Decent amount of RAM is always a good idea. What “decent” means depends on the operating system you’re running and applications you’re using. Ever wondered what those empty memory slots in your computer case can be used for? Well, the shift to 64-bit operating systems has allowed us to take full advantage of those slots. For example, 8GB RAM is particularly useful if you’re running Windows 7 64-bit. Microsoft states that minimum requirement for Windows 7 is 2GB for 64-bit version. May be true, but you’d really want to run more on your PC than just the operating system, right? In my experience, 4GB are absolute minimum in order for your Windows 7 computer not to go “nuts”. I’ve seen and installed Windows 7 many times on many different machines and specs and, in my opinion, 8GB RAM is what is really needed. Windows 7 64-bit is designed to be highly efficient at making use of 8GB (and larger) RAM. Upgrading to 8GB (or more) significantly reduces the time taken to perform everyday functions, such as photo loading. And this “feel” of increased performance also applies to other things. For example, the ability to instantly switch between different windows or applications, or to open a new application or file instantly, or simply have many different windows and applications open without the system becoming sluggish.

To get maximum stability and performance, all the memory chips in your PC should be identical (e.g. DDR3); and note that quantity is more important than the speed.