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

A Crash Course on RAM

Earlier we get into the details of how to cheque the type of RAM your computer is equipped with, it's important to make sure we're all on the aforementioned page. RAM or Random Access Retention is a special type of very fast computer storage.

Information technology's different from your hard drive, which is relatively slow and non-volatile. That is, your hard drive doesn't lose its data when the power is turned off. RAM, on the other hand, is volatile which, as y'all've probably guessed, means that its data disappears when the electrons stop flowing.

RAM is crucial in a computer, because the CPU (Central Processing Unit) needs to take swift access to the next ready of information it has to procedure. So applications and relevant data are loaded into RAM, which ensures the computer can perform at its acme.

If y'all want to know more well-nigh the technical details of RAM, check out Agreement Types Of RAM Memory & How It'south Used.

Checking Your Motherboard Transmission or Website

If you just desire to know what blazon of memory your reckoner supports, possibly for the purposes of an upgrade, you can find that information in the motherboard'southward transmission.

Yous can also Google the motherboard's model number to find its product page. That will list the exact types of RAM that it supports. While this doesn't tell you the exact speed and capacity of the RAM that'south currently installed in the system, it does tell you what type of DDR the organization supports and at which speeds it supports information technology. It should also tell you what the maximum corporeality of RAM you can install is.

Use CPU-Z to Encounter Your RAM Blazon

One of the easiest means to get this data is by using a free awarding called CPU-Z. Nosotros have been using it for years to quickly bank check the most of import technical details almost a organisation. Later downloading and installing CPU-Z, run the program and select the Memory tab as shown here.

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

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

As y'all can encounter here, this computer is using Samsung memory with each module accounting for 8GB of RAM. This system is using DDR4-2667 RAM. You can check the number of available slots by counting them in the Memory Slot Option dropdown menu.

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

Getting Your RAM Info from the Command Prompt or PowerShell

Sometimes you're stuck in a state of affairs where you don't have access to the graphical user interface of Windows or perhaps you lot simply adopt the cold, infinite black depths of the Command Prompt. Either mode, there's a Command Prompt instruction that lets you see what'south currently installed in your system. All you lot have to do is type:

wmic MEMORYCHIP get BankLabel, DeviceLocator, Capacity, Speed

This shows you lot details for each RAM module every bit y'all tin come across here.

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

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

Nether MemoryType you lot'll meet a number lawmaking. This code tells y'all what type of DDR the system has:

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

That'south just a selection of the most common RAM types, merely if y'all see a number not listed to a higher place you can detect a full list of memory type codes in Microsoft'south documentation.

Command Prompt is being phased out in favor of PowerShell, if you adopt to use that you tin, but the command is a little different:

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

Check the BIOS

Regardless of what operating system your PC uses, y'all can oft get information on what type of RAM your organization uses before you lot fifty-fifty boot into it. The computer BIOS volition commonly have a section for retentivity, which should show yous details nigh the installed RAM. This typically includes the generation of DDR you're using, what size each module is and the speed at which it operates.

The method for entering the BIOS differs betwixt computers. It's ordinarily a simple primal press right later on the computer powers on. For example, you lot many accept to repeatedly tap the Delete key or perhaps F12 to enter the BIOS. The specific cardinal is usually shown on-screen just as the computer starts, but information technology volition besides exist in the motherboard transmission.

Look at the Module's Notches and Pins

The final way to determine which type of RAM your estimator has is to physically audit the memory modules. This will involve removing them from their slots, so only do this if you are comfy with the procedure.

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

What Near Laptop RAM?

Near of what'south written to a higher place applies to laptop RAM, at least when it comes to the software-based methods to check RAM type on Windows ten. 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 non-removable and soldered to the laptop's mainboard.

Check out Tin You Upgrade an Old Laptop for more information on laptop RAM specifically.

What'due south Your Type?

Knowing what type of RAM your system has empowers yous to get a moving picture of what your computer'south performance should be and how far you tin can upgrade it.

In that location's always some debate on how much impact RAM speed has on existent-world applications, but then again if your system supports a college class of RAM speed and your applications in particular can do good from information technology, information technology's worth having this data.