Category Archives: General Computer

General computer questions and answers, for both Windows and Mac OS machines

How much RAM Memory can I install in my Windows computer? What does it depend on?

Posted on August 3, 2020 by quill

Your computer has a certain number of sockets for memory on its logic board. That will define how many modules can be installed. The machine will also have a maximum RAM module size that can be addressed. In most cases, … Continue reading →

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What SSD drives and RAM fit Late-2012 and newer Macintoshes?

Posted on March 14, 2020 by quill

Starting with the Late 2012 models, Apple changed the format of drives and memory in most Macs. ( Link to pre-2012 model list ) MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models (including all the “Retina” screen models) lost the ability to … Continue reading →

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Q. Overclocking RAM, what does that mean?

Posted on March 11, 2020 by quill

Q. I have heard of overclocking RAM – Is this possible at all? A. Yes, a computer has a standard memory speed it is designed for, and it is possible to increase the memory speed, if your memory and computer … Continue reading →

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Q. Do I upgrade my Drive or my RAM?

Posted on March 7, 2020 by quill

Q. What is better, a SSD Drive upgrade versus a RAM upgrade? A. It depends a lot on what you are doing with your computer, whether you have an adequate amount of either right now, and what your goals are. … Continue reading →

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Q. My machine feels slower than before, what do I do?

Posted on February 25, 2020 by quill

Q. My machine feels slower than before, I have done all I know to make it feel like before but no luck – do I need to upgrade? A. Performance slows when your software demands more than your hardware can … Continue reading →

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Q. Why can you sometimes upgrade RAM to more than the manufacturer suggested?

Posted on February 21, 2020 by quill

1. How is that I can install more memory on my Apple machine than Apple supports? A. When manufacturers release a machine, the manuals are written with the available information at that time – for example, a machine may be … Continue reading →

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Q. My old MacBook Pro is dead. How can I run its internal drive with OS X 10.11 as an external drive?

Posted on February 20, 2020 by quill

A. First, what year and model of MacBook Pro is it? If it is a 2012 or older, it is simple, because it is a 2.5 inch SATA drive. You’ll remove the hard drive and put the drive into an … Continue reading →

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Q. I have a broken iMac Mid 2011. Can I re-use the iMac’s SSD drive with a Windows machine?

Posted on February 19, 2020 by quill

A. Your iMac Mid-2011 came standard with a 3.5 inch hard disk drive. (Note: The Apple Fusion drives were not brought out ’til the Late 2012 model, so your particular iMac has no socket for a SSD blade). Therefore, the … Continue reading →

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Q. After I renamed my SD card files, the photos no longer showed up on my camera, but it shows up on my computer. How do I fix this?

Posted on February 17, 2020 by quill

A. As you have accidentally found out, cameras require photos to be in specific places with specific naming conventions. The directories on the SD card will have specific names. Usually the image files themselves are sequentially numbered, such as IMG_01281.jpg … Continue reading →

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Q. Can I put Quad Channel RAM into a Dual Channel machine?

Posted on February 14, 2020 by quill

A. Single or dual or quad channel memory access doesn’t have anything to do with the individual RAM modules — an individual RAM DIMM is the same whether it is sold alone, or in a package of 2 or 4 … Continue reading →

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Q. What is the difference between NVME, M.2 and SATA?

Posted on December 22, 2019 by quill

A. M.2 (formerly known as NGFF) is a standard for a computer expansion card socket, and the cards that can go into it. M.2 – Wikipedia M.2 cards are named after their size: the most popular is M.2 2280 – 22 … Continue reading →

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Q: Can I use compressed air to clean out dust from inside my computer?

Posted on December 18, 2019 by quill

Yes, you can. ‘Canned air’ is a common, if environmentally dubious, method of blowing dust out of computers. Although chlorinated fluorocarbon propellants have been banned, the replacement propellants, Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) and hydrocarbons, are still not good for the atmosphere, and … Continue reading →

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Q: What old generations of RAM memory are the same speed as drives?

Posted on December 12, 2019 by quill

A: RAM, of any generation, has always been much faster than hard drives or SSD drives, and RAM continues to be faster. There are several reasons. Bus access: RAM is on a bus that is much ‘closer’ to the CPU … Continue reading →

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Q: Is it expensive to add a Thunderbolt port to a budget priced laptop?

Posted on December 10, 2019 by quill

A: Yes, because it means buying a new laptop. The Thunderbolt protocol is an extension of the PCI-e bus and therefore cannot be converted from USB or any other common interface. Thunderbolt relies on having a Thunderbolt hardware controller chip, … Continue reading →

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What ports do I have on my device? Sorting out cables, USB, Thunderbolt and Firewire

Posted on October 28, 2019 by quill

USB Host ports A host is a computer or another device with an operating system, that has the ports and the OS support (and drivers) to control a USB device. Where are the ports? If it is a desktop computer, … Continue reading →

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