I don't think 3.0 GB of RAM is enough any more, not with Win7. Right now, this computer is running Firefox and Outlook, with Kaspersky running in the background and is using 2.45 GB of RAM.
If you can, upgrade to a min of 4 GB, preferably 8 GB. More is better. Going from 2 GB to 4 GB fixed that same problem on my old Dell laptop when I switched it from XP to Win7.
Have you checked your performance score? It would be interesting to see what it says.
Also? You might find a program like Auslogics BoostSpeed helpful, as they contain all sorts of speed enhancers, registry cleaners, defragers, etc., all in one package.
It’s probably better to get that extra memory right when you buy the computer. More than likely we’ll get a new computer within a year, so little point in springing for that now for a 2-year old computer.
As for the performance score, it reads a 4.1.