# How do I get more RAM space? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449 "2003-07-14T19:16:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/1 "2003-07-14T19:16:43Z")
Alright, I have 128MB RAM. I need at least 256MB RAM. Do I need to buy something or can I just delete a bunch of stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Kevin\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kevin\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevin_H)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/2 "2003-07-14T19:26:19Z")
No you have to physically buy a stick of RAM from a store and put it into your computer. I recommend going to this site: > **[Crucial US | DRAM, Solid State Drive (SSD) & Memory Upgrades](https://www.crucial.com/)** > > Find compatible DRAM memory and SSD upgrades for your PC or Laptop with our Crucial Advisor tool or Crucial System Scanner, with FREE US delivery! ---
**Author:** ![loobis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/919ad9/32.png) [@loobis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loobis)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/3 "2003-07-14T19:28:24Z")
You have to buy more RAM (If your PC can hold more). It’s not like Hard Disk space. Deleting files doesn’t do anything. If you know your PC make & model #, you can go here to find out if your motherboard can handle more RAM, and if so, what type: > **[Crucial US | DRAM, Solid State Drive (SSD) & Memory Upgrades](https://www.crucial.com)** > > Find compatible DRAM memory and SSD upgrades for your PC or Laptop with our Crucial Advisor tool or Crucial System Scanner, with FREE US delivery! choose your PC model from the drop-down menu. ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/4 "2003-07-14T19:35:54Z")
Alright thanks, one more question, what costs more; buying more RAM or buying a new video card? While on the topic, which one takes less time to install? ---
**Author:** ![desdinova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@desdinova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desdinova)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/5 "2003-07-14T19:53:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by teemingONE \* > \*\*Alright thanks, one more question, what costs more; buying more RAM or buying a new video card? While on the topic, which one takes less time to install? \*\* It all depends on what you’re buying. A half-way decent generic video card may set you back $50-100, while a whole lot of ram may cost you $100-200 depending on what type you need. On the other hand, I’m about to upgrade my RAM by 512 MB at a cost of $75, while my ultra-cool Radeon 9500 Pro set me back something like $300 at the time. RAM takes significantly less time to install than a video card, if for no other reason due to screwing with the new video drivers. 99% of the time, installing RAM on a fairly modern computer consists of: 1.) Open box 2.) Stick RAM in 3.) Close box 4.) Turn on computer ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/6 "2003-07-14T19:55:07Z")
Buying RAM typically costs more. Expect to spend _around_ $50 for a 256/512 stick of RAM. A new vidoe card can cost up to $499, although I personally would consider a $79 card an “entry level” card. Either one takes about the same amount of time to install. Installing RAM takes about a minute less because you have to unscrew the video card from the case. One thing no one’s mentioned yet is that you should open your case to see if you have any available RAM slots. It’s possible that the OEM installed your 128MB of RAM as 2 64MB sticks. This _might_ mean (depending on your motherboard) that you have no memory slots available. If this is the case, then you’d need to take in to account that you’re gonna _lose_ some RAM when you do the upgrade. Plan accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/7 "2003-07-14T20:02:24Z")
Alright thanks again. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rex Fenestrarum \* > \*\* It’s possible that the OEM installed your 128MB of RAM as 2 64MB sticks. This _might_ mean (depending on your motherboard) that you have no memory slots available. If this is the case, then you’d need to take in to account that you’re gonna _lose_ some RAM when you do the upgrade. \*\* If it is like this, can I take both sticks out and just put in 2 new bigg RAM sticks? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/8 "2003-07-14T20:12:44Z")
Locate your motherboard manual and read it; it will tell you how many slots you have available for RAM, what type of RAM stick you need, and what the maximum amount of RAM per stick your motherboard can handle. If you can’t find the motherboard manual, go to the website for your motherboard manufacturer or the retailer where you bought the computer; many have the manuals online in PDF format. ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/9 "2003-07-14T20:13:01Z")
Nevermind the last question, I’m gonna ask a completely unrelated questions cause I don’t want to make a new post. 100% DirectX 9.0 compatible computer Windows 98 SE, Millennium, 2000, and XP CPU Minimum: Intel PIII 933 MHz or AMD Athlon 900 MHz Recommended: Intel P4 1.5+GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+ Memory Minimum: 256 MB RAM Recommended: 512 MB RAM Video Card Required: 32 MB 3D Graphics card with Hardware Transform and Lighting (T&L) Capability Recommended: 64 MB 3D Graphics card with Vertex Shader and Pixel Shader (VS/PS) Capability Sound Card: PCI, USB or Onboard Audio Device CD-ROM: Quad Speed CD-ROM drive or better Keyboard and mouse 56K modem or faster Internet connection 1024x768 capable monitor 2.0 GB of free hard drive space. It is recommended that you have at least an additional 500 MB of free space available after installing the game for the Windows swap/page file and additional patch downloads. Alright those are the minimum and recommended specs for the game I want to play. And here are my stuff. System Information- Time of this report: 7/14/2003, 16:13:14 Machine name: COMPUTER Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) (2600.xpclient.010817-1148) Language: English (Regional Setting: English) System Manufacturer: Compaq System Model: Presario 6027US BIOS: 686O2 v1.08 Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU 2.00GHz Memory: 504MB RAM Page File: 222MB used, 1008MB available Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0a (4.09.0000.0901) DX Setup Parameters: Not found DxDiag Version: 5.03.0000.0901 32bit Unicode Display Devices- Card name: Intel® 82845G/GL Graphics Controller Manufacturer: Intel Corporation Chip type: Intel® 82845G/GL Chip DAC type: Internal Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN\_8086&DEV\_2562&SUBSYS\_00B80E11&REV\_01 Display Memory: 64.0 MB Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (75Hz) Monitor: COMPAQ MV940 Color Monitor Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200 Driver Name: ialmrnt5.dll Driver Version: 6.13.0001.3119 (English) DDI Version: 8 Driver Attributes: Final Retail Driver Date/Size: 5/22/2002 14:43:50, 29696 bytes WHQL Logo’d: Yes WHQL Date Stamp: n/a VDD: n/a Mini VDD: ialmnt5.sys Mini VDD Date: 5/22/2002 14:42:54, 78045 bytes Device Identifier: {D7B78E66-6622-11CF-8E61-B920A3C2CB35} Vendor ID: 0x8086 Device ID: 0x2562 SubSys ID: 0x00B80E11 Revision ID: 0x0001 Revision ID: 0x0001 Video Accel: ModeMPEG2\_B ModeMPEG2\_A ModeMPEG2\_C ModeMPEG2\_D Deinterlace Caps: n/a Registry: OK DDraw Status: Enabled D3D Status: Enabled AGP Status: Enabled DDraw Test Result: Not run D3D7 Test Result: Not run D3D8 Test Result: Not run D3D9 Test Result: Not run Sound Devices- ``` Description: SoundMAX Digital Audio ``` Default Sound Playback: Yes Default Voice Playback: Yes Hardware ID: PCI\VEN\_8086&DEV\_24C5&SUBSYS\_00B80E11&REV\_01 Manufacturer ID: 1 Product ID: 100 Type: WDM Driver Name: smwdm.sys Driver Version: 5.12.0001.3501 (English) Driver Attributes: Final Retail WHQL Logo’d: Yes Date and Size: 4/3/2002 19:24:26, 459944 bytes Other Files: Driver Provider: Analog Devices HW Accel Level: Full Cap Flags: 0xF5F Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 48000 Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 33, 32 Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 33, 32 HW Memory: 0 Voice Management: Yes EAX™ 2.0 Listen/Src: Yes, Yes I3DL2™ Listen/Src: Yes, Yes Sensaura™ ZoomFX™: Yes Registry: OK Sound Test Result: Not run Its probably self-explantory but I’m not too good at reading computers. Do I need anything besides a new video card? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/10 "2003-07-14T20:27:51Z")
I don’t believe so, although I can’t see anywhere there if you have enough HD space free… What game are you trying to play? ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/11 "2003-07-14T20:41:03Z")
Star Wars Galaxies, where would I go to find out how much HD space I have? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/12 "2003-07-14T21:20:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by teemingONE \* > Alright, I have 128MB RAM. I need at least 256MB RAM. Do I need to buy something or can I just delete a bunch of stuff? > . . . . > minimum and recommended specs for the game I want to play > Minimum: 256 MB RAM , Recommended: 512 MB RAM > . . . . > here are my stuff. System Information > Memory: 504MB RAM ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/13 "2003-07-14T21:47:22Z")
I have two computers. One of them has the necessary video card and other stuff but not enough RAM, and on the other I have the necessary RAM and other stuff but not the right video card. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/14 "2003-07-14T22:03:38Z")
In my experience you really want to have at least the recommended level of all the stuff for games not the minimum. And depending of the game you want even more than they recomend. ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/15 "2003-07-14T22:37:14Z")
**teemingONE** : You’ll probably get a better gaming experience by upgrading the videocard in your faster machine than adding RAM to the slower machine with the working videocard. On the other hand, 256MB of RAM, depending on what type it is, will probably cost around $30, compared to the $60 or so for a new videocard. Upgrading the RAM on the slower system will also speed up EVERYTHING, not just let the game work. ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/16 "2003-07-14T23:04:32Z")
Alright, thanks for everyon’s help. I’ve arranged to get a new video card on my faster computer. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![pinoy\_storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/45deac/32.png) [@pinoy\_storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinoy_storm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/17 "2003-07-15T01:24:02Z")
Can you make your computer faster by adjusting the space allocated for paging files? In my system properties, under advanced performance properties/virtual memory it describes paging files that are used by windows AS IF it were RAM. Say i have a few GB free on a drive can i allocate this space to make my computer perform considerably better? And if so is the few GB of space worth it? ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/18 "2003-07-15T01:30:49Z")
**pinoy\_storm** : No. If the paging file is sufficient in size, you’ll see no difference from increasing it. If it’s NOT of sufficient size, you’ll be getting “Out of Memory” error messages, and increasing the size will resolve these errors. RAM is about 100 times as fast as the HDD, so if data that needs to be accessed gets dumped to the paging file because you don’t have enough RAM, you see a significant performance loss. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Calculus_of_Logic)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-more-ram-space/188449/19 "2003-07-15T02:30:19Z")
Did you say your system had 504MB of RAM? why would you need extra for? And what kind of RAM is it? DDR, SDRAM, RDRAM? i’m 90% sure you have SDRAM but figured i’d ask. As far as video cards, i am by no means an expert but buying a card that is 8 months old will save you bundles. I have a GeForce 2 Titanium that has worked fine for counterstrike & Team fortress. If you go to pricewatch, the GeForce 4’s are under $60 now.