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The memory inside the computer (also called RAM for Random Access Memory) holds information that the computer is actively working with. It's temporary—it only holds information while the computer is turned on. It depends on that supply of electricity to do its job.

The computer's memory is not your hard disk. Your disks don't lose information when you turn off your computer. But memory, which has been holding your work while you are working, does. That's why it's important to save what you're doing before you shut off your computer.

How much memory is enough?

Well, that depends. Here are some guidelines:

Tasks	System level	Price range	Memory
Basic word processing; an occasional spreadsheet	Level 1: Low-end	Cheap: Less than $1,000	64 MB
Word processing and spreadsheets with graphics, charts, and tables	Level  2: Mid-level	Well-priced: $1,000-1,600	128 MB
Intensive graphics processing (PhotoShop)	Level 3: Higher-end	Getting up there: $1,600-2,500	128-256 MB
Multimedia (video, sound and graphics)	Level 4: High-end	Not cheap	128 MB+

Again, these are only ballpark figures. New demands may (will) affect memory needs. For example, Microsoft's Windows 2000 and Windows XP have a minimum memory requirement of 64 MB. Translation: don't try to run them in less than 128 MB of memory. Who knows what else is in store.

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