Memory vs Storage: PC Performance (2024)

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Memory vs Storage: PC Performance (1)

At some point, your computer or laptop may experience significant slowdowns and performance problems. Instead of buying a new computer, it can be worth looking at other ways to improve and upgrade your PC performance.

Increasing your computer’s memory and storage are both useful ways to bring a slow computer back to life. However, deciding whether to upgrade your memory or your storage depends on the problems your computer is facing and the performance benefits you want to achieve. This article will look at some examples of when to upgrade your memory and your storage and why these upgrades will benefit your PC performance.

What’s the difference between memory and storage?

Memory vs Storage: PC Performance (2)

Memory and storage are two terms often mistaken for each other, but they do different things within your computer and therefore have different impacts on PC performance. In order to decide whether to upgrade your memory or storage, it is important to know the differences between them.

Memory, also known as RAM (Random Access Memory), is where information is constantly being processed and manipulated. Your computer utilizes RAM for anything that is in immediate use, like working on applications, editing a word document, or opening an email. However, the information in the computer’s memory can only be accessed on a short-term basis. If the information is not saved and stored on the computer’s storage, the data will be lost when the computer is turned off.

Storage is either the hard disk drive or the solid-state drive where data is recorded and stored indefinitely. Your computer uses storage to hold your operating system, your applications, and any data that has been loaded during use. This information can be accessed on a long-term basis and will not be removed when you turn off the computer.Learn more about the differences between memory and storage.

When to upgrade memory?

The latest computers come with at least 8GB memory, which can be enough to perform everyday tasks. However, slow computers can often benefit from memory upgrades as more memory will increase your PC performance. This in turn will help you work more efficiently by allowing you to have multiple applications and browser windows open at the same time. Let’s look at some instances of when to upgrade your memory.

If your computer crashes when using multiple programs or internet tabs at once

The more things you try to do on your computer, the more time it takes to perform those tasks. If you tend to have multiple internet tabs open at once or you like to switch between different programs, you may have noticed that your computer starts to take longer to perform multiple tasks or it crashes in the process. Adding more memory will resolve this problem because more memory means that the computer can process all this open information quicker.

Need to use large applications or software

Opening large applications, software, or files requires a lot of RAM in order to use them efficiently. Upgrading the computer’s memory will increase memory space and thus allow larger programs to run without slowdowns.

Want to increase gaming performance

Memory is important for gaming because it means your computer can access and load data quickly instead of retrieving it from your storage. With low memory, the computer won’t be able to run the game properly or might prevent it from running at all. Increasing a computer’s memory can benefit gamers because games will run smoothly, and response times will be a lot quicker. The amount of memory you need will depend on the games you want to play.

Learn more about Kingston Memory.

When to upgrade storage?

One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to increase a computer’s performance is to remove a hard disk drive and upgrade to a solid-state drive. You can also upgrade your HDD or SSD to a larger storage capacity; Kingston Technology’s consumer SSDs now come with up to 2TB of storage. Let’s look at some instances of when to upgrade your storage.

Short battery life

One of the best ways to rejuvenate any laptop or PC is to install an SSD. For laptops, it’s a great upgrade option because they are more energy efficient than HDDs. SSDs do not have any moving parts so they require a lot less power to operate and this lengthens the battery life significantly.

Need to boost speed

Upgrading to an SSD can give your computer a significant speed boost, with boot times averaging at 10-13 seconds compared to 30-40 seconds for a hard drive. In addition, the time taken to open applications and files is typically significantly faster with SSDs than HDDs. The speed of your storage determines how fast your system can boot up, load, and access your data.

Running out of space for photos, music, etc.

Another problem that you might face is not having enough storage. If you’re constantly running out of space for your files and applications, upgrading your HDD or SSD to a larger storage capacity is a great way to increase your PC’s performance. More storage allows you to store more files and it will give you more free space for the latest applications or operating systems.

Learn more about SSDs, USB flash drives and memory cards.

Whether you decide to upgrade your memory or your storage, you will see a significant increase in your PC’s performance. By adding more memory, your slow computer that struggles to perform multiple tasks at once will experience faster recall speeds. Upgrading your storage is the best solution if your computer still has an HDD, as most computers now come with an SSD due to the clear performance benefits. You can also increase the storage capacity of your SSD to create more space for files and applications. Either way, upgrading your computer’s memory, storage, or both will revitalize your struggling machine and increase your PC’s performance.

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Memory vs Storage: PC Performance (2024)

FAQs

Memory vs Storage: PC Performance? ›

Memory is what your computer uses to store data temporarily, while storage is where you save files permanently. When you save a file, it's copied from the memory onto the storage drive. This is why your computer seems to run slower when it's low on memory; it has to pull data from the storage drive in order to use it.

Find Out More ›
Does memory or storage make a computer faster? ›

Speed and Performance

RAM is significantly faster than storage. Data stored in RAM can be written and accessed almost instantly, so it's very fast—milliseconds fast. DDR4 RAM, one of the newer types of RAM technology, is capable of a peak transfer rate of 25.6GB/s!

Read More ›
What is more important in a computer memory or storage? ›

While you do not need much internal storage for your computer to run, you do need memory to access your operating system, software, and data. This is why it is important to have an adequate amount of memory relative to the available storage on your computer.

See More ›
Is memory or storage better for gaming PC? ›

Memory is important for gaming because it means your computer can access and load data quickly instead of retrieving it from your storage. With low memory, the computer won't be able to run the game properly or might prevent it from running at all.

View More ›
Does storage slow down PC? ›

If your hard drive is full or nearly full, it slows down your computer. The operating system doesn't have enough free space to work adequately, resulting in your PC running slow and your files taking too long to open, among other effects. Freeing up some disk space on your PC may improve its performance.

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Is 32GB RAM overkill? ›

Is 32GB of RAM overkill? This isn't a straightforward question, as it depends on what you're using your PC for. If all you're doing is browsing the internet, then 16GB is fine, and any more is probably overkill. It's when you start doing more demanding tasks that extra memory makes a difference.

Continue Reading ›
Is 16GB RAM a lot faster than 8GB? ›

To be honest, there's not a lot of difference between 8GB and 16 GB of RAM. If you're doing office work and more basic games, then you really won't notice a massive difference between the two. However, if you're wanting to do video editing, play the very latest high-end games you'll definitely need more…

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Should I upgrade RAM or SSD for gaming? ›

Constantly pulling information from the SSD or HDD can be inefficient and slow. Having enough RAM reduces the constant back and forth of data swaps that happen with storage, making games and applications respond faster.

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Is 16GB RAM enough? ›

16GB of RAM is the amount of memory we recommend for intermediate users looking for extra speed and smooth functioning. This may be especially beneficial if you tend to have several programs open and running, simultaneously. This is also a good level of RAM for casual gamers and standard business professionals.

Get More Info ›
Why does a computer need less memory than storage? ›

Due to the size of the filing cabinet, many things can be stored. An important distinction between memory and storage is that memory clears when the computer is turned off. On the other hand, storage remains intact no matter how many times you shut off your computer.

Tell Me More ›

Which is better memory or storage? ›

The key difference between computer memory and computer storage lies in their respective speeds; memory has faster access times than storage does because it doesn't rely on physical components like a hard drive does.

Learn More Now ›
Will adding more RAM make my computer faster? ›

Generally, the faster the RAM, the faster the processing speed. With faster RAM, you increase the speed at which memory transfers information to other components. Meaning, your fast processor now has an equally fast way of talking to the other components, making your computer much more efficient.

Learn More Now ›
What are the disadvantages of storage in computer? ›

Storage devices
Storage deviceMagnetic storage: Hard Disc Drive (HDD)
AdvantagesRelatively cheap per unit of storage. Fast access and retrieval times compared to other storage devices.
DisadvantagesCan be easily damaged, will slow down and eventually break over time. Slower access than Solid State Drives.
1 more row

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Does storage on PC affect FPS? ›

Upgrading to an SSD won't increase your FPS, but it can result in an improvement in some open-world titles with game engines that load in new areas and textures as you play.

Find Out More ›
Will a new hard drive make my computer faster? ›

Getting a new hard drive, especially a solid-state drive (SSD), can significantly speed up your computer. SSDs are faster, improve boot times, open programs quickly, handle multitasking like a champ, and offer better reliability.

Find Out More ›
Why is memory faster than storage? ›

Primary memory is faster than secondary storage because it has a direct connection to the CPU, allowing quicker data access and processing. Primary memory, also known as main memory or RAM (Random Access Memory), is a type of computer memory that is directly accessible by the CPU (Central Processing Unit).

Know More ›
Does memory affect computer speed? ›

In a nutshell, installing more RAM may improve computer speed if you frequently use many programs or browsing tabs at once, or if you do memory-intensive tasks like gaming or Photoshop. Under regular use, however, a CPU upgrade will probably have a greater immediate effect on performance.

Discover More ›
Does more storage mean faster? ›

Storage capacity is measured in gigabytes or even terabytes (TB)—a terabyte is equal to 1,000GB. While the amount of storage your computer or smartphone has doesn't affect its performance as much as RAM, it's still important.

Get More Info ›
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