Memory / RAM

What to look for when buying RAM

So you're looking at buying RAM for your computer. RAM stands for random access memory and it is a type of storage for your device. If your computer does not have enough RAM to meet the needs of your software and applications it may perform poorly.

RAM can cost anywhere from $20 to over $1500. An average 1GB RAM slot will cost $40. Some common RAM manufacturers are Kingston, OCZ, Corsair Memory, HP, Cléa, Transcend, Dell, IBM, Apple, Fujitsu, Samsung, Toshiba and Acer.

When purchasing RAM the key features to consider are PC rating, bus clock, capacity and form factor. Some common PC ratings are PC2-5300, PC2-6400, PC133, PC3200, PC2100 and PC2-4200. Bus clock can range from 33 MHz to 2000 MHz, with the average bus clock being 667 MHz. Capacity can range from 64 MB to 8GB or more, with the average RAM capacity per module being 2GB. Form factors include DIMM 240-pin, DIMM 184-pin, SO DIMM 200-pin and DIMM 168-pin.

Other considerations would be the technology such as DDR2 RAM, DDR RAM or SDRAM, CAS latency and module quantity.