How to tell what kind of RAM you have

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Image: Corsair
For a extraordinarily very long time, basically the most total direction to bettering your PC’s efficiency has been thru upgrading the RAM. RAM stands for “random procure admission to reminiscence” and it’s effectively the ingredient of your PC that is retaining monitor of what your pc is currently working on. When RAM is little, your PC has to protect that fresh recordsdata saved in totally different locations, which would perhaps dramatically stupid down your workflow and load times. Here is mostly necessary in computationally heavy projects, unbiased like video encoding and high quality art work introduction.
Whether you’re having a secret agent to upgrade or you’re having a secret agent to reap the RAM from one PC to use in one more, it helps to know what selection of RAM your diagram is utilizing. That’s doubly gentle now that Intel’s 12th- and thirteenth-gen motherboards can use either DDR4 or DDR5 RAM, and AMD’s Ryzen 7000 processors made the swap to DDR5. There are a handful of programs to resolve that needed recordsdata out!
Further reading: The finest gaming motherboards
In Dwelling windows 10 and 11
That it is likely you’ll well presumably get total facts about your RAM thru your diagram’s About web page and by the Performance tab for your Project Supervisor.

Listed below are two easy the formula to procure admission to the About web page:
- Press the main combination Gain + Cease/Break
- Style “About your PC” within the Dwelling windows Start menu search

To procure admission to the Project Supervisor, right here are three easy alternate choices:
- Press the main combination Ctrl + Shift + Acquire away
- Press the main combination Ctrl + Alt + Delete and resolve “Project Supervisor”
- Style “Project Supervisor” within the Dwelling windows Start menu search
These two programs will give you basically the most simplistic get out about of your PC’s RAM recordsdata, basically exhibiting how grand RAM you currently salvage, along with some RAM plug recordsdata. If this isn’t enough recordsdata for what you’re having a secret agent to produce, then you undoubtedly could well have to study out the Dwelling windows Management Instrumentation advise-line utility, or wmic.

In reveal to use wmic, you could commence a Advise Suggested window, which is readily accomplished by typing “cmd” into the Dwelling windows Start menu search. As soon as there, you can well presumably use a “wmic MemoryChip procure” advise to in most cases pull up the records you’re buying for.
That it is likely you’ll well presumably get a comprehensive space of properties to encompass for your “wmic MemoryChip procure” advise right here, however the following should always duvet the wise bases for many RAM identification desires:
wmic MemoryChip procure MemoryType, Capacity, Velocity, Configuredclockspeed, DeviceLocator, FormFactor, Producer, Serialnumber, Partnumber
This also can merely provide a desk with the following recordsdata, if it’s available:
- MemoryType will file support a amount that aligns to a particular “kind” of RAM module. 20 capability it’s DDR reminiscence. DDR2 is 21. DDR3 is 24. DDR4 is 26. Typically, this also can merely demonstrate a 0. If that’s the case, you’ll have to use “SMBIOSMemoryType” as one more.
- Capacity will demonstrate the raw byte worth of the RAM’s reminiscence capability, so one thing esteem 8,589,934,592 will more than likely be for an 8GB RAM module.
- Velocity is the supported reminiscence plug worth that your RAM module signifies it could perhaps well toughen, which is in most cases wherever between 800 and 3200.
- Configuredclockspeed pertains to the fee at which your RAM is currently configured to be working at.
- DeviceLocator will repeat you which bodily slot the RAM module is plugged into for your diagram’s motherboard.
- FormFactor is the bodily form kind of the RAM module. This also can merely in most cases be the amount 8 for DIMM modules stumbled on on desktop PCs or the amount 12 for laptops’ SODIMM forms.
- Producer signifies an identified manufacturer of the RAM module. This also can merely demonstrate up as Unknown on occasion.
- Serialnumber offers you the hardware serial amount for that categorical stick of RAM, which is in most cases simplest relevant when going thru the manufacturer for troubleshooting capabilities.
- Partnumber offers the manufacturer’s mannequin amount for that categorical RAM module, which would perhaps even be very helpful with the support of a Google search to title the RAM stick you salvage and whether or now not or now not you can well presumably buy it again.
Further diagram alternate choices
Grand of the above recordsdata could be available with the support of some third-social gathering diagram, unbiased like CPU-Z and Speccy.

In CPU-Z, you’ll have to use the “Memory” and “SPD” tabs to witness facts about your RAM. Memory will demonstrate you reminiscence kind and up-to-the-minute frequency recordsdata. The SPD tab, which stands for “serial presence detect,” offers recordsdata linked to the RAM modules themselves including the manufacturer and portion amount recordsdata.

In Speccy, you’ll have to roam to the “RAM” get out about from the left menu. In there, it is most reasonable to search out virtually all of the RAM and reminiscence recordsdata you’d need. That it is likely you’ll well presumably also merely have to enlarge the “SPD” plunge-down in reveal to procure more explicit facts about the RAM depending on what you’re attempting to search out.
In Linux
That it is likely you’ll well presumably get virtually all of the records shown above by project of your Linux terminal by utilizing the following advise:
- sudo dmidecode —kind reminiscence
This should always present a sorted listing of facts about your reminiscence devices, aka your RAM, including size, kinds, and manufacturer recordsdata.
Bodily RAM module
Most user RAM modules will reach with a imprint to title the form of RAM it is. On the full, these labels will either be a decal utilized straight away to the stick of RAM, engraved onto the esteem heat spreader on bigger-efficiency modules, or would be printed straight away onto the circuit board. In these conditions, you’ll in most cases get the portion amount, that it’s good to well presumably then secret agent up with your accepted search engine to resolve out the the leisure of the specs. Whenever you can well presumably’t in discovering a imprint or identifier wherever, then it could perhaps well be prudent to use indisputably among the programs described above as one more.
These alternate choices should always allow you to resolve out what RAM your PC is utilizing. Whenever you’re having a secret agent to upgrade, be particular that you’re getting the same kind and procure element of RAM, because you can well presumably’t straight away swap out DDR3 for DDR4 RAM without having to also exchange your motherboard. For more recordsdata on upgrading RAM, ogle our handbook on how to set up fresh reminiscence for your PC.