Memory vs Storage: PC Performance (2024)

Table of Contents
What’s the difference between memory and storage? When to upgrade memory? If your computer crashes when using multiple programmes or internet tabs at once Need to use large applications or software Want to increase gaming performance When to upgrade storage? Kingston Product Finder Related Videos PC Build - Hardware Upgrades to Speed Up Computer - DIY in 5 Ep 118 How to Speed Up Your PC – Notebook Hardware Upgrades - DIY in 5 Ep 41 PC Build – Types of SSDs - DIY in 5 Ep 71 Distance Learning Upgrades for your Laptop - DIY in 5 Ep 133 Related Products Related Articles 5 ways to make Photoshop run faster Upgrade your PC to streamline your workflow Top 6 reasons to upgrade to an NVMe SSD Will AI PCs change how we work? – eBook SSD longevity - 5 Tips for getting the most out of your new SSD What is a CAMM? Upgrade the memory and storage in your HP laptop or desktop PC Introduction of 32Gbit DRAM Upgrade the memory and storage in your Acer laptop or desktop PC How do Kingston SSDs & QNAP NAS power the DCP workflow for digital cinemas? How much memory do you need to run Windows, macOS or Linux apps? The role of reliable SSDs in the media and broadcasting industry Revive an old computer HDD vs external SSD What is a RAM disk? Upgrade the memory and storage in your Dell laptop or desktop PC Overclocking memory for Adobe applications The ultimate RAM guide for gamers How much memory do you need for gaming? More for less: Why is upgrading important in today's economic climate? What to do if your SSD is full Benchmarks - Overclocking RAM for more FPS Understanding file systems Upgrading RAM for HP, Dell, Lenovo and Acer laptops and desktops How to optimise your PC for better performance Extend the life of your IT: Upgrade vs replace Mineral oil cooling in PC builds 2 Types of M.2 SSDs: SATA and NVMe NVMe is the silent IT revolution – what is it, and why you should adopt it? How do you backup your computer? Windows and Mac drive backup Evaluating storage products for your enterprise needs How to upgrade your laptop with RAM How to choose the right gaming laptop Optimising storage in a creative world How to upgrade your PC with RAM What to do AFTER building your PC Work and Play: Why You Should Edit Photos and Videos with a Gaming PC The importance of Garbage Collection and TRIM processes for SSD performance What do SSDs do for gaming? How to make your gaming PC quieter How to Choose the Best RAM for Overclocking What are the advantages and disadvantages of Cloud gaming? Maintaining your SSD’s health using SMART monitoring What is the difference between PCIe Gen 3 and PCIe Gen 4? MT/s vs MHz: A better measure for memory speed Top 10 PC build mistakes beginners make The difference between memory and storage in gaming Gaming with Windows 11: What to expect with the new PC performance features Windows 11 - Does your organisation need to upgrade or refresh? How to clean your PC system How to install a 2.5” SSD – Kingston Technology How to install an M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD The Kingston Workflow Station makes things easy for content creators and video professionals Is it better to build or buy a gaming PC? The 5 Benefits of SSDs over Hard Drives Difference between SLC, MLC, TLC and 3D NAND in USB flash drives, SSDs and Memory cards The difference between SSD and HDD Sustainability, innovation and partnership series - Episode 2 Sustainability, innovation and partnership series - Episode 1 How much memory do you need for video editing? NVMe vs SATA: What is the difference? Who is responsible for cyber security and privacy? Kingston SSDs are the best hardware choice for Software Defined Storage solutions What are the benefits of next-gen 16Gbit DDR4 DRAM? Install more memory in your laptop or desktop PC for a better video conferencing experience What is the difference between memory and storage? NAND flash technology and solid-state drives (SSDs) NVMe SSDs for client systems 10 ways to speed up a PC running Windows 10 6 Ways to Speed Up Your Mac Desktop and Laptop PC Memory, Memory Upgrades FAQs for SATA and M.2 SSDs The Difference Between Enterprise & Client SSD Solid-State Drive Testing 101 Three signs you need more memory in your computer Full Speed Ahead: RAM Upgrades What is DDR4 Memory? Higher Performance
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 worthwhile to look 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's performance.

What’s the difference between memory and storage?

Memory vs Storage: PC Performance (2)

Memory and storage are two terms often mistakenly used 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 utilises RAM for anything that is in immediate use such as working on applications, editing a Word document or opening an email. However, the information on 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 of 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 programmes 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 programmes, 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 having 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 programmes 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 4TB 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, opening times of applications and files are typically significantly higher 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. Whereas 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 in order to create more space for files and applications. Either way, upgrading your computer’s memory, storage or both will revitalise your struggling machine and increase your PC’s performance.

#KingstonIsWithYou

Kingston Product Finder

When you start with Kingston, choosing memory is easy.
With over 35 years of expertise, Kingston has the knowledge and resources you need to choose memory with confidence.

Search by System/Device

Simply enter the make and model number or system part number of the computer system or digital device to find the Kingston products you need.

Search by Part Number

Search by either the Kingston part number, distributor part number or manufacturer equivalent part number.

Related Videos

Memory vs Storage: PC Performance (3)5:08

PC Build - Hardware Upgrades to Speed Up Computer - DIY in 5 Ep 118

If you could upgrade one single piece of my PC, what are my options and what should I choose? What should I upgrade next?

Memory vs Storage: PC Performance (4)2:48

How to Speed Up Your PC – Notebook Hardware Upgrades - DIY in 5 Ep 41

Switching from a spinning hard drive to an SSD is the best thing you can do to revive your PC. And adding more RAM is a less expensive option to speed up your notebook.

Memory vs Storage: PC Performance (5)3:23

PC Build – Types of SSDs - DIY in 5 Ep 71

We go over the different types of SSDs, what they are and how they are used.

Memory vs Storage: PC Performance (6)5:44

Distance Learning Upgrades for your Laptop - DIY in 5 Ep 133

E-learning presents its own set of challenges for both teachers and students, but outfitting yourself with the right tech can make all the difference.

Related Products

Sort byDefault

No products were found matching your selection

Related Articles

Memory vs Storage: PC Performance (2024)
Top Articles
Popular Culture Monsters
Evergreen Seeds it’s a Gardening Blog and a passionate community of nature enthusiasts.
Cartel Funkytown Video: Unveiling the Dark Side of the Music Industry
Unveiling The Enigma: Exploring Funkytowngorevideo's Impact And Controversy
What Is Tiger's Blood Syrup And How Is It Used? - The Daily Meal
Top 10 Best Flavors-Of-The-Day At Culver's
Pnc Bank Mortgagee Clause For Insurance
GEMS SPENT 9264+96 SKINS+HOOT HOOT SHELLY,STAR SHELLY,WORLD CHAMP... | ID 212452941 | PlayerAuctions
Pytleaked.nl
Inside Otis: A Closer Look at Michigan’s Correctional System - 200smichigan.com (UPDATE 👍)
Latest Posts
How do view special hidden characters in notepad++ Text file? - w3schools
How to store, clean and steam Brussels sprouts
Article information

Author: Annamae Dooley

Last Updated:

Views: 6146

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (45 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Annamae Dooley

Birthday: 2001-07-26

Address: 9687 Tambra Meadow, Bradleyhaven, TN 53219

Phone: +9316045904039

Job: Future Coordinator

Hobby: Archery, Couponing, Poi, Kite flying, Knitting, Rappelling, Baseball

Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.