Hi all! Have no idea how to find out the RAM on a computer or laptop? - such a moment probably occurs for almost every user, because as everyone knows - random access memory there can never be too much. However, before jumping to hasty conclusions, we need to find out what we are already working with, and then take further steps to upgrade or optimize.
Since we're talking about an upgrade, I think we'll look at it today this question in more detail than usual, because the question of how to look at random access memory (RAM) usually arises when there is a burning desire to add a couple of dies and forget about system brakes and constant messages about shortage virtual memory.
The question of how to look at RAM can be perceived in different ways, so in the first part of the note we will look at ways to find out its physical volume, and in the second using third party utilities Let's find out what we are dealing with and whether it is possible to expand it.
Finding out the amount of RAM is quite simple - for this it is quite enough standard means operating system, which is why we will use various programs only for more detailed analysis
Where can I see the amount of RAM on my computer?
Stop dragging the cat for the inevitable - let's go over the options for determining the RAM. I am not a supporter of methods where you have to open it up at every opportunity. system unit and try to figure out what and where (those who really understand will look without this manual - beginners, in turn, can harm their electric friend).
Method 1. System properties
Most the simplest way to find out the amount of RAM in the system is to open the computer properties and look necessary information. Click right click Click on the “This PC” icon and select “Properties” from the menu that appears. The line “Installed memory (RAM)” will contain the amount of your RAM.
Sometimes it happens that there is less available memory than there is in the system (this is exactly what we will be told in the system properties). Most likely, part of the RAM was taken by the video card for its needs (if it is built-in) or is 32-bit operating system and the amount of RAM in the system is more than 4 GB
Method 2: Command Line
The next method is related to the command line, if you don’t know how to run it, then read about. By the way, many users appreciated the command line method - so the command line is the most alive of all living things, despite pop the system interface and the habit of doing everything with just the mouse. Open the command line and enter:
Systeminfo
All you have to do is wait until the report is prepared and in the line “Total amount of RAM” there will be the amount of RAM in megabytes (don't forget that 1 GB is 1024 megabytes)
You can see the line below “Virtual memory” - this is the area on the hard drive into which the background processes, if there is not enough RAM. You understand that the difference in performance between RAM and HDD is tenfold... the less we use virtual memory (swap file), the more responsive our system is
Method 3: DirectX Diagnostic Tool
The last method in today's instructions is to view the amount of RAM through the DirectX Diagnostic Tool. Run the “Run” task (called by the WIN + R key combination or type the same command in command line) and enter
Wait until DirectX collects all the necessary information about the computer and on the “System” tab, in the “Memory” line, information about the amount of RAM installed in the computer is displayed.
As you can see, there are no problems with determining the volume, but when there is a need to find out more detailed information about our RAM (for example, whose production of the memory module is, its size and type) - third-party utilities are used
Where to look at your computer's RAM
Let's move on to the most interesting part - let's determine what RAM is installed in our computer (in which slots it is located, whose manufacturer it is, and much more). Unfortunately using standard methods It's impossible to find out, but many of the utilities on the list have portable versions and do not require installation.
Method 1: CPU-Z
We have already used this application in, but there I mentioned that it is worth taking a closer look at the functionality of CPU-Z. First you need to download the application itself, as we always use portable version from the official website
We launch CPU-Z and go to the “SPD” tab; in the “Memory Slot Selection” block we can display information about which slot is in it. Accordingly, we can check how many RAM slots are in the computer, which of them are occupied, and full information about modules installed in specific slots. So answer me one simple question - why do we need to disassemble the computer?
As you can see, my work computer has 8 gigabytes of RAM with one Hyundai DDR3-12800 stick in the third slot. The other three are free, I don’t see any point in taking a screenshot of them - there’s no information there
Method 2. AIDA64
Unfortunately, the application is paid and the trial version does not reveal all the information, but we can find out some of the RAM parameters. On the left side of AIDA, go to “Motherboard” - “SPD” and on the right side of the application we will see the layout of the slots on the motherboard. Although not all information is available to us, we can see the volume of the module and its frequency characteristics...as a rule, this is enough in most cases.
This application is inferior to all those presented only in demo mode - who knows, maybe you have a full-fledged version and you will not have any disadvantages in hiding the necessary information
Method 3. Piriform Speccy
An excellent application that will tell you how to view the RAM on your computer. But, unfortunately, it does not have a portable version and requires mandatory installation on a computer to run. You can download it from the official website (there is a light version, we used it in the article - it’s free)
After launch, wait until Speccy collects all the necessary information about your computer and select “RAM” on the left side. On the right side of the utility will draw a visual report of what and where we have installed. This is probably the most convenient way to determine the RAM on a PC.
Method 4. HWiNFO
We smoothly complete the review of applications for determining RAM on a computer. Next up we have a good HWiNFO utility that will help us in difficult work. There are several versions of HWiNFO (for 32 and 64 bit Windows versions)… if you don’t know what version you have, then download HWiNFO32 - you won’t go wrong. Traditionally, I recommend the portable version - I don’t like installing programs that are needed only once.
After launching, you will have to wait a little while the program collects all possible information about your computer. After the download is complete, the “System Summary” window will open, where the “Memory Modules” block will display detailed information about everyone installed modules random access memory.
From the screenshot it may seem that the module is installed in the second slot, but this is not the case. In HWiNFO, the numbering of RAM slots starts from zero, and not from one as we are all used to - pay attention to this
How to increase RAM without problems? — unfortunately, when you add another stick of RAM, there is no guarantee that it will work in tandem with yours. As a rule, it is almost impossible to find an identical one, but the risk of conflict can be reduced by selecting an identical module according to technical characteristics (volume, frequency and density/number of chips).
Ideally, agree with the seller to exchange the memory module if it does not suit you, or bring your computer or laptop to them to check everything on the spot. It happened that the memory began to work incorrectly not immediately, but after a couple of minutes... so the successful launch of the BIOS does not indicate the success of the upgrade
RAM on a computer. Review of information and results
The time has come to sum up, we solved the question “how to find out the RAM on a computer” in more than one way and used it in our work as Windows tools, as well as third-party utilities like CPU-Z or AIDA64. In fact, there are many more methods and nuances - this instruction is basic and will more than cover your needs regular user computer or laptop.
Do you know how to find out the amount of memory of the video card installed in your computer? If you know well! If not, I'll tell you how to find out. This question was asked to me by one of the site’s readers. I answered him immediately in private correspondence, but in order to have a quick answer to this question, I decided to write a short article.
Let me note right away that a video card is an integral part of any personal computer. There are video cards either integrated (into the motherboard or processor) or discrete. A discrete video card is designed as a separate module (board) that can be installed into the motherboard.
There are several options for determining the amount of memory of the video card built into your computer or laptop. The methods I described are suitable for both desktop computer users and laptop users.
These methods can be performed without using a third party software, which will allow you to find out the information you need in the shortest possible period of time.
Find out the amount of video card memory using screen properties
This is the simplest and quick way, which you can use to determine not only the amount of video card memory, but also find out the resolution of your monitor and its frequency.
Right-click on the desktop and select the menu item “ Screen resolution”
The window that opens provides information about the monitor screen resolution and its orientation, but we are interested in the “ button Extra options”
By clicking on it, the video subsystem properties window will open, in which you can clearly see that I have an integrated video card with a memory capacity of 1760 MB.
I want to point out right away! Until the drivers are installed on the video card, be it integrated or discrete, you will not be able to find out the real amount of memory! The system will show something around 32 MB.
Without installed drivers on the video card, firstly it will be, and this will be very noticeable even when working with office programs. Secondly, the playback will be frame-by-frame.
Find out the amount of video card memory using DirectX diagnostic tools
Another interesting way, click WIN+R or click “ Start” and in the “Find programs” field enter the following:
dxdiag
Then press Enter and wait for the diagnostic tools to launch. In the window that opens, open the “ tab Screen” and find out the amount of memory from the information provided
Now you know how to find out the memory capacity of a video card. If you have any questions, I’m ready to discuss them in the comments.
RAM is used to store data that is this moment programs work. Performance directly depends on the amount of RAM, so it is not surprising that when upgrading, users are faced with the question of how to determine the RAM on a computer.
Determine RAM
Why determine what RAM is installed on the computer? This is usually necessary in order to add more RAM or change to a larger one, which can help optimize a PC or laptop.
Physical examination
All the necessary information is usually indicated on the RAM stick itself: manufacturer, model, volume, type. The problem is that this information (except for the volume - it is indicated in gigabytes) is presented in encrypted form. For example, DDR 3 type is designated as PC 3 (DDR 2 –PC 2, etc.).
In principle, there is nothing complicated here, given that users usually have enough information about the amount of RAM and its type. The rest of the information can be found from the same Wikipedia, where the articles on types of RAM provide standard specifications.
If you are only interested in the question of how to find out how much RAM is on your computer, then it is better not to get into the system unit and use software methods.
System Information
Windows has a convenient viewing tool technical information, which is called "System Information". You can run it through the “Run” menu (called - Win + R) with the “msinfo32” command.
Another way to find out how much RAM is on your PC is to open the computer properties:
- Right-click on the “Computer” icon.
- Select Properties.
- Look at the value of the "Installed memory" line.
No more information embedded Windows tools do not provide. The question arises - how can I find out what kind of RAM I have and get acquainted with all its main characteristics?
Third party software
To see all the significant characteristics of the RAM, you need to use special utilities. First you can try downloading free program HWiNFO.
- Launch the utility.
- Go to the "Memory" section.
- Check the parameters of the installed RAM.
Answering the user question “how to find out how much RAM I have,” we could not ignore the utility. In the start window of this program, in the menu on the left there is a section “RAM”. Go into it - after a short wait while the program collects data, it will appear on the right full list characteristics of the detected random access memory devices.
Now you know how to find out how much RAM is on a PC or laptop, and you can also view the full specification of the bracket if necessary. Armed with this information, you can increase your computer's performance, so don't neglect this useful information.
If you are on this page, then most likely you want to get an answer to the question of how to find out how much RAM is on your computer. This information is often necessary to find out:
- will there be enough RAM for a computer game;
- the computer is running slowly and you want to buy more memory;
- you are just interested in knowing how much RAM is installed on your computer;
- you are about to install an operating system and want to determine whether there will be enough memory to run it.
I have listed only some of the possible options in which you will need to know the amount of RAM. In this article I will try to tell you in as much detail as possible how to do this, but first, a little theory.
RAM(RAM (Random Access Memory),) is a volatile component of the memory system in which programs and various data are processed and processed. All devices communicate with RAM through the system bus. Data in RAM is stored only when the computer is turned on. When you turn it off, all data is erased. I’ll give an example of what a RAM board looks like in a computer and.
Using RAM allows applications to run faster than if they were using ROM (). Therefore, RAM is so important for the operation of various programs.
Because over time installed applications As your computer gets larger, there won’t be enough memory for everyone, so we’ll try to figure it out now: how to find out how much RAM is on your computer, so that if possible you can free it up or add another stick.
How to find out the amount of RAM using Windows.
As a rule, you can find out how much RAM is installed on your computer in several ways using the Windows operating system. Probably the simplest is to go to the operating system properties and look at the data.
To do this, open the “Start” menu - “Control Panel” - “System”
In the window that opens, look for the item “Installed memory (RAM)” and see its volume. 
Note! As a rule, if your operating system is 32-bit, the amount of RAM will be shown to be slightly less than what is actually installed.
Another option to find out how much RAM is on your computer is to look in the task manager. To do this, right-click on the taskbar and select “Task Manager” or use the hotkey combination “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “Esc”. 
In the task manager window that opens, go to the “Performance” tab and look at the “Memory” item. At this point we see how much memory is installed, as well as how much is being used at a given time. 
Maybe this information will be the deciding factor for you to add another RAM stick.
Advice! If you see that the memory is loaded at 80-90%, while no heavy applications or games are running, then most likely you need to increase its volume. This way you are noticeable.
On the command line we enter the command: wmic MEMORYCHIP get BankLabel,DeviceLocator,Capacity,Speed gjckt
After this, you will see how many RAM sticks are installed on the computer, their size and the speed at which they operate.
How to find out how much RAM is on your computer using programs?
In order to find out the amount of installed RAM, you can use various programs.
The first program on my list is CPU-Z, you can download it on the official website - http://cpuz.ru/gpuz_download.htm
After downloading, install the program and run it. In it, we are interested in the “Memory” tab. The program will show us such important data as “Memory Type”, “Memory Amount”, the frequency at which your RAM operates in real time. And you will also see quite a lot more useful information, which cannot be obtained using operating system tools.
You can also use another, more advanced program called AIDa (Everest), you can also download it on the official website: www.aida64.com/downloads, the program is paid, but for our purposes the trial period is enough, which is 30 days, so download the program. Install and launch it. In the window that opens, open the “System board” item. A drop-down list will open in which we are interested in two tabs “Memory” and “SPD”. In this utility, the information is presented in an even more detailed form. So, here we can see information about memory timings, manufacturer, release date and much more. important parameters, which may be useful. 
As you can see, if you use third party programs, then you can get more different information about the installed RAM. This information may be useful to you when purchasing an additional RAM stick, since it is desirable that the memory be of the same manufacturer, have the same timings as the one installed, and frequency.
Other ways to find out how much RAM is on your computer.
Since we are considering this issue in detail, let’s figure out where else you can see how much RAM is installed on your computer. There are times when, then you can see the amount of RAM by going to Motherboard BIOS fees. In order to go there you need to press the Del or F2 key when you turn on the computer, it all depends on. After you have entered the BIOS on home page you will see memory information.
You can also open the cover of the system unit and remove the RAM. As a rule, there is a sticker on the memory board with the following information:
- Manufacturer;
- Memory type;
- Memory timings;
- Frequency;
- Memory module capacity.
The next option is to find a sales receipt or a box of RAM. In most cases, all information about installed components in the system unit and basic information about them or on the packaging, but this is usually rare.
Conclusion.
As you can see, there are a large number of ways: how to find out how much RAM is on your computer. Which method to use depends on what information you need. If you only need to know the amount of memory, then the information that will be provided to the operating room will do. Windows system. If you need to know everything specifications memory modules, then you can’t do without third-party utilities. That's all for me. If you found this information useful, share it on social networks.
Not all users understand the functioning of system components. Such knowledge helps to understand the operation of the computer and, if necessary, troubleshoot any problems. Therefore, you often need to know how to find out the amount of RAM or other PC characteristics.
Concept of RAM
RAM has long been an integral part of the system. And if the system can function without a discrete video card, then things are more complicated with an operational one.
The component is volatile in the system. It is part of the computer memory and stores it while the PC is running. That is, RAM is not concerned with saving user data, but is designed to maintain system functionality.
For example, you opened a browser, and there are several tabs in it. Then you had to interrupt your work to launch one of the programs. You worked with it for a while and returned to the web browser. To ensure that neither one nor the other information is lost, it is written in code to RAM. The same situation occurs with computer games.
RAM operation
Before you figure out how to find out, it is important to understand how RAM functions. All data is stored in the module semiconductors. All of them are accessible and can work if voltage is applied to them. That is, in a switched off computer. If the electrical current supply is interrupted while the RAM is running, then any stored information may be distorted or destroyed.
RAM capabilities
Thanks to the RAM, energy-saving mode can work. It helps the PC put the system into sleep mode. At this time, energy consumption is reduced. But since electricity is still supplied to the motherboard, the RAM module is fully functional.
But if you use hibernation, then in this case the RAM will not help, since it turns off the voltage completely. But before this, the system manages to write all the information that was stored in RAM into a special file, which will start the next time the system is turned on.
Creating RAM
How to find out the amount of RAM was previously out of the question. Many initially did not understand the essence of this component. But work on it began back in 1834. Of course, at that time these were only the beginnings of a modern prototype. But the idea itself appeared thanks to Charles Babbage and his Analytical Engine.
During this time, the device has gone through a huge number of revisions. At first it was made as magnetic drums. Afterwards, magnetic cores were developed, and already in the third generation microcircuits were invented.
RAM capacity
Before installing a RAM module into the system, you need to understand how to find out the maximum amount of RAM on your PC. This can be done programmatically.
If you are working with the Windows operating system, then it will be enough to go to “My Computer”. Then right-click on the free area and select “Properties”. Brief information about the system will be available in the dialog box.
Here you need to find the line “System type”. The maximum amount of RAM can be determined by looking at the bit depth of the OS. If the operating system is specified as 32-bit, then the maximum supported amount of RAM is 4 GB. In the case of a 64-bit system, this figure is 128 GB. That is, all modern PCs must be based on x64 OS.
It is not possible to determine RAM so easily. It all depends on how long ago the device was purchased. To do this, you will have to refer to the operating documentation. For example, models from 2006 to 2009. they received only 4 GB, after that, until 2012, they worked with 16 GB, and until the end of 2013, 32 GB of RAM was available.
Motherboard
Much also depends on the capabilities of maternal memory. Even if the operating system runs with 128 GB of RAM, the motherboard may not support this amount. To do this, you will have to open your PC and find out the motherboard model. Afterwards you can search for information about it. In the case of a laptop, it is enough to find the documentation for it or find information on the manufacturer’s official website.
Situation now
The current minimum amount of RAM is 1 GB. This is the minimum that can still withstand working with office programs and a browser. But for another six months or a year, and due to the resource intensity of programs and media content, there will not be enough resources.
8-16 GB of RAM is considered optimal. This is enough for heavy programs like Photoshop, and for computer games, and for office work.
How many are installed?
Once you figure out how to find out the maximum supported amount of RAM, you can try upgrading the RAM. But to do this you will have to find out how much is in the system.
To do this, you can go to “My Computer” again, right-click on free space and select "Properties". A new dialog box will show the total amount of RAM. This option is more suitable for understanding how to find out the amount of RAM on a laptop, since it is not easy to get to the module in laptops.
You can also install the CPU-Z program to get all the RAM data. To do this you need:
- Download program;
- install and open it;
- go to the SPD tab.
The type of memory, its size, operating frequency, manufacturer and even serial number will be indicated here.
On a PC, it’s better to check everything with your own eyes:
- disconnect the system from power;
- remove the side cover;
- find the module on the board;
- turn it off and check the information on the label.
If one module is installed in the computer, then it is possible to connect one or two more. But for this you will have to choose the same RAM modules. That is why it is better to remove the device from the case in order to find identical or very similar parts and purchase them.
Mem Reduct Program
How can I find out the amount of RAM used by my computer? To do this, you can install the Mem Reduct program. This small utility gives information about how much physical, virtual and real-time memory is being used. But, in addition to this, it allows you to clear data that is no longer needed.
If the system starts to slow down, this is especially true for computers with 1-4 GB of RAM, then you can install this program. Once you enter it, some indicators will be highlighted in orange. This means the memory is full. Just click on “Clear memory” to temporarily unload it.
The program is very useful because it allows you to maintain the operating state of the system without braking. If you don't have much RAM installed, it's best to clean it once an hour. Of course, everything will depend on the processes.
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