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How many GB of Ram do I need?

Anonymous
2020-04-08T16:42:24+00:00

I am going to buy a new laptop because mine is old and on its last legs.

My old computer has 6 GB of Ram.  I have been looking online mostly at Best Buy and can't find anything with 6 GB, it is either 4 or 8 and the 8's are all out of my price range.

I have 3 browsers and often have several tabs open on each one, plus email and folders.  I have lots of documents and pictures but am going to transfer them to an external backup thing.  I don't know much about Ram and have no idea if 4 would be enough GB for what I do. I am at home and don't do business on it; just look things up on the internet and email.  I clear browsers and cookies and temporary internet etc stuff regularly and empty deleted emails and recycling bin.

I can't get hold of Best Buy by either phone or live chat; they are too busy.  How can I figure out if 4 GB is enough Ram for what I do with my laptop?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.  My current laptop is threatening to die on me any day.  Best Buy has a good deal on an HP laptop right now and it is available for shipping or pick up at the closest store to me.  And it is in my price range.

There are no categories for this so I just clicked on Windows.

Windows for home | Other | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. DaveM121 868.4K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2020-04-08T16:49:01+00:00

    Hi Carol

    So, just a quick explanation of RAM first . . .

    All your files, applications and Windows are on your hard drive

    When you start your PC, the Windows files are copied into RAM, that in Windows 10 is approx 1.5GB - 2GB of RAM Used

    Then when you open another application, that is copied into RAM along with any other files you have open

    So, if you purchase a PC with 4GB of RAM, that is the bare minimum for Windows 10, because when Windows is loaded, approx. only 2GB of RAM are left free, and that is not taking into account Hardware reserved RAM

    Also Web Browsers are among the heaviest applications on your PC in terms of RAM, if you had maybe 4 or 5 pages open in a web browser, that may take up another 0.5GB - 1GB of RAM

    So, to be honest, you can get by on 4GB of RAM, but 8GB would be a lot more suitable to Windows 10, which is very resource hungry . . .

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-04-08T19:19:13+00:00

    How much RAM you should have have depends mostly on what programs you run and how big are the files you open with it. For example, if you  edit large videos or photos, you need much more RAM than if you just send e-mail and surf the web.

    So it's very difficult to guess how much RAM *you* need. Almost everyone should have at least 4GB these days, and 8GB (or more) is better for most people. If I were in your shoes, I would choose 8GB, but if you can't afford it...

    And by the way, I highly recommend that you do not use Best Buy (or the Geek Squad) for any technical advice. As far as I'm concerned, their staff is notoriously unreliable for advice or support.

    One more point: check Amazon's price against Best Buy's. There's a good chance that Amazon will be less expensive.

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-04-08T19:27:33+00:00

    Two additional points: you say you use your computer at home. If that's the case, why do you want a laptop rather than a desktop? As far as I'm concerned, laptops should be used only for traveling. If you use it at home, a desktop is a *much* better choice than a laptop, A desktop is less expensive, less likely to fall and get broken, easier and less expensive to upgrade, easier and less expensive to repair, has a bigger, better screen, has a bigger, better keyboard, uses a mouse rather than the terrible touchpad, less likely to get stolen, etc.

    You should also look at Dell's web site. There may be better deals for you there.

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