How to Check the Type of RAM in a Laptop

Laptops have become one of the most important gadgets for our daily life and for getting the best performance out of them you have to have sufficient amounts of laptop RAM. RAM is the acronym for Random Access Memory and it is the most essential part of your laptop that is responsible for its flawless and fast performance.

Knowing what type of RAM in a laptop or desktop you have installed is essential when replacing RAM modules or determining if your computer meets a program’s minimum requirements. There are a few ways to find out what kind of RAM you have installed, some offering more information than others. What option is best for you depends on how much information you need and your level of technical proficiency.

What is the difference between laptop RAM DDR1, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4

The RAM modules are built for faster operation, a large volume of storage and function in a way to support the faster and stronger processors with which they are operating on your laptop. The basic difference between the different type RAM modules are:

• Number of pins
• Operating voltage
• Data transfer times and
• The frequency at which they are operating
• Position of the Notch on the module

Double Data Rate is a memory standard that enables RAM chips to transmit output twice in every cycle of the system clock. The DDR standard was superseded in 2003 by DDR2, a memory standard offering greater speeds and lower power consumption than its predecessor.

DDR or DDR1 RAM and it belongs to the first generation in the SDRAM technological evolution. It is characterized by enhanced prefetching, strobe based data bus, double transition clocking, low voltage signalling, Stub- series Terminated logic-2 etc.  Comes with 184 pins and works at the highest voltage range.

DDR2 RAM is the successor of DDR1 and gives a data transfer rates of up to 6.4 GB per second and works at a lower voltage,  much improved performance than the DDR1 due to the faster clocks, low voltage ( 1.8 volts) operation, with a simplified command set is able to give better performance than the DDR1.

DDR3 belongs to the third generation of laptop RAM and is a improved version over DDR2 as it has more improved data transfer bandwidth and still lower power consumption. The DDR3 RAM is designed to operate at 400MHz to 1066 MHz and can transfer from 6.40GB to 17 GB per second. DDR3 RAM design gives chip capacities of 512 MB to 16 GB.

The new design runs at 1.2 volts versus 1.5 volts for DDR3, and its bus speed will start at 2133MHz versus 1333MHz and 1666MHz for DDR3. DDR4 devices have separate activation, read, write or refresh operations underway in each bank group — a design that improves efficiency and bandwidth.

 Identification of Laptop Rams

1. SD Ram
2. DDR1 Ram
3. DDR2 Ram
4. DDR3 Ram
5. DDR4 Ram

Double Data Rate (DDR), also known as DDR1, is the second generation of Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM). As its name implies, double data rate refers to its ability to read and write data on both the rising and falling of the system clock to achieve nearly twice the bandwidth of single data rate (SDR) SDRAM.

DXDIAG and System Information

You can use the Windows built-in features to check your type of RAM in a laptop or desktop.

The first option is DXDIAG and the system information window – it gives you very basic information regarding your RAM, it only tells you how much RAM memory you have.

Checking the Technical Specifications

Another way is to look up your laptop model’s support or on the manufacturer’s website to see if technical specifications are available online. There are also third-party websites like NotebookCheck and LapSpecs  that may have the specs available.

Using Software Tools

There are several programs outthere that can assess your computer and give you more detailed information regarding your installed RAM than DXDIAG and the system information window. The top 3 are: AIDA64, CPU-Z and HWINFO and they all offer detailed information not just for your RAM or Memory, but for all of your computer’s hardware.

One of the best programs is CPUID’s CPU-Z software (free), with a small install size and a comprehensive battery of information. After installation the program, it’ll perform a quick system scan, and display all your PC’s information.

Removing the Cover

The last option is disassemble the laptop’s casing to get a look at the RAM card installed in your computer’s motherboard. This process requires tech savvy and a very solid understanding of how your computer is put together: Not only do you have to take your computer apart without damaging any of the components, but you have to put it back together correctly.

When you have the case open, disconnect the memory module from the motherboard and take a look at it. It should have a label indicating the type of RAM module, number of gigabytes of RAM on that module and the RAM speed.

If you want to know how to find out your RAM speed, size and type on your Mac, check out this article.