Memory (hard drive, operating system, 1GB, processor)

[citydweller]

So I have a pretty fast computer with a Pentium 4 processor with HT. I use the computer mostly for surfing, bills, etc. but sometimes it seems to freeze up or is a bit slow. I run Adaware and keep my security up to date. Will an upgrade from 512mb to 1 gb of memory make a difference?

[citydweller]

One other thing is that I have quite a lot of music on my computer so perhaps that slows it down? Not sure..

[southernlady5464]

Will an upgrade from 512mb to 1 gb of memory make a difference?

What operating system?

If it's XP or Vista, then yes, definitely...and I'd even consider going to 2 gigs. Liz

[citydweller]

Yes I run XP. I have 4 slots for memory so I will begin to upgrade. thanks!

[Ronzou]

Yup anymore 512 is the bare minimum. If you upgrade to 1gb the computer should be much more responsive.

The only way the music would slow your computer down is if it was taking up a vast majority of your computer and you had low to no hard disk space left.

[citydweller]

I ordered 1gb from Tigerdirect last night so with the 512mb I already have things should pick up.

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by citydweller

So I have a pretty fast computer with a Pentium 4 processor with HT. I use the computer mostly for surfing, bills, etc. but sometimes it seems to freeze up or is a bit slow. I run Adaware and keep my security up to date. Will an upgrade from 512mb to 1 gb of memory make a difference?

Four questions:

Does it run slow or freeze up while you're surfing the web?

How much space does your disk drive have?

How much virtual memory do you have allocated on your computer? (Control Panel-->System-->Advanced Tab-->Settings in "Performance" Box-->Advanced Tab)

How much memory does your video card have?

Going from 512 to 1 gig can be nice, but sometimes you can resolve the issue by some changes in the configurations.[/b][/color]

[BrianH]

Memory is most likely the first step towards a faster PC. 1.5 gig is a good place to begin. Freezing can be from 100 other things too. You need to see how much crap is starting when you run the PC via MSCONFIG, all that needs to start really is a few M$ things, and Vscan pretty much. Printers and all that BS like to throw themselves into startup which isnt needed. Download Adaware and Spybot Search and Destroy and run them too.

[citydweller]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

Four questions:

Does it run slow or freeze up while you're surfing the web?

How much space does your disk drive have?

How much virtual memory do you have allocated on your computer? (Control Panel-->System-->Advanced Tab-->Settings in "Performance" Box-->Advanced Tab)

How much memory does your video card have?

Going from 512 to 1 gig can be nice, but sometimes you can resolve the issue by some changes in the configurations.[/b][/color]

Well, my virtual memory shows to be 744mb. My video card 64mb.

[mrdude]

since you say you have a lot of music on your computer, i would recommend using perfect disk to defrag and optimize your hard drive. upgrading memory will most likely prevent a lot of problems, but i have found that a fragmented hard drive can kill performance.