RAM comes in various types, capacities, speeds and brands. If you ever desire to upgrade your RAM or need to verify whether your organisation meets sure minimum requirements, you'll have to check the type of RAM in your PC. While the jargon and numbers might seem daunting at outset, it's actually fairly piece of cake to determine what RAM your system is equipped with.

A Crash Course on RAM

Before nosotros get into the details of how to check the type of RAM your computer is equipped with, information technology'south important to make sure we're all on the same page. RAM or Random Admission Memory is a special type of very fast computer storage.

It's different from your hard drive, which is relatively tedious and non-volatile. That is, your hard bulldoze doesn't lose its data when the ability is turned off. RAM, on the other hand, is volatile which, every bit you've probably guessed, means that its data disappears when the electrons stop flowing.

RAM is crucial in a computer, considering the CPU (Central Processing Unit) needs to have swift access to the next set of data it has to process. So applications and relevant data are loaded into RAM, which ensures the computer tin can perform at its peak.

If you want to know more about the technical details of RAM, check out Understanding Types Of RAM Retention & How It'due south Used.

Checking Your Motherboard Manual or Website

If yous just desire to know what type of retention your reckoner supports, perhaps for the purposes of an upgrade, yous can find that information in the motherboard's manual.

You tin also Google the motherboard's model number to discover its product page. That will list the verbal types of RAM that information technology supports. While this doesn't tell you lot the exact speed and capacity of the RAM that's currently installed in the arrangement, it does tell you lot what blazon of DDR the arrangement supports and at which speeds information technology supports it. Information technology should likewise tell y'all what the maximum amount of RAM you can install is.

Use CPU-Z to See Your RAM Type

One of the easiest ways to get this data is by using a free application called CPU-Z. We have been using it for years to rapidly check the most important technical details nigh a system. After downloading and installing CPU-Z, run the program and select the Memory tab as shown here.

Under the "General" section, await at "Type". This tells you what generation of DDR retention your arrangement has installed. Nether "Size" yous tin can see how much RAM is installed

Adjacent, switch to the "SPD" tab. This is where the data is displayed as reported by each individual RAM module. If all the modules in your system are identical then you don't demand to switch between them under the "Retention Slot Choice" dropdown.

Equally you tin run into here, this calculator is using Samsung memory with each module accounting for 8GB of RAM. This arrangement is using DDR4-2667 RAM. You can cheque the number of available slots by counting them in the Retention Slot Choice dropdown menu.

You don't have to worry almost the Timings Tabular array in the lower half of the window, but if you are curious about what those numbers mean, you lot tin can detect out more than in our RAM overclocking article.

Getting Your RAM Info from the Command Prompt or PowerShell

Sometimes you're stuck in a situation where you lot don't take access to the graphical user interface of Windows or perhaps y'all simply adopt the cold, infinite black depths of the Command Prompt. Either mode, there's a Control Prompt teaching that lets you encounter what's currently installed in your system. All you take to practice is type:

wmic MEMORYCHIP get BankLabel, DeviceLocator, Chapters, Speed

This shows you details for each RAM module every bit you lot can see here.

This shows y'all the size and speed of each memory module, but doesn't tell y'all the type of memory. If you want that information, we need to add together a few bits to the command.

wmic MEMORYCHIP get BankLabel, DeviceLocator, MemoryType, TypeDetail, Capacity, Speed

Under MemoryType you'll run across a number code. This code tells you what blazon of DDR the organisation has:

  • 22 – DDR2
  • 25 – DDR3
  • 26 – DDR4

That'south just a selection of the most common RAM types, just if you see a number not listed above you tin detect a total listing of memory type codes in Microsoft's documentation.

Command Prompt is being phased out in favor of PowerShell, if yous prefer to apply that you can, but the command is a little different:

Become-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemory | Format-Table Capacity, Manufacturer, MemoryType, FormFactor, Proper name, Configuredclockspeed, Speed, Devicelocator, Serialnumber -AutoSize

Check the BIOS

Regardless of what operating system your PC uses, you tin oftentimes get information on what type of RAM your system uses before you even kicking into information technology. The estimator BIOS will usually have a section for memory, which should show you details about the installed RAM. This typically includes the generation of DDR yous're using, what size each module is and the speed at which it operates.

The method for inbound the BIOS differs between computers. Information technology's usually a elementary central printing right after the reckoner powers on. For example, you many have to repeatedly tap the Delete key or perhaps F12 to enter the BIOS. The specific key is usually shown on-screen only every bit the computer starts, simply it will besides be in the motherboard manual.

Look at the Module's Notches and Pins

The final mode to determine which type of RAM your computer has is to physically inspect the retentiveness modules. This will involve removing them from their slots, so only do this if yous are comfortable with the process.

The details of the RAM modules may be readable on a label fastened to the DIMM, but you can also identify them by the location of the notch, equally seen in this illustration.

What Nigh Laptop RAM?

Most of what's written above applies to laptop RAM, at to the lowest degree when it comes to the software-based methods to check RAM blazon on Windows 10. When it comes to the physical identification methods, these mobile RAM modules look different from desktop ones. Usually they are either upgradable SODIMM modules or are not-removable and soldered to the laptop's mainboard.

Bank check out Can Yous Upgrade an Former Laptop for more data on laptop RAM specifically.

What'southward Your Type?

Knowing what type of RAM your organization has empowers you to become a picture of what your computer'southward performance should be and how far you can upgrade it.

In that location's always some debate on how much touch RAM speed has on real-world applications, simply then again if your organization supports a higher class of RAM speed and your applications in particular can benefit from it, information technology'southward worth having this information.