Computer memory is usually replaced or upgraded by a technician, but you can do it yourself. In older computers, the memory is located on the largest board inside the computer, the motherboard, or on an expansion card - a card that sticks up from the motherboard and screws in to a slot. Some computers have memory both on the motherboard and on an extension card. Modern computers use memory �sticks� - strips of plastic with little black rectangles. They are easy to replace.
There are two ways to increase the memory in your computer.
Check whether you have an additional memory slot, and then buy another memory stick. The new stick must match the old one. If it isn�t identical, the computer may recognize one part of the memory but not the other.
You may opt to replace the existing memory stick with one that has greater capacity. The physical size of the stick remains the same. It is better to have single memory sticks with large amounts of memory than to have the equivalent amount of shorter sticks with smaller amounts of memory.
Your computer works more efficiently if each stick has the same amount of memory.
What problems can arise if the computer does not use the memory in an efficient manner?
The computer likes to have things go very smoothly. If it has difficulty locating the memory that it needs, it may not struggle, and it may just give up. This will result in an inability to utilize the memory that you do have in your computer. This procedure of removing or exchanging memory is as follows.
Locate the memory sticks. You may have to remove some other cards or boards in order to access them. You might want to practice replacing boards on a broken computer before doing it on the regular computer that you will use.
After removing enough items so that the memory is easily accessible, you can remove or exchange or add memory to the computer.
Memory upgrades in laptops are more complex, and you may have to buy expensive proprietary memory sticks from the manufacturer.
Memory upgrades are actually quite rare. The memory which you got with your computer is usually sufficient. Very often, if you have to upgrade the memory, then you are using modern programs that require more advanced resources. In that case, it may require upgrading other parts of the computer. In that case, you may consider replacing the computer box itself instead. You are likely to get much more computer value in that way and you can use the older computer as a replacement or as a spare.
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