Video:Building a PC: How to Install Desktop Memory

Transcript:Building a PC: How to Install Desktop Memory

Hi I’m Margarita Caraballo with Geek Squad for About.com. Today we’re going be discussing, How to Install Desktop Memory.

Build a PC in a Static Free Area

You'll wanna make sure that you're standing on an anti static mat or obtain one of these anti static wristbands.   

PC Memory is Also Called RAM

So now we’re going to be installing desktop memory. Desktop memory is also referred to as RAM or random access memory. So I’ve taken the motherboard out in order to be able to show the RAM banks themselves and the installation process but as a note: It’s generally better practice to install the RAM once the motherboard’s already been installed into the desktop. The reason being you don’t wanna cause any damage to the pins underneath as well as to any of the casing here. The motherboard will tend to wobble around when you put in the RAM so having it in the casing itself will help to stabilize the motherboard before you’ve installed it.

The Motherboard Ram Banks

Here you’ll see that we have four RAM banks and that they’re color coded in a set of two.  When you’re installing RAM you wanna make sure that you install them in sets. In this case, all  our RAMs’ the same so same so it’s all relative however, if for example I was going to use two sets of RAM  and two different speeds. I would want to make sure that these two are the same speed and going into the same color bank.

So the first thing you’re gonna wanna do is make sure that the notch in your RAM is oriented to fit with the notch right here running through the center of the RAM banks. Slide it in to these notches here and you’re gonna hear it click, you’re just gonna wanna push it down a little bit and you’re gonna hear a click as these two clips pull up into these notches on the ram banks.

So pushing it down a little bit, you hear a little bit of a click as it holds on to it.  And you’re gonna do the same thing for the other three pieces of RAM sliding it into the notch making sure that it lines up with the bottom of the RAM there and then pushing down so you hear a little bit of a click from this popping up. Different motherboards will have different types of RAM that they are compatible with.

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