April 1, 2023

One of the easiest, and perhaps most noticeable, upgrades you can make to your laptop is to upgrade the RAM. Adding more RAM can allow you to run even more software, open more tabs in your own browser, more smoothly edit video and play games.

It’s easy to think of RAM MEMORY as the particular short-term memory for a computer. It stores temporary data that needs to be used at the moment. More RAM will let your current CPU access data faster and more easily, which can lead to better performance. Upgrading is a great way to increase performance on typically the best gaming laptops under $1, 500 and the best gaming laptops under $1, 000 , many of which come with just 8GB on board.

Before you start this upgrade process, you need to figure out whether you may upgrade the laptop’s RAM and, if so, what type of RAM to use and how many DIMM sticks you need.  

Determine if you can upgrade the RAM in your laptop

Not every laptop computer has upgradeable RAM. Gaming laptops are the most common options to utilize socketed sticks of memory, called “SO-DIMMs. ” Many ultrabooks still do, though an increasing amount are usually moving to soldered RAM MEMORY for a thinner chassis. If you have the recently made slim notebook, the memory is likely soldered down. (And contrary to a popular internet meme, you can’t download more RAM ).

A stick of RAM looks a bit like this illustration:

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The easiest way in order to find out if your laptop’s RAM can be upgraded is in Windows.

Go to Task Manager > Performance > Memory and see if it uses RAM MEMORY sticks under “Form factor. ” Look for “SODIMM. ”

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

You’ll also be able to see your RAM’s speed and exactly how many slots are being used.

If you’re on a MacBook, don’t bother. Apple has been soldering RAM on MacBooks since Retina displays were introduced in 2012.

Buy RAM MEMORY to Upgrade Your Laptop With

Now that we know that your RAM can be upgraded, it’s time to buy new RAM. Your best bet is to buy a new matching pair of SO-DIMMs in a kit. Dual-channel RAM offers better performance, and knowing that your RAM is paired with the exact specs adds reassurance that it’s not causing issues with your PC that could eventually add to blue screens associated with death. (Could you try just adding one stick to your existing RAM? Sure! But it’s hard to troubleshoot any problems it may cause. Kits are always better. )

But not all RAM works with almost all PCs. Right now, most newer gaming PCs with Intel 12th Gen Core chips tend in order to use DDR5 memory while others use DDR4 but , even within DDR4 or DDR5, you’ll want to get the speed your system supports (preferably the highest it supports).   You’ll need in order to find what works within your laptop. One great tool for this is the Crucial System Advisor (opens in brand new tab) . Crucial is one of many vendors of memory; a person don’t have to buy from them if you find a better price elsewhere. But its tool lets you enter which PC you have plus then spits out stays of RAM MEMORY that are compatible with it.

You can take the particular specs from the RAM that Crucial shows and go shopping for what’s best for you.

Install New RAM MEMORY within your Laptop computer

Now that you have your own new RAM kit, it can time to install it in your laptop computer. The instructions here are usually similar for every notebook but aren’t exactly the same. You may want to refer in order to your laptop manufacturer’s support site with regard to a maintenance manual, if they have them. (Lenovo, HP plus Dell make these easiest to find).

1. Turn off and unplug your laptop computer.

2. Remove or loosen necessary screws and then take off the particular base . Now, we’re ready to get to the RAM.

(Image credit score: Tom’s Hardware)

Remember: Always hold RAM MEMORY by the edges. Don’t touch the gold-colored connectors.

3. Locate the RAM. SO-DIMMs are typically held in by some clips.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

4. Eliminate your old RAM. Gently (but firmly) press down and outward on the particular clips until the RAM MEMORY stick releases. It will point up at an angle, and can be safely removed. If you are just adding a stick in an empty slot, you may skip this step.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

5. Put within your new RAM. Hold the RAM MEMORY from the sides and insert it into the slot machine at an angle. Be sure to align the notch in the middle with the particular notch upon the slot. If is actually not aligned, you may have to flip the RAM stick over.

(Image credit score: Tom’s Hardware)

6. Press straight down on the new RAM . It should click in to the videos. If this doesn’t, reseat the RAM and attempt again.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

7. Close up your laptop plus power it on.

8. Check that the particular RAM was installed . Go into Settings > Program > About and see just how much RAM MEMORY is installed in your own laptop. If you don’t see the full amount, open the notebook back up and reseat the RAM.

(Image credit score: Tom’s Hardware)

If everything was done right, you have successfully upgraded your laptop’s RAM MEMORY, and a person should have a bit more breathing room for intense applications in order to store data.  

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *