Computers have simplified many human practices, making life easier and making everyday activities achievable. For those planning to purchase a laptop soon, the following question might arise – is 4 GB of memory enough for a laptop?
While everything matters from the hard disk space, the graphics card you have, the processor your machine has as well as the RAM, we will talk about your laptop’s memory in this article.
In order to fully understand the effect of 4 GB memory on a laptop, we must first comprehend the meaning of memory.
Implications of RAM or Random Access Memory
The memory or RAM of a laptop can easily be defined as a type of PC information stockpiling that stores information and machine code as of now being utilized. Many, however, confused memory with the hard drive storage capacity.
Sometimes, manufacturers and retailers will also tend to share in this misconception of the two terms. An excellent way to avoid this misconception is to think the computer is a desk while the memory of a computer and its storage.
The RAM, or the size of the desk, determine how much you can place on top of the desk, the bigger the desk, the larger the amount of paperwork that you can spread out on its surface and read at a given time.
Hard drives, on the other hand, can be likened to the drawers that are beneath the desk, which are capable of storing paperwork that is not currently in use.
An arbitrary access memory gadget enables information to be perused or written in nearly a similar measure of time independent of the physical area of information inside the memory. The memory of a computer is characterized by bits of information arranged in a two-dimensional grid.
It’s been said that you can never have enough cash, and a similar school of thought remains constant for RAM, particularly on the off chance that you complete a ton of designs, serious work or gaming. By the CPU itself, RAM is the most vital factor in PC execution.
On the off chance that you don’t have enough, you would need additional RAM. It can have to a greater extent, an effect on your computer rather than purchasing a new computer.
Is 4 GB Adequate as RAM?
The higher the RAM capacity of your system, the higher the number of programs it can handle at the same time. It should be noted that the RAM is not the singular determinant factor. Yes, the user of a computer can actually open a large number of programs at a given time, regardless of the RAM capacity of the computer.
The problem with this though is the fact that opening so many programs on a low memory computer, will severely slow the computer system down.
In the initial days of computing, you would have found a system to have only 32 MB of RAM. It was enough to handle the simple programs and software of those days. Slowly as operating systems and software became complex and large, the need for more RAM was felt. Gradually the capacity of RAM started increasing and crossed the mark of 1 GB.
Going by the needs of modern day software and programs, it can be said that 4 GB of RAM is enough for a laptop. You will be able to run all the current programs and even use 
intensive software such as movie editing programs and play demanding games. Your applications will run faster, and you will also be able to run multiple applications simultaneously.
Of course, RAM is not the only thing that decides the performance of your laptop- there are other considerations as processor speed, the memory of your graphics unit and so on.
The Difference in Memory between 32 Bit and 64 Bit Operating Systems
If you have installed 4 GB RAM on a 32-bit operating system, you will only have 3.2 GB available for use. This is because RAM has memory addressing limitations and you cannot access the whole of it.
In the case of 64 bit operating systems, you will be able to access the whole of 4 GB of RAM. Keep in mind that you cannot install more than 4 GB of RAM in 32-bit version of Windows 10 because that is the maximum limit.
You may also go for a higher capacity of RAM, but then you will be entering the performance segment of laptops. Such laptops are needed for HD image and video rendering and editing and running programs like Creative Cloud applications.
How Much RAM Do You Need?
If you just like to work on normal word documents and play your favorite movies and music on your laptop, 4 GB of RAM is enough to go by. However, if you are looking to do more, like keeping a good number of tabs open at the same time and work through it all, 4 GB won’t be enough for you.
Similarly, if you are looking to work with power intensive applications like Autodesk or Photoshop, you would need a laptop that offers more RAM. If you are a gaming buff too, you would want to get a laptop that offers more RAM.
The latest games demand a good amount of RAM, sometimes as high as 16 GB, and if you get a laptop with a lesser amount of RAM, two things will happen:
- The games will not run
- You will have to play the game with a lower fps
Either way, you wouldn’t like it. In short, we wouldn’t recommend getting a laptop with a 4 GB of memory today.
Sure, you may not want to spend on a 16 GB laptop that is costly, but you can find one that has around 8 GB of memory. It will make working on your laptop so much better!
