PC World - USA 2020-07)

106 PCWorld JULY 2020

HERE’S HOW CHEAP & FREE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR PC FASTER

with less than 8GB of RAM, it can

negatively affect your performance in other

ways. Memory-constrained systems are

slower at gaming, slower at booting up,

and can start to choke if you begin to

multitask heavily (including having too

many browser tabs

open at once). Adding

more RAM can help.

You’ll want to

completely replace the

memory in your system

if you’re upgrading to

avoid potential conflicts,

but an 8GB memory

module (or an 8GB kit of

two 4GB modules) can

often be found for under

$50 at basic speeds.

Upgrading your

desktop memory is

easy: Just pop out the

sticks located in the

slots next to the CPU in

your motherboard,

then swap in the new

ones. Notebooks can

be trickier. Check out

our guide to

upgrading your

laptop’s RAM (go.

pcworld.com/uprm) if

you need help.

8. SWAP OUT YOUR
   GRAPHICS CARD
   If your gaming desktop has more ugh than
   oomph, tossing out your old graphics card
   and replacing it with a newer model may be
   all you need—not a full PC upgrade. Sure,

7.

8.