Should I upgrade my RAM? – upgrade RAM? – upgrade memory?

My computer is slow.  I need to upgrade my RAM.  These are a couple of statements I hear frequently from customers.  My first logical question to them is: “Has anything changes in the last few days with your computer?”  Many will answer that a computer virus may be present which, of course, can slow down the computer operations.  RAM may help marginally in that common computer issue case.

For the rest of the RAM-needy folks, here are a few steps to take to determine if you, in fact, require a RAM upgrade:

1. Is your computer capable?  Check to see if your RAM is already maxed out or can make room for more by going to the Crucial website.  Input your model number for the answer.
2. Any strange pop-ups or virus warnings?  Make sure your computer is clean as a whistle by removing any viruses and computer spyware that may cause your computer to run slow.
3. New bloated software installed?  Adobe Creative Suite, Spyware Doctor and other demanding software either take up lots of space or constantly run in the background, or both.  Remove them first and analyze your system speed.
4. Need to install serious software?  If Autocad, Adobe, or other 3-D and high-processing software need to be installed, then you should consider upgrading to 4GB of RAM and more if possible.
5. 1GB or less?  Then, definitely upgrade your RAM.  Even if your computer is older, it should be able to at least get up to 2GB of RAM.
6. 4GB of RAM?  If your computer is only a 32-bit operating system, then tough noogies since only 64-bit allows for higher than 4GB.  You can look at your Windows license tag or order info to determine if you have 32 or 64-bit.