• RAM enables the rest of your computer to work as it should.ram 3 image by PeteG from Fotolia.com
  
  If you're even considering upgrading your computer's memory, it would probably be in your interest to do so. Most of the time you can go to the store, buy a stick or two of RAM and plug it into your computer right away, with no other work required. Memory doesn't cost much compared to other computer components, and it will last a long time. You'll be able to run more memory-intensive programs, and you'll cut down on stress by avoiding situations when your computer slows down or crashes due to lack of memory.
  
  

Performance and Capability

• Random access memory is a core hardware component. You can't run your computer without it. The amount of RAM installed in your system determines what your computer is capable of doing at any one time. You can think of it as being similar to human short-term memory; it's your computer's way of directing its immediate actions.
  
  No shortcut or substitute for RAM exists. If you don't have enough of it to perform a given task, you are out of luck. Your only choice is to upgrade the RAM.
  
  RAM has traditionally been one of the bottlenecks in computer performance. It doesn't take much RAM to use a computer for simple tasks, but it can take far more to run complex programs or to run many programs at once. Installing small amounts of cheap RAM is also an easy way for manufacturers to cut costs on off-the-shelf computers that come pre-assembled and ready to use.
  
  

Multitasking

• The most common drain on RAM is multitasking. Software applications are designed with memory limitations in mind, and your computer should have no trouble running these programs individually. But when you run several programs at once, there may not be enough RAM to go around. In that case, your computer will slow down. In other words, it will become sluggish in its responsiveness to mouse clicks and keyboard strokes. Video and audio may begin clipping or skipping. Your programs may temporarily look blank. These symptoms occur because you are demanding more of the RAM than it is able to accomplish in real-time.
  
  In the short term, you can be patient and wait for the sluggishness to pass, or you can shut down one or more programs so that the others run faster. But in the long term, the only true solution to the problem is to upgrade your memory. You can do this by buying better memory, more memory or both. Most computer mainboards are designed to accommodate more RAM than is actually installed when you buy the computer. After you upgrade the RAM, you will be able to multitask much more smoothly, provided your processor is capable of handling the increased load.
  
  

Optimization

• Personal computers are a major purchase. Gone are the days when you had to pay $2,000 just to get into the game, but even today you can still expect to spend a few hundred dollars for the cheapest new machine. A high-end machine will still cost you a couple grand. When you're laying out that kind of money, it makes sense not to be wasteful, and that means optimizing your purchases so that they are well-balanced with respect to your requirements for what the computer should be able to do.
  
  When you buy powerful hardware components or high-end software programs and aren't using them to their full potential because you don't have enough RAM, you are essentially wasting some of the money you spent on buying them. By upgrading your RAM so that it is no longer a bottleneck, you won't just be boosting your computer's performance. You'll be getting more value out of your other purchases.