Is 3 GB of RAM enough for casual internet browsing? - Update 10/9 - Problem Resolved!

[gdr_11]

So, I have a base level Celeron PC with 2 GB of RAM that is now getting frustrating to use for basic web browsing since it seems every site is loading up with tons of Flash and other junk that eats up memory.

My unit has a max capability of 3GB, so I was wondering if it would be worth the $75 or so to increase the RAM by the 1 GB or just bite the bullet and move up to a 4 GB machine.

I don't do videos, music, or anything exotic so my question really relates to just basic browsing on sites like eBay, PhotoBucket, etc.

I have a tablet that meets my higher end usage, so this is just for my low end use.

Update: Thanks for all of the input. I got a killer deal today at Staples and bought an H-P 500-281 for $299. Has an i3 processor and 4 GB RAM expandable to 16GB. I should be all set!

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[Rivers]

Honestly, at least 4GB. Anything less and you're going to get a headache from having hit that low ceiling so often.

[watt79]

Depends on how old the computer is. If you are on an older system that's stuck on DDR2 I wouldn't waste the money. Last I checked the price/gb for DDR2 was significantly higher than DDR3.

[AK all day]

I used a computer with 2GB ram up until this year... Worked fine. Just wouldn't run full screen YouTube very well.

[Peter.Steele]

Depends heavily on the system.

I have three computers that I use regularly - Haswell i7 w/16 GB, Sandy Bridge mobile i7 w/8 GB, and a Bay Trail Atom w/2 GB. First two are running Win 7 HP, the Atom is on 8.1. I don't notice that casual web browsing is any worse on the 2 GB system than on the big boys ... but then it's also a modern processor, optimized for the OS that it's running.

When you say "base level Celeron" you need to be a little more clear, also. Celeron by definition is "base level." To be blunt, Celeron is what happened when Intel scraped the bottom of the barrel, broke through, and found some interesting mud underneath. Thing is, though, that the Celeron branding has been around for 15 or 16 years now, and there's a pretty severe margin between a 1999 Celeron and a 2014 Celeron.

[watt79]

Assuming its a modern Celeron its not that bad of a entry level CPU. The old Celerons were junk though.

[meno377]

It also depends on the OS. If you're running W7 with 2 gigs, running anything will be sluggish, and especially if you're running W7 64bit.

[echoThreeOneSix]

move to the 4Gb machine. the 3Gb will be out dated too quick, you'll end up needing to upgrade again.

[codypaint77]

You most likely have a 32bit. Go tot he windows icon (search) and type in msconfig. Go to services and see what is running. Toggle hide all Microsoft services then see what's running. The only thing you need running is all the Microsoft items and your security.

Also you can see if anything is bogging down your start up in msconfig. You can pretty much everything except the common user interface.

Also if you have videos and pictures on your computer, you might want to send them to an external HD.

Go into your control panel and see if there are any program you really don't need.

[d33pt]

What kind of ram does it need?

[codypaint77]

http://www.computermemoryoutlet.com/

http://www.newegg.com/Memory/Category/ID-17

[L4D]

If all you plan on doing is browsing. Run a really
Lightweight Linux.

[bigdawg86]

Save the money. Buy an SSD hard drive. The bottleneck on almost any computer I have owned has been the hard drive. I guarantee dollar for dollar the SSD drive will far outperform an extra GB of RAM. You will not be disappointed.

[sholling]

First check to make sure that your system is malware free using your favorite malware removal tools. Little will slow your internet access more than crapware.

Check that you're getting all the bandwidth you're paying for at speedtest.net. Second try out a dedicated DNS server like OpenDNS it's free.

You didn't mention your browser but using the wrong ad-blocking software can really slow you down.

Once you check all of the above it's time to look into hardware.

[echoThreeOneSix]

Save the money. Buy an SSD hard drive. The bottleneck on almost any computer I have owned has been the hard drive. I guarantee dollar for dollar the SSD drive will far outperform an extra GB of RAM. You will not be disappointed.

that requires a reinstall of the OS... which would probably be more than he cares to do to get a performance boost that would reach far beyond the rest of the PC. he's better off upgrading his computer before wasting all that time to still have a ****ty computer.