Member Avatar for willis86

Hi,

I currently have 512MB of RAM, 128MB of which is "Shared Memory" (whats is shared memory?). So it seems i have 384MB of RAM which seems enough to me, but the games I play are jumpy and slow and I'm sure its because I do not have enough RAM.

If i was to buy some more RAM, do i need to buy a specific type?
And where abouts in the computer do I insert it?

Thanks,
Wil

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Dani AI

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Several useful points have already been raised by , , and ; the answers below focus on practical, verifiable steps that were not covered yet and that will let the thread reach a specific recommendation.

First, confirm whether RAM is the actual bottleneck. Use the Windows Performance/Task Manager while running a game to watch Physical Memory and Page File activity. Heavy paging (continuous hard-drive activity while the game is running) indicates not enough RAM. A simple system-report tool (for example CPU-Z) will show the motherboard model, current module specs (capacity, speed, single vs paired) and whether the system uses desktop DIMMs or laptop SO-DIMMs — information needed before buying anything.

Second, choose compatible memory. The motherboard manual (or the model printed on the board) lists supported RAM type (DDR/DDR2), maximum per slot, total supported, and whether matched pairs are required for dual-channel operation. Match the module type, speed and voltage the board supports; mixing different speeds or voltages often works but can cause instability. If the system already has one 512MB stick and the board supports dual-channel, best practice is to install a second identical 512MB stick or replace with a matched pair.

Third, physical installation basics: power down and unplug, discharge static by touching the case, open the side panel, locate the long memory slots near the CPU, open the end clips, align the module notch with the slot, press evenly until the clips snap. Power on and check BIOS/POST to verify the new capacity.

Finally, if the display subsystem is the limiting factor (integrated graphics or small onboard GPU), a discrete video card matched to the board’s expansion slot (AGP or PCI Express) usually gives a much larger frame-rate improvement than adding small amounts of system RAM. The thread still needs the exact motherboard/CPU/video model and the specific game titles to give a final parts recommendation.

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Member Avatar for frrossk

What games are you playing and what computer do you have (Mb, CPU, video)?

Member Avatar for rcrevolution

Look at it this way most games today need at least 1024Mb to run perfect, and more ram never killed anyone.

Member Avatar for Thong_Ispector

Shared Ram...?
If you are using an onboard video card and sharing ram you would be better off adding a video card with its' own ram...
Very few of the onboard video controllers are good for gaming...

Member Avatar for Catweazle

That's quite correct, willis86. If you have 128Mb allocated to 'Shared memory' it must be used for onboard video. Adding more RAM will give you a performance boost, of course, but its benefit to framerates in your games is going to be minimial at best.

The best course of action is to purchase an add-in display card, and set that 'Shared RAM' figure back to the lowest setting you can have for it, and disable the onboard video as well if BIOS allows you to. The most important factor for games performance is your display 'card'. The number of megabytes of RAM your onboard or add-in card video has available is far less important than the quality of its graphics processor. And onboard video generally has quite poor quality graphics processors included.

As indicated earlier, we need to know the make/model of your computer, or the make/model of its motherboard, in order to best advise you of what you need.

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