How to know what type of ram to buy

A good rule of thumb is that if the Available Memory is less than 25 percent of your Total Memory, a RAM upgrade will provide a tangible performance boost for the end user. If new apps open slower than you would like, and you notice that usage spikes closer to percent of capacity, then a RAM upgrade probably will serve you well. As of this writing in , 16 GB is considered the sweet spot for price-to-performance considerations in the context of mainstream work-related computing tasks.

If you have several applications running simultaneously and a dozen Chrome tabs open you still should have plenty of headroom before you notice any lag in performance. Anything more than 16 GB would make sense for workstation computers that are used for graphics rendering, scientific modeling, and CAD applications. First, note that laptop memory and desktop memory are different and not interchangeable! The same goes for server memory. RAM upgrades are sold as modules, or sticks, of memory. It is inadvisable to mix and match RAM modules in your system.

Crossing brands might be OK if the modules are the same form factor and voltage, but ideally, you want all your RAM to be from the same kit. Engineer inspects final production of printed circuit computer logic board. Motherboards support only one, and which one mostly depends on how old your motherboard is. The most common varieties for desktop PCs include:.

NeweggBusiness is your go-to spot for any computer hardware upgrades you may need. We stock high-end computer memory modules of all generations and sizes at competitive prices. The operating system you are running can affect the maximum amount of RAM you can use in your computer. Bear in mind these limitations are for workstations running virtual machines that are serving several instances of an application or operating system.

End-user devices need not worry about these limitations. Systems running Windows 10 Home are capped at GB of memory. Older Windows systems have a lower threshold. For bit Windows 7 editions:. NeweggBusiness has a memory finder built into our site. It provides vendor-neutral specifications and product suggestions to locate find memory that fits a specific system. Several memory vendors have similar tools. Remember to shop smart—write down the model numbers suggested by these tools and check the pricing against the NeweggBusiness memory store.

Thanks, your article is very useful and informative. Thanks for pointing out that RAM is a question of performance and that you could be overtaxing your current setup. Hi Adam, Thanks for your article. If a laptop has 2 slots, there's often only one in use. You can therefore expand this with a second similar RAM module. If a laptop only has one slot and you want more RAM, you'll have to replace the module.

Business Stores Customer Service. Written by Steven 21 August How do you choose RAM for your Windows laptop? Your laptop barely functions at all, so you're looking for new RAM. But how do you know which type of RAM is suitable for your laptop? To provide your laptop with speed again, we'll explain what you should consider when choosing RAM for your Windows laptop. View RAM for laptops. Many models of MacBook are the same.

It's also worth remembering that if you do upgrade the RAM in your Apple machine, it will take specific size and shape, different to what you'd install in a Windows laptop. When it comes to upgrading, you can - if you really want to - use any RAM chips you have lying around. RAM chips come with different frequencies — in other words, their speed. Check the support pages for your machine and look for the fastest frequency RAM your machine will support for best results. There are a few other things you should look out for when buying RAM.

While this won't be too important unless you're building a high-spec PC, it's worth noting that the lower the CAS value, the faster the latency.

Heat spreaders, too, are worth looking out for. While unlikely to offer a major performance boost to your machine, having this feature can help to reduce how hot the memory get which should prolong the life of your RAM. Remember, RAM is fragile stuff and needs to be handled with the best possible care.

The good news is, RAM upgrades can bring a sluggish computer back to life, and even make a cheap, low spec computer feel more top-shelf. Explore why the most efficient way forward is data-driven. Critical vulnerabilities in Philips EMR system could risk patient data. Why the financial industry is turning to the cloud. Skip to Content Skip to Footer. In-depth Home Hardware Laptops.