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Answer: The amount of memory, or RAM, installed in your computer can significantly affect its performance. For example, having several programs open at the same time may cause your computer to slow down if all the memory is being used. Having too little memory may also prevent you from being able to open applications that require a lot of RAM. (This information is typically listed in the program's system requirements). Therefore, it is helpful to know how much memory is installed in your computer.
In Windows, you can view the amount of memory installed in your computer by right-clicking "My Computer" and selecting "Properties..." A window will open with the amount of RAM displayed underneath the "Computer" section of the window. This window can also be viewed by opening the "System" Control Panel.
If you want to see how much memory your Windows computer is using, you can open the Windows Task Manager by pressing Control-Alt-Delete or Control-Shift-Esc. You can also right-click the Taskbar and select "Task Manager." Once the Task Manager is open, click the "Performance" tab to view how much physical memory is installed in your computer and how much is available.
In Mac OS X, you can view the amount of memory your computer has by simply selecting "About This Mac" from the Apple Menu. The amount of memory is displayed beneath the processor information. If you click "More Info..." the System Profiler will open. You can then select the "Memory" option in the sidebar to view what types of memory modules are installed in each slot.
To see how much RAM you Mac is using, open the Activity Monitor application in the Utilities folder. Select the "System Memory" tab near the bottom of the window to view how much memory is being used and how much is available. The "RSIZE" field in the main section of the window indicates how much memory each process is using. This can help you determine which programs use the most memory.
