In 1943, the Chairman of IBM at the time, Thomas Watson, is claimed to have said, ‘There is a world market for about five computers.’

I’d say the man was being a bit modest. In 2007, people spent $17.2 billion in the US alone.

A lot of that cash was absorbed by the voracious demand for laptop computers. If you have one, you know what a blessing they are: Desktop power + complete portability is the ideal blend. But laptop memory is not such a prize – Whatever you’re doing, there’s always the chance you won’t have enough. And trust me, that sucks.

If you rely on your notebook – and if you don’t now, you will – get some more RAM and save all the pain.