It is a nearly inarguable fact that computers with more RAM (random access memory) work better than computers with less.

It used to be that choosing how to outfit your computer with memory was a complex decision based on balancing performance with price.

No longer!

Memory has become cheap and there has never been a better time to bulk up your computer.

For the most part, if your computer (laptop or desktop) has less than 2 GB of RAM, then you could benefit from increasing to that level.

While the cost of adding just 512k of RAM might have been a hundred or more dollars just a few years ago, today you can do it for about $15.  1 GB chips can be bought for about $30 and 2 GB for about $75 (prices are for memory to fit a Dell Latitude computer at www.crucial.com).

It is probably the fastest and least expensive way to make your computer more reliable.

CAUTION: If you are buying a new computer, many brands have not reduced their prices to reflect the lower cost of after market memory.

In this case, you would want to buy the computer with the lowest possible amount of memory and then buy aftermarket memory to bring it up to speed.  Just be sure to buy from a reputable vendor (like Crucial or Kingston) and it will work like new.

Marc