How to increase RAM on a laptop

Laptops have long been significantly more popular than stationary computers. They are more mobile, take up much less space and are easier to operate. A laptop can easily work for several years with almost no failures, but its main disadvantage is the almost complete lack of opportunities to improve performance. However, one of the parameters of a portable computer that can be changed relatively easy is RAM. Any user can easily increase RAM on his laptop, and in this article we are going to tell you how to do it.

Table of contents:
1. When it makes sense to increase RAM on a laptop
2. How to find RAM on a laptop
3. How to install RAM into a laptop

When it makes sense to increase RAM on a laptop

RAM is one of the most important parameters of any computer. Currently, standard programs spend much more RAM than a few years ago. This is due to the fact that it has become much more accessible, and on most computers it is now installed 8, 16, 32 or 64 GB of RAM.

If the laptop is old enough, but it has been updated to the more demanding Windows 10 operating system, or it uses resource-demanding applications, it may make sense to increase the amount of RAM in it. This is advisable when a good processor and video card are installed in a portable computer, and performance problems that arise are associated particularly with a lack of RAM.

There are several “symptoms” that indicate that your computer does not have enough RAM to complete its tasks:

• If, after the latest operating system update your computer is much slower coping with its tasks, this suggests that standard applications are seriously consuming RAM, and it is not enough;
• If your computer displays a low-memory message;
• If a number of programs or games simply do not start, but according to all other characteristics, your computer is suitable for them.

Important note: Remember that if your laptop has a 32-bit operating system, it can only work with no more than 4 GB of RAM.

How to find RAM on a laptop

Before you will start replacing RAM, you need to decide what ports your laptop has to install it, as well as how many are they.

Windows 10 has a handy tool right in the “Task Manager”.  This tool allows you to see what kind of RAM is used in a laptop, as well as how many slots are occupied. To find this out, press Ctrl + Alt + Del and go to “Task Manager”, then select the “Performance” tab from the top and switch to the “Memory” section in the left column. After that it becomes clear how much RAM you have in your laptop, what kind of RAM, how many memory slots, and how fast it works.

If your computer is not upgraded to Windows 10, there are other ways how to find information about RAM without opening laptop casing. The easiest option is to use one of the third-party applications, for example, the CPU-Z program. It allows you to find information about your computer, including RAM.

RAM information is indicated on the SPD tab. By the drop-down list you can determine how many RAM slots are currently in your computer.

If, after switching to one of the slots, you are getting no information about RAM, this indicates that the slot is empty.

The type of RAM can be found on the tab that contains the memory module; it is indicated at the very beginning of the information about the installed module. There you can see the size of this memory module and the manufacturer.

If you need to find the total amount of RAM on a laptop, you can do this at the Memory tab.

This way it is possible to determine how many free RAM slots are available in a laptop, as well as which modules need to be purchased in order to avoid compatibility problems.

Important note: If you are planning to purchase additional memory for your laptop, it is better that the RAM modules will all be the same (at least in amount of memory). This is required so that the computer can operate in dual channel mode.

How to install RAM into a laptop

Please note: The following rules are general, while the situation may differ from one computer to another.

Typically, laptop manufacturers foresee the possibility that the user may want to replace RAM, so they are making access to it as simple as possible. Most often, you do not need to disassemble the entire computer to get to the memory slots, just remove the separate cover.

Important note: If your laptop is still under warranty, it will be lost after you replaced RAM.

To replace RAM in your laptop you will need to:

1. Turn off your computer completely, then remove the battery from it (if possible without interference in the case of the device);
2. Next, using a screwdriver, remove the cover for the RAM slots. If there are any difficulties with determining where the RAM is or problems with removing the cover, we recommend that you consult Youtube with the appropriate query on your laptop model. Most likely you will find all necessary instructions at this video hosting;
3. Next, remove memory modules, or install additional ones. To remove modules, it is usually enough to click the latches located on the sides;
4. When installing new memory modules, insert them tightly so that they do not “dangle” after fixing with latches.

When the installation of new RAM modules is complete, close the cover and turn your laptop on. After that, it is recommended to check by the methods indicated above whether your computer determines the new RAM or not.