How much memory (RAM) do you need?
Whether you are new to upgrading the computer memory in your PC or Mac, or a veteran IT manager that has been doing this for 15 years, the question above is very important. When it comes to adding system memory, the general rule of thumb is the more, the better. However, a person who is using a system to simply browse the internet and check e-mail doesn’t really have any need to purchase a more expensive 4GB upgrade kit, when a 1GB upgrade could do the trick. However, knowing how much you need to purchase can be a daunting task. Hopefully the table below will help assist you in making an informed decision when the time comes.
| How I use my PC or Mac: | What I need for this level of usage: |
| E-Mail, Web Browsing, and Media Player (listening to music or watching standard video) usage. | 512MB-1GB |
| Web Browsing, E-Mail, Word And Data Processing, Simple graphics programs and flash games, Media Player (listening to music or watching standard or high definition video) usage, General Multi-tasking. | 1GB-2GB |
| Web Browsing, E-Mail, Word and Data Processing, Photo Editing, Video Editing, Advanced Graphics programs and Standard Gaming, Intensive Multi-tasking. | 2GB-4GB |
| Web Browsing, E-Mail, Word and Data Processing, High Definition Photo editing, High Definition Video editing, Advanced Graphics programs and High-Performance Gaming, Graphics Design/3D Modeling, Intensive Multi-tasking. | 4-8GB + |
To help clarify how to determine how much RAM is being used, I have added a couple examples of RAM usage for different Operating Systems, Applications and PC Games.
| Operating System: | Minimum Required | Minimum Recommended |
| Microsoft Windows XP Professional w/SP3 (32 and 64-bit) | 512MB | 1GB |
| Microsoft Windows Vista w/SP1 (32 and 64-bit) | 1GB | 2GB |
| Microsoft Windows 7 (32 and 64-bit) | 1GB | 2GB |
| Apple Mac OS X 10.6 | 1GB | 2GB |
| Applications: | Minimum Required | Minimum Recommended |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 | 64MB | 128MB |
| Firefox 3.6 | 64MB | 128MB |
| Microsoft Office Basic 2007 | 256MB | 1GB |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.3 | 128MB | 256MB |
| Games | Minimum Required | Minimum Recommended |
| Fallout 3 | 1GB | 2GB |
| Call Of Duty: World At War | 1GB | 2GB |
| The Sims 3 (WinXP/Vista/OSX) | 1GB/1.5GB/2GB | 2GB/3GB/4GB |
[...] How Much RAM do you need? It may seem that the more RAM, the better. However, at some point you can hit a plateau and your laptop really won’t be working any faster. The general rule is that you only need to upgrade RAM to the point where you’re using the smallest amount of virtual memory possible. One way to find out how much RAM you need is by checking out the requirements provided by the software you intend to run. Ideally you should have at least the recommended amount listed on the back of the box. If the system uses an integrated graphics controller, which uses the RAM to store some graphics, you should add more memory. [...]