"You can never have too much RAM." Anyone who knows anything about computers has heard this. People ask "How much RAM should I get?" and the answer is always "As much as you can afford." Why is this? What makes this type of memory so important? And where should I buy it from? These three questions and more will be answered in this question and answer session with myself.

What is RAM? RAM is an acronym for Random Access Memory, which is a temporary form of memory. It's sibling ROM stands for Read Only Memory. One of the biggest mistakes new users make is calling hard disk space: memory. RAM is memory, Hard disk space is just hard disk space. That was an easy one.

Why is it that we want as much RAM as we can possibly get? Well, the main reason is speed. Everyone wants a faster Mac, and RAM is one of the best ways to speed up your Mac. But not only that, as software gets more advanced, it requires more resources. The three main resources that will be the first to grow are CPU speed, hard disk space, and of course RAM.

But why the RAM? Accessing RAM is thousands of times faster that accessing a hard disk. So, it makes sense to load every possible bit of data into the much faster medium. This speeds up load time, reduces CPU cycles used, and all around speeds things up. Without RAM, it would take hours to load the latest version of Photoshop, and even programs such as SimpleText would be slow as molasses in January.

If RAM is so fast, why don't we just store everything in RAM and be done with hard drives? Someday, this may be the case, but not anytime soon. RAM is volatile, meaning that is gets erased on every crash, shutdown, and restart. Would you want to reinstall everything every time you had a little crash, or needed to restart? Would you trust your super important documents to something so volatile? I don't think so.

If it's so volatile, why do we still use it? Were you even listening when I answered your second question? Oh yeah, sorry. You better be. Now let's ask something that I haven't already answered.

Ok, Ok. Settle down. How can I tell what kind of RAM my Mac needs? Well, there are a couple to go about this. You could download the wonderful program GURU and look up all sorts of specifications for your machine. Or you could head on over to EveryMac.com and look up nearly the same kinds of specs there. Finally, you could use Crucial's Memory finder. Any one of these techniques will fit you up with what you need.

Now that I know what kind of RAM I need, where should I buy it? Anywhere your type of RAM is sold. No, I mean is buying from one place better than from another place? Not really. Using a resource such as RAM Seeker, you can find who has the best prices on what. You should get RAM from the least expensive place, that offers a good warranty. RAM can go bad, or not work with your machine. If you buy RAM that doesn't have a lifetime warranty, you could really be hurting if your RAM decides to fail.

Since I can buy it pretty much anywhere, should I also be looking for a specific brand name? Again, not really. While brand name RAM does give some added security in knowing your warranty will hold up, and knowing that the company has a reputation to protect. But, this little bit of so-called "security" comes at a price. I normally just go by the guidelines from the last question, and don't worry about the brand name.

Ok, I bought the RAM, it has been delivered, but now what? You have to install it. How do I do that? Every Mac is different, so I can't really go through the procedure for each one here. Just check your manual, and you should get pretty detailed instructions. After your new RAM is installed, start up your Mac and check the "About This Computer" in the apple menu. If the installation, you will see more memory than you ever imagined. If it doesn't show up, shut down the computer, and reinsert the RAM module. When RAM doesn't work, it's usually because it's not seated in its slot properly.

Splendid! Now I have tons of RAM, but what should I do with it? Play games, open more applications at the same time, run stuff faster, whatever you want. Adding more RAM is like adding freedom to your computer. Have fun!

OK, this is weird. After installing more RAM, my system now takes more RAM! What the heck is going on? The Disk Cache setting in the Memory Control Panel is set to 32K per MB as a default. When you add more RAM, it calculates exactly how much RAM should go to Disk Cache, and adds that to the system allotment. You can go ahead and change the Disk Cache setting to 2-3MB, as anything over that just produces diminishing returns.

When I went into the Memory Control Panel, I saw two other settings. What were they?You mean Virtual Memory and RAM Disk. Virtual Memory is a special setting that allows you to turn hard disk space into very very slow RAM. So slow in fact, that it can really bog down your system. The upside to Virtual Memory is that it will make programs use less RAM due to File Mapping. As a rule of thumb, if you have more than 128 MB RAM, turn off Virtual Memory. If you have 128 MB or less, turn it on.

And the RAM Disk? A RAM Disk is just the opposite of Virtual Memory. It creates a small, but super fast virtual hard disk. You can use this disk for all sorts of things like browser cache, scratch disk space, or even a startup on some older Macs. Be warned though, a RAM Disk's contents will not be saved over a restart on any G3 or newer. As another rule of thumb, never use a RAM Disk while running Virtual Memory, they just cancel each other out.

One last thing. Know of any special tips or tricks for dealing with RAM? Well, I guess there is one. If you have Mac OS 8.5 or later, hold down the option and command keys while opening the memory control panel. This will bring up a secret panel that allows you to turn off memory testing. This testing happens at every startup, and can waste a bit of time if you have a lot of memory. Since memory is known to be quite durable, after the initial test after installation, you should turn it off and keep it off.

Cool, thanks! You have been a great help. You're welcome. I'm glad I could be of assistance.

Useful links:
• GURU
• EveryMac.com
• Crucial
• Ram Seeker
• DealMac.com