Random access memory (RAM) plays a critical role in your PC. It holds the operating system, the running applica-tions, and the open data files for your applications. When you launch your favorite video editor, 3-D shooter, or other software, the program instructions and data load into RAM, and the CPU fetches those instructions and data from the RAM. Even your Windows desktop occupies a certain amount of RAM. A PC with more RAM will run more programs simultaneously, handle larger data files (such as those with complex graphic images), and generally exhibit better system performance. But how much memory do you need, and what type? We'll show you how to estimate your memory requirements, and we'll discuss the various types of RAM available today.
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