When you purchase a new desktop or laptop, it works out to be much more affordable to go for a cheaper model first and later upgrade the RAM to its maximum performance. The question is, how much RAM can your computer take? Is it already at its maximum, or is there still room for an upgrade? Follow this easy-to-understand guide to find out how much RAM your computer currently has and the maximum RAM capacity it supports.
Find Out How Much RAM Your Computer Has
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. It gives the number of slots you have, the clock speed per slot, the kind of RAM you have (DDR3 or DDR4), and how much is available.
Mac users can select “About This Mac” from the Apple menu to know their chipset information and RAM memory values.
Linux users can make use of the software hardinfo to get detailed information about the system, including memory information.
Find Out the Maximum RAM Your Computer Can Support
Windows
Windows users can determine the maximum RAM capacity in the Command prompt with the command below. It gives the final value in kilobytes which can be converted to gigabytes (divide the value by 1048576 to convert KB to GB).
wmic memphysical get MaxCapacity, MemoryDevices
The above example shows that my maximum RAM capacity is 8 GB. If your motherboard has two memory slots, it means the maximum RAM capacity per slot is 8 / 2 = 4 GB.
macOS
The easiest way to find out a Mac’s RAM details is to check “About This Mac,” which will identify the memory module type and speed, how many RAM slots there are on the Mac, and which slots are in use.
1. Pull down the Apple menu and go to “About this Mac.”
2. Click the “More Info … ” button to summon System Information.
3. Look under the “Memory” tab for information about your Mac RAM, including maximum capacity, used memory slots, and which type of RAM the Mac accepts.
Linux
To find the maximum RAM capacity in Linux, you can make use of the command dmidecode, though it is not installed by default in most distros.
1. Install dmidecode:
#ubuntu/debian sudo apt install dmidecode #arch sudo pacman -S dmidecode #Fedora sudo dnf install dmidecode #openSUSE sudo zypper in dmidecode
2. Run the command:
sudo dmidecode -t 16
It will give you information about your memory capacity.
In my case, my Linux computer has 4 memory slots and 128GB maximum RAM capacity (32GB per slot).
After finding your computer’s maximum RAM capacity, if your computer supports more memory than it currently has, you can proceed to upgrade your RAM and give your computer a performance boost. Don’t forget to check out the things to take note of when buying a RAM. And if you ever run out of memory on Windows, use these tricks to free up memory on Windows.
Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over ten years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews.
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Hello
Where in Task Manager said what type of RAM I have? i.e. DDR3 or DDR4. Don’t see it in the example image you posted on this article and I don’t see it on the Memory section on my Task Manager on my system?
Hello Anthony
Re: To view DDR3/DDR4 option in Task Manager, type CTRL+SHIFT+ESC at the same time. Go to “Performance” where you can see the options for CPU, “Memory”, Disk, etc. You should be able to see DDR3/DDR4 in that “Memory” menu. It’s right there in the first screenshot but you have to look to your extreme top right (not captured in included screen for space reasons).
Re: Maximum RAM code for Windows 10. Please only use the code clearly shown in example image, It will give you the maximum possible RAM for your “entire PC.” Divide that result in KB by 2 or 4.
Hi
Thanks Sayak
BTW to install dmidecode on CentOS/RHEL (V 6.0 and higher)
sudo yum install dmidecode
Hello
In regards to the command for Windows to find out the maximum RAM computer can support
wmic memphysical get MaxCapacity, MemoryDevices
Why the full command was not used in the example image? People will be wondering where you get the 2 from when you did the 8/2 arithmetic in the article?
I am with Anthony, about not seeing the information you say is there. I am using Windows 10 Pro – 64 Bit. I am also in the 1909 version of the OS, which is the current version for my OS. I did what you said to do and yes, I got some information but not how much is the maximum RAM that my motherboard can take or if it was DDR3 or DDR4.
Hi MmeMoxie
First of all, your system is perfectly updated so there should not be any trouble.
Re: DDR3/DDR4, look to your extreme top right on the taskbar in “Performance” > “Memory”
Re: Windows Command line errors. There are quite a few variations on this code. Just avoid the quotation marks but keep an eye for other forms of punctuation.
“wmic memphysical get MaxCapacity”
“wmic memphysical get MaxCapacity, MemoryDevices” (don’t forget the COMMA)
The above two will work. Here’s another command that gives slightly more information including clock speeds.
“wmic MEMORYCHIP get BankLabel,DeviceLocator,Capacity,Speed”
Sayak – Is it possible to upgrade the ram in a Chromebook? I know that most, if not all, of the newer C-Books ram is/are soldered in place. I’m pretty good at soldering but if it is simply too much of a task I’d like to know. I have no one to ask. Thanks!!
The short answer is No!
Not anymore than is possible to upgrade your smartphone or tablet RAM. Chrome devices are based on a single body design. As you rightly said, everything is soldered in place; RAM, CPU etc.
Thanks for this. It really helped me. I show my ram is SODIMM and i have 4 slots with a current 16g with a capacity of 67108854. I assume that is 67g max . I had been looking for this information for awhile. Thanks for providing the access.
Hi,Sayak Boral.Thanks for your great work and it saves a lot of time for me.but do you like to talk a little more about the details about why the RAM is limited to a small volume(16GB,32GB..) in most computers.Look forward to your reply.
Hi Lang Dao, it’s about diminishing returns on investment. At a certain point, adding more RAM will only provide very minimal improvement in performance: the computer isn’t getting any faster.
For example if you have 16 GB DDR4 right now and wish to max out to a theoretical limit of 128 GB, you will need to buy four 32 GB DDR4 sticks (which are difficult to find), or eight of the more commonly available 16 GB sticks. Neither approach is practical: besides the motherboard will run out of physical space for RAM sticks.
Far better to buy a spare gaming laptop for that kind of proposed investment, which should be at least $500.
https://www.maketecheasier.com/best-gaming-laptops-under-500/
Your command prompt command did not work for me. My command prompt threw the error “Illegal query”
Thank you for sharing the knowledge!
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Hi,I wanted to know that when I checked my laptop’s maximum capacity in the manufacturer website it showed that my laptop only supports 12gb but when I checked my ram by this command,it showed that my laptop supports 32gb of ram
Hi,I recently found out that my one ram slot is soldered,so I think that 20gb ram is my laptop’s limit
Thank you from someone who has just enough comuuter knowledge to get her in trouble. This was very easy to figure out, you made it very straight forward!
Now I need to figure out what type of RAM to get…