Welcome to my first ever tutorial.
This tutorial will be about RAM or random access memory, if you want the long hand version, along with Graphics Cards.
Now RAM is one of the most crucial parts of the computer, being the short term memory for the computer. The RAM holds all of the data that is being used at present, so the more of it the better. When you turn off your computer, any data left on the RAM is gone.
Graphics Cards, or GFX cards as they are known by, are another crucial part of the modern computer system. They help with what is displayed on your monitor, to make it crystal clear.
I have made this tutorial to help with many problems that occur with RAM and GFX cards.
Section 1: RAM
RAM is a very delicate and pricey part of the computer. It is delicate because they are quite fragile, but they are very susceptible to static shock, so when finding your RAM always wear an anti-static wrist band, to prevent damaging your RAM. This is a ‘stick’ of RAM: here
The black rectangles are the microchips that temporarily store the data, while the contacts at the bottom allow a good contact between the bay that the RAM sits in and the RAM itself. Do not touch the contacts; otherwise you way impede the current which transfers the data between the computer and the RAM.
A trick I have learned through Daniweb, is that if you have a troubled connection, just use an eraser on the contacts to clean them, this doesn’t damage the RAM, but it cleans it quite well.
When handling RAM always wear anti-static wristbands, and lay the RAM on anti-static mats.
Section 2: Graphics Cards
Graphics Cards (GFX cards as I will call them for shorthand) are an important part of the computer, as they give you better graphics on screen for games, media and normal browsing, than standard motherboard graphics. The GFX card in your computer (if it came with one) is located in a special slot. This will wither be a PCI (Express) port or an AGP port. Most modern computers have a PCI Express ×16 port. This is the standard port found on most motherboards. There are 2 main producers of GFX cards, ATI, sometimes named as Sapphire, and Nvidia. It is down to personal choice which brand you go for, but both are highly rated. Most problems regarding GFX cards are linked to RAM is some ways, often when gaming is involved. As the two components work together, problems regarding both will be detailed in section 3.
Section 3: Problems That Occur
Often when people are on their computers or are gaming, the computer suddenly goes into a BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death). This is where the computer shuts itself into a mode where no harm can come to the computer. On BSOD’s, many different numbers are shown regarding the error/s that have just occurred. To get out of a BSOD, hold down the power button for 10 seconds, for a manual shut down. From here you can then reboot, it is advised to wait for 30 seconds before rebooting the computer. It is not advised to use a manual shutdown for turning off the computer, as it gradually damages components over time.
Normally BSOD’s relate to RAM or GFX card issues, I say normally because some just happen out of the blue (sorry for the pun :P) while the system is idle. When a BSOD occurs, when using a program which requires either a lot of RAM or a high level of graphics, associated with full screen programs such as games, the BSOD often relates to the RAM of GFX card being the culprit. Always check the back the case that the software came in, and compare it to your own system specs, if they do not match the specs on the back, your system is unlikely to be able to run the software. If your system matches or is better then the specifications on the back, your system will have no trouble running the software.
You can test if your games can run on your computer by selecting the desired game from a list on this site: http://prod2.srtest.com/referrer/srtest , the little program will then run and show you if you can or cannot run the game. This then saves unnecessary expense in buying the game, getting it home and finding out that it doesn’t work.