Would the change be all that dramatic though? Beacuse I doubt my father would go spend money on more RAM slots when I have had the computer for over 5 years now.
He will say that there's no reason it shouldn't work well now and it did before. No other way of increasing my RAM or any way to make it go faster with the already available RAM?
Also, why is it so low? Do most people have to buy extra RAM when they get a computer?
Manufacturer's cost cutting price war is the answer.
128 MB is fine for Windows '98 as an entry level quantity. 256 MB is better.
256 MB is fine for Windows ME as an entry level quantity, 512 MB is better.
XP can run on 256 MB but it does work a lot better with 512 MB.
So why so low when purchased? Because the manufacturer only allows enough RAM to run the basic Windows operating system with some very light software.
As you add more programs and more files memory use increases because there are more file addresses.
"Windows slows as it grows" is what is said.
Better to simply say, Add more RAM to begin with, and add more still, if the operating system and the motherboard will accept it, and the programs you are using need it.
The manufacturers are at fault really. '98, ME, 2000 & XP will all work well with 512 MB so there was never any point in making 64, 128 and 256 MB modules as if they had only ever made 512 MB modules and 1024 MB modules the price would have leveled out, as the tooling required for manufacturing could have been standardised and all the costs of advertising, stocking, handling, and transport, would have been lower.
Most people specify the addition of more RAM at the time of purchase, if this option is available, and they know something about computers.
They also take care not to have the system RAM shared by the video system and have a video card with its own RAM.
Does that help with the understanding?
What is the make and model of your computer?
I hope you get a laptop with 1024 MB of system RAM.
