Can you ever have enough memory in your computer?

The answer, surprisingly, is yes. However, chances are that you probably don't have enough.

If your hard drive is like your file cabinet, where you store information permanently, then Random Access Memory (RAM) is like the surface of your desk: its where your computer stores data that its working on right now.

You need to have enough RAM in order to run the latest, most complicated programs, to have several programs open at once, and to work with large graphics files. If your computer does not have enough RAM, it will use space on your hard drive to store "overflow" information; this is known as "virtual memory." However, because reading and writing information to and from your hard drive is much slower than accessing RAM, relying heavily on virtual memory causes your system to run very slowly.

The good news is that upgrading your computers RAM is very cheap. In most cases, you should be able to upgrade your machine for less than $75

How Much Memory Do I Have?

First, you need to determine how much memory is in your computer:

• To find out how much memory is in your Macintosh, choose "About Your Macintosh" from the Apple Menu.
• To find how much memory is in a machine running Windows XP, click on the "My Computer" icon with the right mouse button, and select "Properties." Then select the "Performance" tab.

How Much Memory Do I Need?

As of early 2008, we recommend 2GB of RAM as an ideal amount of memory for a machine running Windows XP, Windows Vista or Mac OS X.  1 GB of RAM is acceptable for machines that are lightly used.

What Kind of Memory Do I Order?

The easiest way to find out what kind of memory to order is to use an online memory configurator from a major memory manufacturer such as Crucial.

You simply enter your computer's brand and model and the configurator tells you exactly what kind of memory you need and how much it will cost. It probably pays to shop around, though; memory is a commodity item, and the market is both fast-moving and competitive.

If all else fails, we suggest that you bring your machine into a computer repair store. Opening the machine and inspecting its RAM should be a quick, painless and relatively inexpensive process.

Where Should I Buy Memory?

Memory is a commodity item; prices change often and competition is fierce. You should be prepared to do some comparison shopping. Luckily, a number of major memory vendors have Web sites with current price and ordering information, and virtually everyone ships next-day air.

ONE/Northwest has had good luck buying memory from:

• Mushkin Memory
• Crucial

How Do I Install Memory?

Although figuring out exactly what kind of RAM you need can be confusing, installing RAM is usually fairly simple--if you are comfortable opening your computer. If you have never opened a computer before, now is probably not the time to start; we suggest that you find someone experienced to help you, or bring your computer in to a repair shop for installation. Many computer stores will do this for free--make a couple of phone calls.

Lifehacker has a nice, generic, illustrated guide to installing RAM for the slightly adventurous.