Church staffers I talk to will often complain about “HOW SLOW” their office computer is. In most cases, there’s a very simple, inexpensive solution: add more RAM memory. It’s too easy NOT to do it.
When purchasing office computers, churches typically CHEAP IT OUT. They get machines that aren’t very powerful. And over time, the machine slows down. Why? Because Windows and all your programs start to get a bit disorganized. You add more things and startup slows down. The quickest way to fix this is to add more RAM memory, and you can do it LITERALLY with a “snap.”
Ram chips literally SNAP INTO a slot on the motherboard. It’s like adding a lego: E-Z. See my picture below.
And www.crucial.com makes it easy-peasy to figure out WHICH ram chip to buy. Go to their website and they’ll ask to install a small program that examines your computer and tells you EXACTLY how much Ram you have, and how much you can add. Then it will give you a “buy now” button. (You can buy ram from other places, but that neat little program takes the guess work out of getting the right kind of chip).
A 1 gigabyte Ram chip will cost about $35 and take 2 minutes to install. No technical experience necessary. How much Ram should you get? Get the maximum your computer can handle.
When you get the ram chip in the mail 2 days later, installing it is a breeze.
1. Turn off your computer
2. Slide off the side case. This is the hardest part of the job, figuring out how to get the side off. Some computers have screws, many have buttons or plastic releases you pop.
3. Look for the ram memory chips already installed (see the picture at the end of this post for what it looks like).
4. And depending on which ram chips you bought, either ADD your new ram chip in one of the empty ram slots on the motherboard, or remove the old ram chips and snap in the new ones. You’ll notice white clips at the end of each ram slot. Snap them outward. They’re on a hinge. Then shove your new ram chip snugly in the slot. On some computers the white clips will pop back, on others you snap them back over the ends of your new ram chip.
5. Turn your computer back on.
6. Done! Enjoy the speed …and kick yourself for not doing this sooner.
This is so easy to do you’ll think you are channeling Bill Gates by the time you’re done.
