Are You a Computer Moron? Read This and Fix It Yourself
Sep 27 '00
A lot of times people want to buy the newest, fastest and greatest computer. They will look for any excuse to justify the purchase. If you are one of these people then go drop a few thousand dollars on a new system and enjoy. However if you are like the rest of us and look for ways to save some money you should try to upgrade your system yourself. Don't be too scared, this isn't brain surgery, folks.
I Feel the Need for Speed
One sure way to get a slow computer moving again is to purchase some Random Access Memory to speed things up. It is like getting extra horsepower in your car, you will notice the difference. (RAM is also know simply as memory) The actual product looks like a computer chip with teeth. It inserts into a slot inside your computer. Most computers are made with extra slots so they can be "upgradeable". There are also different types of memory; you probably have either DIMMS or SIMMS. Don't let this scare you, if you know your model number you can find out easily what your computer has.
How Much Does It Cost?
The cost of an upgrade to your system will vary, it will probably be between $40-$175 depending on how much of an upgrade you want, and if you do it yourself. It will cost you $30-$40 to get it installed. However it is one of the easiest things to do to a computer. It is not as complicated as setting up your computer.
Where do I start?
So you are getting up the nerve to do this. Where do I start? You ask.
Well the first thing you will need to know is how much memory you currently have. You can do this right now if you want to. (I'm assuming that you have Win 95 or higher) Right click on the My Computer Icon on your desktop. Then click on properties. At the bottom of the list of properties is the amount of memory you have. It probably says something like 32.0 MB RAM. If you only have less than 32 MB of RAM then upgrading is a very good idea.
What Do I Do Now?
The best thing to do at this point is to price new memory to make sure you still want to do this. A great place to get pricing information, and to buy memory is www.crucial.com <http://www.crucial.com/> . Crucial has a tool that allows you to find out exactly what type of memory you need for your particular computer. You will probably need your computer manual unless you're Rainman and memorized your model number.
How much Memory do I Need?
The short answer is, it depends. If you are looking to surf the web with a 56k connection then I would say that you could use 64 MB of memory, you can get by with 32 but you will get frustrated. Anything beyond that is up to the limitations of your computer and your pocketbook. I would note that you shouldn't get too far out of hand. Keep in mind that you could buy a new computer for under $500 these days. Additionally you should make sure that your computer has the capacity to be upgraded.
Buying the Memory
I recommend that you get your memory online. There are several reputable
places to buy it online and you will get a much better price. Besides that there isn't some Dungeons and Dragons tech dude laughing at you because you forgot how much RAM you needed. As I said before crucial.com is a great place to buy your memory, and they have reasonable prices and return policies.
Crack it Open
When you get your memory in the mail or at the store it is time to install. You should look in your computer manual for a detailed version of the installing memory, but I will give you the cliffs notes version for installing DIMMS memory.
1. Unhook everything on your computer. (Go to a static free place, or use wrist straps)
2. Get a non-magnetic screwdriver and take off the computer covering. (The screws are in the back)
3. Find the memory slots (They look like where you would insert a Nintendo game)
4. Match up the marks on the memory to the marks on the slot.
5. Insert one side at a time, use about 35-40lbs of pressure. (Don't bend the pins)
6. Replace the shell, plug everything back in and turn the computer on.
7. Right click my computer/ properties to make sure that you got the memory that you wanted.
8. Pat yourself on the back, you're done.
That is it. I hope that this inspires you to do it yourself. It really is easy.
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