decent amount of multitasking
on their machine. With 2 GB of RAM, anyone can browse the web
with a decent amount of tabs, crunch through sizable datasets, work
on several applications and even edit HD videos at a decent speed.
PCs with 2 GB also have the ability to run powerful programs like
Adobe Photoshop or Adobe After Effects at a decent speed. However
the demands on your RAM depend on the applications your running; if
your current PC is at 2 GB of RAM and still feels slow, you need to
bump up that RAM even more!
8 GB
Now we’re getting into professional territory. For any
serious data cruncher, gamer, photo editor, or video editor, 8 GB
should be the bare minimum that you look to for performance. 8
GB of RAM will result in quick and effective PC performance and speed
compared to the standards on the market today and the best part is
that since RAM prices have come down significantly in recent years, 8
GB of RAM isn’t expensive at all. 8 GB of RAM blows 1 GB out
of the water significantly.
More than 8 GB
Most PCs don’t need more than 8 GB of RAM to work efficiently.
Besides being much more expensive to upgrade to this amount of
RAM (most PC motherboards are only outfitted for a specific number of
slots and the higher RAM cards are more expensive), most applications
won’t be able to access this amount of RAM. More likely than
not, you’ll find a bottleneck either in terms of processor, cache
or bus speed that limits your PC’s ability to access this amount of
RAM. If not, odds are your applications won’t need it.
The only time you should consider this type of setup is if you’re
the type of person that loves to multitask and run tons of
resource-intensive applications at once. Feel like watching 20
cat videos on YouTube at once while editing a 1080p video and editing
in Photoshop? Then by all means, this amount of RAM may be for
you. But for everyone else, 8 GB should be the max amount of
RAM you should purchase. Any more than that seems like a giant
waste of money.
Final Words
There are numerous options in terms of how much RAM someone can
have in their PC. Each amount of RAM varies in terms of what it
can do performance-wise for your PC. 1 GB is great for the
simple user, 2 GB is for the multitasker, and 8 GB is for the gamer
or techie professional. Any more than that though and your
money is going right down the drain! Pick a RAM amount to fit
your needs and you’ll have a fantastic PC for yourself.
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