Finding out how much ram your computer has

#FINDING OUT HOW MUCH RAM YOUR COMPUTER HAS PROFESSIONAL#
#FINDING OUT HOW MUCH RAM YOUR COMPUTER HAS WINDOWS#

RAM-heavy applications Bill Roberson/Digital Trends If all of this sounds confusing, rest assured that most manufacturers are very good at identifying RAM clearly so consumers know whatвЂ™s what. You can stay up to date on what to expect with our guide to DDR5.ДDR6 is in development but not readily available. The newer term DDR5 indicates the latest RAM generation, although compatible devices may not appear in the wild for a while. Meanwhile, system RAM is identified with DDR3 or DDR4, with the number identifying the generation. Most current-generation graphics cards use GDDR5, GDDR6, and GDDR6X. High-end 3D games rely on video RAM, or VRAM, to temporarily store image data, like textures.

System RAM shouldnвЂ™t be confused with the dedicated memory used by discrete graphic cards. But thatвЂ™s a bit like buying a house with four bedrooms and only using two of them. You can buy more RAM, and it wonвЂ™t negatively impact performance. ItвЂ™s effectively wasted money.Д«ecause of that, itвЂ™s important to choose a capacity that slightly exceeds your needs without going overboard. If, for example, youвЂ™re only using 12GB of RAM under the most demanding circumstances and you have a 16GB kit, upgrading to a 32GB kit (assuming all other aspects are equal) wonвЂ™t impact your performance whatsoever. You can still launch them, but if you run out of RAM, the application wonвЂ™t have access to the ultra-fast storage RAM provides to quickly access the data it needs. That adds up over time, and if you donвЂ™t have enough RAM to go around, the applications youвЂ™re using will severely slow down. As you open programs, it stores data that they need access to quickly in system memory.Дifferent programs require different amounts of RAM (weвЂ™ll detail a few intensive applications next), but regardless of the application, itвЂ™s likely to use at least a little bit of RAM. Instead of a large amount of slow storage - like youвЂ™d find on a mechanical hard drive - RAM is a small amount of extremely fast storage. RAM is the same thing, technically, but it serves a very different purpose. Sometimes even manufacturers or retailers will mix up the terms. Memory capacity is often confused with the long-term storage offered byВ a solid-state or mechanical hard drive. Buy what you actually need, and spend the remaining budget on more important components like the CPU or graphics card. Remember, buying more RAM than you need doesnвЂ™t net you any performance benefit - itвЂ™s effectively wasted money.

#FINDING OUT HOW MUCH RAM YOUR COMPUTER HAS PROFESSIONAL#

Engineers, professional A/V editors, and similar types need to start here and go higher if needed. 64GB and more: For enthusiasts and purpose-built workstations only.Gamers can enjoy a small performance improvement in some demanding games, too. 32GB: This is the sweet spot for professionals.

#FINDING OUT HOW MUCH RAM YOUR COMPUTER HAS WINDOWS#

16GB: Excellent for Windows and MacOS systems and also good for gaming, especially if it is fast RAM.This is fine for basic Windows gaming at lower settings, but rapidly runs out of steam. 8GB: Typically installed in entry-level notebooks.4GB: Low-end Chromebooks and some tablets come with 4GB of RAM, but itвЂ™s only worth considering if youвЂ™re on an extreme budget.In a nutshell, here are some simple guidelines that apply to most PCs and Macs: Overview: How much RAM do you need? ian woolcock/Shutterstock If you want to know how much RAM you need for a smartphone, we have a guide for that, too. In this guide, weвЂ™ll walk you through how much RAM you need for a tablet, laptop, desktop, and gaming machine. Windows 10, for example, takes about 2GB of RAM on its own, while the ChromeOS featured in the best Chromebooks requires far less. But how much RAM do you need, exactly?ДЄdding more RAM to your computer wonвЂ™t always make it run faster, so itвЂ™s important to buy an appropriate amount based on your computer and the applications you want to run. Modern PCs, tablets, and phones typically have from 2GB up to 32GB, though some have even more. Random access memory, usually shortened to RAM or simply вЂњmemory,вЂќ is one of the most important parts of any computing device.

Finding out how much ram your computer has