As more and more basketball fans are logging on to their laptops and desktops this year in order to keep up with the fast-paced action of the 2012 NCAA® Basketball Tournament, The Memory Experts at Crucial.com have a few tips to help fans improve their online viewing experience. 

As a leading online retailer specializing in computer memory (RAM) upgrades for nearly 15 years, Crucial.com understands the frustrations experienced by consumers when their computers become unreliable, unresponsive and downright maddening. For the next few weeks, fans will be flocking to the Internet to check scores, get updates and watch the live game broadcasts of one of sport’s greatest traditions.  Here are a few things fans can do to help make sure that the only disappointment they endure is due to the on-court performance of their favorite teams, and not a result of the off-court performance of their computer.

Beef Up The Browser
Popular web browsers need to be updated from time to time with the latest features and functionality. Typically, a computer will notify users when an update is available, and give them the option of updating immediately. If manual updating is required, check for current updates in the settings, or use a search engine to find the browser home page where you can download the latest available updates. 

Flash On
Adobe® Flash® Player enables users to view video content and other types of applications within a web browser.  Adobe Flash Player is frequently updated with new features and notifies users that there is an updated version available for download. Users can manually check whether they require an update by visiting the Adobe Flash Player home page and running a simple online program check.

Don't Bog Down Bandwidth
Even when they are not being actively used, many household devices like laptop computers, tablets, DVR's, gaming systems and cell phones also use an Internet connection to download updates and data.  When numerous devices are sharing the same network, bandwidth is reduced and the speed at which data is received and transmitted may be compromised as a result. Keep the Internet connection from becoming bogged down by disabling or unplugging any devices that share the connection.

Find The Signal Sweet Spot
A wired connection is often faster and more reliable than a wireless connection; do this by plugging the computer directly into the modem or router using an Ethernet cord.  If a wireless network is being used, as a general rule, the closer a device is to a modem or wireless router, the stronger the signal.  Check to see if the computer that is being used to stream live video is receiving maximum signal strength by checking the indicator on your device.  Wireless signals become weaker as they have to travel through walls, or over large distances.  Find the location with the strongest wireless signal for improved viewing of live video.

Conserve Resources
A computer is the ultimate multitasking machine and often runs other programs in the background that are not being directly used or needed for a particular application, such as viewing live streaming video.  A computer has a finite amount of resources, also referred to as random access memory (RAM), available to run installed applications and programs.  Completely closing all unnecessary programs will allow the computer to dedicate more memory to running the programs that are in use. 

"A computer with insufficient memory may run slower, be unresponsive and in some cases, refuse to operate at all,” said Ed Walker, E-commerce Marketing Manager at Crucial.com. "Increasing the amount of memory in a system can make an obvious difference in the computer’s ability to run programs, especially with today's memory-hungry applications such as office programs, multimedia editing packages, and graphics-intensive games.”

While the process of installing memory is fairly simple, finding the correct type of memory upgrade for a computer can sometimes be confusing and complex.  Crucial.com, an online retailer founded on the concept of making memory upgrades easy for the everyday consumer, offers hundreds of thousands of types of computer memory upgrades along with free, easy-to-use online tools—such as the Crucial Memory Advisor™ and the Crucial System Scanner tools — that allow consumers to quickly assess, select and purchase compatible memory upgrades for their specific system.

As a pioneer of do-it-yourself memory upgrades, Crucial.com bolsters its online tools with a full team of memory upgrade experts to give consumers the knowledge and tools they need to make an informed decision when selecting the right computer memory upgrade.

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