You can usually find the minimum technical requirements for a computer game printed clearly somewhere on the game's box. If you have recently purchased your computer (ie. during last six months), your computer will most likely have ample memory resources to run most games. But, for many--myself included--you might find yourself trying to play games on a three-year-old computer and, consequently, must pay close attention to a game's requirements before making a purchase.

As computer games become increasingly advanced, they require more RAM. RAM enables your software run. Although your PC might meet a game's minimum RAM requirements, you still may find you're not satisfied with the level of game performance your PC offers.

Software applications running on your PC consume RAM all the time. Virus programs, multimedia applications, web browsers, and your operating system--usually guilty for using the most memory--all combine to reduce the system resources available to your game.

If you have an older PC and purchase a newer game that just barely meets the minimum requirements, you'll find these tips to be helpful as you try and make your PC run more efficiently.

• Close any unnecessary applications; this includes any multimedia software (i.e. screensavers/wallpapers) and virus software (but ONLY if you don't intend to go online while playing the game).
• Defrag your hard drive. This can rearrange your programs so they are easier to access.
• Clean up any unneeded temporary Internet files or cookies. These take up a lot of space and can sometimes bog your system down.

After this has been done, select Start > Settings > Control Panel. From the control panel double click the System icon and select the Performance tab. This tab tells you how much memory your PC has and how much free memory you have available. I usually like to have anywhere from 65% - 70% free memory before I open up any of my games. If your playing a multiplayer game online it may be a little lower if there are any web browsers running. Once the game starts however, close the browser to free-up additional RAM for the game.

If, after completing these steps, your system's performance isn't enhanced, then you might want to consider purchasing an upgraded memory card. Cards are available at most electronic stores and online. A 256MB upgrade costs around $90, with smaller upgrades well under $50. For the performance enhancement you can't beat the value.

For more information on PC memory or other hardware be sure to take a look at the links under Computer Gaming Hardware/Peripherals