Idaho’s Crucial RAM Speeds Up Computers
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Wish your computer was faster? Increasing your RAM (Random Access Memory) is one of the best ways to noticeably improve computer performance. Think of RAM as like your computer’s short-term memory. Just like your short-term memory, if there are too many things the computer tries to do at once it can choke up and freeze. Increasing your RAM will better allow you to run multiple programs simultaneously or do intensive computing operations (like photo or video manipulation).
Fortunately, RAM is also one of the easiest things computer upgrades to do. First you must shop for the RAM you need and order it, then install it upon arrival. How do you see how much RAM you have now? Right-click on the “My Computer” icon and select “Properties”. RAM is listed near the bottom.
The best place to shop for and buy RAM is at Crucial.com , which is where our Boise-based Micron sells their RAM chips. So when you buy RAM at crucial.com, you are helping Idaho’s economy. You win with a great computer component and Idaho wins with a stronger economy. I have seen very respected, nationally syndicated technology shows like the Screensavers on TechTV recommend buying RAM at crucial.com
Crucial.com has two easiest ways to decide the RAM chip you need for your computer. Select your computer brand, line, and model number in only three drop-down boxes, or download their computer scanner to tell you exactly what RAM you need.
I will start with the three-drop-down-box wizard. Select your computer brand, then the brand line you own, then the model series you own (for example, Dell-Dimension-2400 series). You are then presented with all the RAM chips best for that computer. They arrange the list from largest size at top (1GB = gigabytes) to smallest at bottom (128MB = megabytes). Two options are presented for each memory size, and they depend on some geeky specifications that will go over the heads of most people if I try to explain it. This is where their auto-scanner helps.
Crucial provides a Crucial System Scanner that will scan your computer and determine what RAM you need. You can download this in just 20 seconds over a dialup connection. Find the CrucialScan.exe on your desktop and double-click it to run.
It will launch in a browser and run in just a few seconds. If it seems hung up, make sure your browser isn’t blocking the script from running. Mine did this, noticeable by the yellow bar that popped up in the browser. I had to select the “Options” button on the bar and select “Allow …”
The results page spells out the system specifications, how your RAM slots are currently filled, and makes a recommendation for one or two exact chips to buy. My results listed a 512MB chip for only $65.91. I would recommend you buy so you end up between 700MB - 1GB RAM afterwards.
As for installation, be sure to do it on a hard-covered floor since carpet builds static electricity which kills your chip. Just pop the computer case open and look around for a chip that looks like the new RAM chip. The RAM are quite distinctive from everything else. You will see levers at either end of the chip slots. You push them down to pop out the old chip (if there is one). Insert the new chip squarely in the same direction as the old, and do not be afraid to press down hard to seat the chip properly. You will hear a loud click and the levers will be upright when the RAM chip is properly seated.
Reboot your computer, and your computer will automatically detect the increased RAM. If it does not, the chip is likely bad. I have only seen this once in numerous times upgrading RAM, and Crucial was excellent about exchanging it.
So instead of buying a new computer for several hundred dollars, try increasing your RAM for less than a hundred bucks. Buying your RAM at Crucial.com makes the process simple, cheap, and feeds the Idaho economy.
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Given Micron’s recent layoffs, rumors they will completely pull out of Idaho in a year, rumors they are not talking about pulling out of Idaho in order to give their executives time to sell out at higher values, and the big middle finger Micron has displayed to Idaho after millions in tax breaks,
should we buy from this company anymore?
Anyone know if crucial.com is staying in Idaho, or did they have layoffs and are planning to move?