New research commissioned by Crucial.com, a leading online destination for memory upgrades, provides greater insight into the frustration experienced by Americans when it comes to the overall performance of their computers. The nationwide survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Crucial.com, revealed that more than half (52%) of U.S. adults who own a computer have been unhappy with the performance of their computer in the past 6 months, with an overwhelming majority (94%) of those who have experienced performance problems indicating that their computer performance issues have caused  them to experience stress.

When those who have experienced stress as a result of their computer's performance issues were asked to compare computer-induced stress with other forms of stress, they indicated that their computer performance issues, such as slow loading programs, unresponsiveness, and crashes, were more stressful than choosing what to wear (47%), traffic jams (27%), going through airport security (21%), dealing  with finances (19%), filing taxes (18%), managing their overall health (14%), and arguing with their spouse (13%).

"Computers are supposed to make our lives easier, but as we depend on our computers more and more for both professional and personal use, performance issues such as  slow loading programs, unresponsiveness, memory warnings, and system crashes often  result in a computer becoming a significant source of unneeded stress and frustration for users," said Roddy McLean, marketing director of Crucial.com.

Still, despite the high level of computer-induced stress and frustration among Americans, nearly two-thirds (63%) of computer  owners have never attempted to install memory into their computer themselves. A simple memory upgrade could resolve their computer’s problems.

"It is stunning to see that although computers have become such a part of the fabric of our everyday lives, most computer users are seemingly still unaware that a simple do-it-yourself memory upgrade can often times resolve performance issues and renew the life of an existing computer," added McLean.

Visit www.crucial.com for  more information, follow Crucial on Twitter at @CrucialMemory, "LIKE" Crucial at www.facebook.com/CrucialMemory, and  subscribe to helpful videos at www.youtube.com/crucialmemory.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Crucial.com from June 20-22, 2012 among 2,214 adults ages 18 and older, among which 2,172 are computer owners. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of  theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Will Ostedt at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..