Buying a new computer, upgrading or troubleshooting on older system can leave you trapped in a mess of acronyms, jargon and numbers that may look like English but can leave you baffled. We looked at some of the key specs on modern PCs and used our nerd-to-human translator to help you make sense of them.
The most cost-effective way to upgrade a PC is usually to swap out the RAM. If it's been a while since you last purchased computer memory, the various options available can be a little confusing. This video from TED-Ed breaks down all the random access memory essentials that you need to know about.
Windows 10's Fast Startup feature is a handy way to boot up your machine quicker. However, if you don't use the hibernate function, it can take up a lot of hard drive space. Here's how to fix that.
If you've made the jump and updated to Windows 10, you might have noticed something strange: the System process takes up an insane amount of RAM, often over 1GB. That's actually not a bug, it's a feature of Windows 10. Here's how it works.
Adding more memory isn't the performance upgrade it used to be, but how much RAM is enough? TechSpot compared application performance on a system with 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB and concludes 16GB offers little advantage over 8GB of memory -- even when programs use more than 8GB of memory.
Browsers have become one of the most memory-intensive applications you can run and while vendors such as Google and Firefox have gone to great lengths to keep things under control, for some users, it's still not good enough. In fact, Chrome will introduce a rather drastic measure in an upcoming version -- tab "discarding" -- to help alleviate the issue.
Chrome may be the best browser around, but it eats up your PC's RAM like prawns at Christmas. If you've ever looked at your task manager, you've probably flipped out at the sheer number of Chrome processes and the memory they hog. Here's why Chrome uses so much RAM, and how to curb its gluttony.
Windows: We've previously looked at reasons why you might want to create a RAM disk to boost your PCs performance. ImDisk can accomplish this same task without using up more RAM than necessary.
Once upon a time, upgrading your PC's RAM was a sure-fire way to increase its performance. These days, this is not always the case; especially if you already have 4GB or memory on board. Techquickie host Linus Sebastian explains why you might be better off plumping for a solid-state drive, and how to know whether a RAM upgrade will actually speed up your PC.
Scientists in Singapore have created a new type of random-access memory that uses light for reading out information. The prototype RAM, which is based on ferroelectrics, boasts significantly faster write/read speeds, better longevity and low energy consumption compared to current technologies. The resultant FeRAM is being billed as a possible "universal memory" contender to displace flash.
People often panic when their computer's resources seem to be maxed out. While CPUs and hard disks may suffer from high usage, a low amount of RAM doesn't necessarily slow down your computer .
Too many laptops are cast aside for singular broken parts, for "running too slow", or other problems that shouldn't require a rent-sized new purchase. All this week, we'll detail fixes and upgrades that save otherwise functional laptops. Today, we're installing new memory.
Dear Lifehacker,
I've got some old RAM lying around that I'm looking to use. What are the rules on mixing RAM? As long as they're the same modules (DDR, DDR2, etc), should I experience any performance issues?
It's not hard to turn an extra USB stick lying around that's collecting dust into extra memory for your computer, allowing it to run speedier and manage more applications better.
Firefox with Windows only: While travelling the internet, sometimes we don't realise how much memory our browser is hogging until it starts acting sluggish, hangs or crashes altogether. Firefox extension Memory Fox optimises your memory so you can surf without slowing down.
As a tech writer, I regularly cringe at all the bad tweaking advice out there, and disabling the system pagefile is often a source of contention among geeks. Let's examine some of the pagefile myths and debunk them once and for all.
Chrome is a speedy little browser, but that speed comes with a tradeoff: It also eats tons of memory. If you've got plenty of RAM, that may not be an issue; if not, you can reclaim that memory with a simple click.
With the price of upgrading system RAM extremely low these days, people are always asking me whether it's really worth it to upgrade beyond 4GB; today we'll answer that question for everybody.
GoogleUpdate, ctfmon, iPodService—these rascally, auto-starting services and others like them can drive a memory-sensitive Windows user bonkers. Process Blocker does what it sounds like, with a DIY but simple method of choosing targets. As noted in the instructions, Process Blocker runs as a system service, watching for certain processes and killing them off if it finds them running. The app won't provide you a list of background services or apps for selection, though—this is a text affair. If you look in your Task Manager (Control-Shift-Escape), or your super-charged Process Explorer replacement, and notice that, for instance, GoogleUpdate.exe refuses to stop starting up, even after you've told it not to do so with Revo Uninstaller or another app, simply add it to the list.txt file included in Process Blocker's program folder. More detailed instructions on adding and re-starting the service are at the program site. You'll know it's working if you see a system tray pop-up noting that "SuchAndSuch.exe is blocked" when it tries to jump in and drink up a little memory. You'll definitely want to make sure the processes you're trying to block can and should be blocked off, so making a few trips to Process Library wouldn't be a bad idea. And if you just want to throttle back an auto-starting app's memory use, not kill it entirely, try the previously mentioned Process Lasso, or dig through our guide to reclaiming memory by mastering Windows Task Manager. Process Blocker is a free download for 32- and 64-bit Windows systems (2000 and later). Process Blocker for Windows
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