Computer optimization for the home worker: How SSD and DRAM can help

Sometimes it is necessary to work from home. Whether you can’t make it to the office once in a while or you’re self-employed and running a business from your living room, it can be hugely helpful to have your home computer optimized for work.
No matter what your job is, it is easy to tailor your computer to meet your needs. DRAM and solid state drives can provide the boost you need to ensure an optimal working experience on your personal computer.
The easiest way to optimize your computer’s performance is to increase its speed. There are a number of ways to do this, but for most work-related needs, none are as effective as increasing your PC’s memory. If your computer is running to slowly for you to work efficiently, purchasing a new stick of DRAM or two might be the remedy you’re looking for.
DRAM is not a specialized form of memory. “All PCs use DRAM for their main system memory,” said PCGuide.com. “The reason that DRAMs are used [instead of other forms of memory] is simple — they are much cheaper and take up much less space.”
Your computer can probably hold more DRAM than it currently possesses, especially if you purchased it pre-assembled. A quick check of your computer’s DirectX Diagnostic Tool will tell you how much memory you have. If you have Windows XP, click the start button, press run, and type “dxdiag” into the box that appears. If you run Vista or Windows 7, simply type “dixdiag” into the default search box.
The amount of memory you need will depend on your job. If your job requires a lot of writing and little use of high-end applications, less DRAM will be necessary; 1 GB or so should do the job. If you are a graphic designer, animator, or any other occupation that requires use of memory-hogging applications, you will want plenty of DRAM to ensure that your computer can keep up with your creative requirements. In this case, 4 GB of DRAM - about the minimum required for a decent gaming rig — is recommended.
Thankfully, DRAM upgrades are not particularly expensive. Some 4GB DRAM upgrades cost as little as $45-$50. Once you have installed your new DRAM, you will immediately notice improvements in performance. Your computer will start faster and applications will run with new-found speed.
SSDs can also help your computer’s performance. While SSDs tend to have lower storage capacities than hard disk drives, their increased speeds can provide a wide range of benefits for home workers.
Upgrading to a lower-capacity, faster SSD might be a wise choice for those whose work is done primarily on document applications. You can easily augment your computer’s storage by using cloud-based services, such as Google Docs. This way, you can reap the benefits of SSDs without compromising your storage abilities.
SSDs will dramatically improve your computer’s startup speeds. Additionally, applications will launch faster, because your computer loads them automatically, rather than waiting to load them from a spinning disk.
Additionally, you also have the option of using an SSD as a boot drive. By transferring your computer’s startup applications to an SSD, you can improve your computer’s startup speeds while still keeping your files on a higher-capacity HDD. This is an ideal solution for those whose work involves saving large files but who hate waiting for their application-laden computers to start up.
With a few easy changes and upgrades to SSD and DRAM, you can make your home work experience better than ever. Before long, you might turn your small home business into a booming enterprise, all thanks to a faster computer.