Computer memory information...why you may need a ram memory upgrade

Computer memory information...why you may need a ram memory upgrade: "Many people today confuse memory with storage, (hard drive). While selling computers, I often have people say: 'I want a computer with enough memory to hold all these MP3s, I've been downloading.' Or they often speak of photos, or software or about anything you can think of. This is not what ram memory is, that is your hard drive. Think of your hard drive as a closet. A 40 gig is just that much bigger than a 30 gig hard drive. This is where all the software instructions are stored that the processor utilizes. The problem is, hard drives are slow, and there's generally a ton of junk in there that the processor has to dig through to find what it wants. Ram memory is what I like to call� 'walking around memory.' Try to think of ram like this: When working on your car, walking back and forth to the garage and trying to find each needed tool is very time consuming. Instead, taking a
toolbox, with the appropriate tools, to the job makes more sense. Think of the processor as a mechanic, and the hard drive as the garage, and the ram memory as the toolbox. The more the ram memory, the bigger the toolbox and therefore the more tools you can take to the job. That's how ram memory works, as a toolbox the processor stores instructions in that it's using on the current job. Ram memory is much faster than a hard drive so the processor can access it easier. Nothing stays in ram memory; things just flow in and out as they are needed.With today's powerful processors and huge hard drives, ram memory is the one thing most people are short of. Upgrading your ram memory is also the cheapest, most effective improvement you can make to your computer for overall increased performance."