Of course there are many ways to check the RAM slot on a PC, but the simplest way is to press START key (windows key) search “RAM” click ‘View RAM info’ then look at ‘INSTALLED RAM’. Note: If it does say ‘RAM unavailable’ then wait for a minute or so since it is computing the RAM (usually for older computers). Step 3: Click Performance tab and select Memory on the left panel. Finally, on the right panel, the number of RAM slots is shown on the right of Slot used. As shown in the following figure. 1 of 2 means that there are two RAM slots in total and one of them is being used. Bottom Line – How many RAM slots in laptop. Empty RAM slots Open the Task Manager and go to the Performance tab. Select ‘Memory’ and under the memory graph, look for the Slots used field. It will tell you how many of the total slots are currently in use. In the screenshot below, the system has a total of 2 slots, and one of them is in use. Click the Performance tab and select Memory on the left-pane menu. Check the number of slots next to Slot used. If it’s 2 of 2, it means you have 2 RAM slots or if it’s 2 of 4, it means your laptop has 4 RAM slots. It is quite easy to find out the amount of RAM in your computer. In Windows 10, you can learn your installed RAM by using the keyboard shortcut Win + PAUSE. This will also provide your processor name and operating system type (32- or 64-bit). After this, use Ctrl + Shift + ESC to open the taskbar and size up your RAM limits.

Random Access Memory (computer RAM) might or might not be that magic pill your PC swallows and everything gets sorted out. To be honest, there’s just so many variables to consider.

Your PC might be slow because it’s old and tired. Or it could simply be a defective hard drive. A nasty virus/malware infection could be keeping it bedridden. And what if some enterprising bitcoin miner is sucking up your system resources behind the scenes?

Without deliberate troubleshooting, we surely cannot know. But even so, upgrading your computer RAM is one thing to tick off in our books.But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Before you rush off to purchase the first RAM chip you come across or cannibalise RAM from another PC you no longer need, there’s a few questions you need to ask yourself.

What you need to know

  • Firstly does your PC use DDR4 or DDR3 or DDR2 RAM?
  • Is it a desktop, laptop or 2-in-1?
  • Also, how many RAM slots does your PC have?
  • And does it run a 32-bit or 64-bit OS? [And yes, it matters.]

These are questions you should be able to answer belong long. On this premise, we would like to show you how you can properly go about upgrading your RAM, starting with the basics. The endgame here is to hit the stores, online and offline, armed to the teeth and knowledgeable about what you’re buying.

Related: DDR5 vs DDR4 vs DD3 vs DDR2 SDRAM: features and specs comparison

Checking for details about your RAM with Task Manager

Let’s head over to the Task Manager to check up on a few details about the RAM. These comprise the form factor, the number of slots on your motherboard and the clock speed. You can throw in the current amount of RAM you have.

To open the Task Manager

  • Click the Windows button and type Task Manager in the search box
  • Or Press the combination Ctrl + Shift + Esc
  • Select the Performance tab (As shown in the image below)

On the top right, you will see how much RAM you have. Our PC has 6 GB, of which 4.2 GB is currently in use. At the bottom right, you will see the clock rate of your RAM, the form factor (SODIMM) and also how many slots you have on the motherboard.

If you must know, laptops use SODIMM RAM whereas desktops use DIMM RAM. The difference is in the size really. Not to worry. We will throw in an explainer at a later date.

Knowing your PC & OS Architecture

We have covered at length the difference between a 32-bit and a 64-bit PC. But it appears we are due for a recap. Most laptops manufactured in the last 10 years are 64-bit, seeing as 32-bit is getting antiquated. But cheaper 32-bit laptops do exist. We don’t always buy/inherit the newest of gadgets, now do we?

Memory

What you need to know is that 32-bit PCs can only run the 32-bit version of Windows. A 64-bit PC can run both 32-bit and also 64-bit Windows OS. The devil is in the details though. A 32-bit OS can only utilise a maximum of 4 GB where a 64-bit OS can use more computer RAM than you can fit in the slots.

How to check if you’re using 32-bit vs 64-bit

We will head to the System/System and Security in the Control Panel for this. A shortcut is to open a new Window:

  • Right Click on My Computer/This PC
  • Select Properties (at the bottom)

Related: What’s the difference between 32-bit vs 64-bit architecture in Windows? Here’s a clue: Ones & Zeros

So then, is it DDR4 or DDR3 or DDR2 RAM?

There’s a few ways you can find out what iteration of computer RAM you use. The most obvious is that sticker on your laptop right next to the touchpad. Oh, did the wording there fade or did you rip it off? Bummer. Let’s do it the hard way then. What we need to do now is turn to a couple third-party software.

We recommend CPU-Z and the more comprehensive HWinfo for a rundown of hardware information otherwise unavailable. These tools are usually very small (1MB to 5MB) and install in seconds.

And finally, finally, we get to see the information we have been looking for. Clicking on the Memory tab in CPU-Z shows you the computer RAM type (DDR4), the RAM size (6GB). The next tab, SPD, shows more detailed information. One of the two RAM chips installed (in slot #3) is DDR-2400 (1200 MHz) 4 GB RAM by Micron Technology.

An Amazon search for DDR-2400 (1200 MHz) doesn’t return any specific information though. What this means is that the criteria we used isn’t adequate. How about we bring in the big guns?

How about HWinfo?

How To Check How Many Ram Slots Are Used In Linux

HWinfo returns a motherload of information. We have information about the CPU, GPU, Motherboard, Chipset, Memory Modules, Bios, and more. The thing to do it copy the Memory module type (It’s highlightable). A search for DDR4-2400 / PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM SO-DIMM in Amazon returns some very good leads. Our first result is SK Hynix PC4-19200 2400Mhz 8GB RAM at $90.88. Not bad, is it?

Alternatively, you can head over to vendor websites and browse through their offerings for compatible RAM. We personally loved Crucial‘s website. Armed with the information we scoured from HWinfo, we filtered our results by form factor, capacity, module quantity, PC Speed, DDR type and more.

Featured image: dekhnews.com

Related

Whenever you want to add or upgrade RAM (Memory) then you’ll definitely want to know how many memory or RAM slots are available on my laptop. Meanwhile, it’s absolutely a daunting task to open a laptop case and check. So, in this guide, you will learn how to check the number of RAM slots in the laptop on Windows 10 operating system without opening the laptop case.

You Might Also Like: How to Check RAM Type & Size in a Laptop on Windows 10

How to Check Number of RAM Slots in Laptop on Windows 10

So here, I will show you three (3) different ways to find the exact number of slots available on any laptop like HP, Dell, Acer, and many more.

Method 1. Check via Command Prompt

The Windows Management Interface Command (WMIC) is a basic but useful Command Prompt (CMD) tool for testing device details on which you run it. So, you can also find how many RAM slots you have on your laptop. Here how it’s done:

Step 1. Open Command Prompt or simply search cmd in the Start menu.

Step 2. In Command Prompt window, type wmicmemphysical get memorydevices and press Enter.

Step 3. The number shown under MemoryDevices is the exact number of RAM slots on your laptop.

wmic memphysical get memorydevices

Method 2. Check RAM Slots via Task Manager

Step 1. Right-click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager or simply press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to bring the Taskbar in the easiest way.

Step 2. Click More details to expand the Task Manager.

How To Check How Many Ram Slots Are Used Windows 10

Step 3. Click the Performance tab and select Memory on the left-pane menu. Check the number of slots next to Slot used. If it’s 2 of 2, it means you have 2 RAM slots or if it’s 2 of 4, it means your laptop has 4 RAM slots.

Method 3. Find RAM Slots via CPU-Z

CPU-Z

CPU-Z is the most popular software on your computer and it provides all types of hardware information. You get RAM type, channel #, size, NB frequency, cycle time, and a lot more on a simple interface. The powerful hardware detection tool is based on a kernel-mode software driver that collects information in real-time. This app’s Qusere engine is really fast so you don’t have to wait any longer. And you can use this feature to search the RAM type on your Windows machine without hesitation.

Step 1. You can download CPU-Z from CPUID.comand follow the on-screen instructions to install.

Step 2. When installed, open the CPU-Z app, and if you’re prompted simply click Yes.

Step 3. Now, click the SPD tab and then click the down arrow in the Memory Slot Selection section.

CPU-Z

Wrapping Up

That’s it. This is how you can check RAM slots in a laptop on Windows 10 operating system. Usually, two RAM slots are available on most laptops. One is used while the other is able to be upgraded. You can replace the original RAM with new higher powerful RAM if you notice that your laptop has not an extra RAM slot and you do want to upgrade RAM. However, it is worth noting that you should be careful to pick the right RAM to prevent compatibility problems for your laptop.

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