before buying a new computer component, check your manual. read what you’ve got. make sure you’re buying the right thing.

we’d be a little further along in the editing process had i done just that.

the formula for buying RAM:
Find out the bus speed of your computer (i know, it sounds technical, really, it’s not). Look for the thingy (in your manual) called the "front side bus". no, this is not something the "slow students" ride: it’s the channel that your RAM uses to speak to your computer. mine is 400mhz. now, find out what processor you have (Intel or AMD). If you have Intel (Pentium) divide the "mhz" number by four. If you have AMD divide the number by two. This is your "real" bus speed. Yes, computer geeks make it harder than it needs to be. I have an AMD, so my "real" bus speed is not 400mhz; it is 200mhz. Now, to find the right RAM, use this formula:

("bus speed" x 2 x 64)divide by 8 = speed of RAM.

For me: 200 x 2 x 64 = 25600 divided by 8 = 3200.

So I need PC3200 speed RAM. well i got PC2100 from best buy because it was inexpensive and now i am SOL. and just to let you know what happened: a very bad beeping sound, a rainbow colored computer screen, me screaming like a little girl "don’t ruin the movie! don’t ruin the movie!" i then did my research, found the equation method of figuring this crap out, and now i’ve ordered the right speed.

buy your computer parts here, but only after consulting someone who really knows about computers.