can i add ram to my laptop
- Thread starter PC-AMETURE
- Start date
Probably.
You can add/change RAM in just about any laptop
Assuming the RAM in yours is user-replaceable, most laptops have 2 slots for the RAM. For your existing RAM, your laptop will likely either have 2 x 4gb sticks, meaning both slots are populated, or 1 x 8gb, meaning there's a free slot.
If there's a free slot, you can just add another 8gb stick - though make sure the frequencies and timings are the same. If both slots are occupied (2 x 4gb) then you can just remove the 2 sticks and add 2 x 8gb stick in their place.
If you download and run CPU-Z and look at the SPD tab, it will tell you what RAM you have in what slots. You can upload screenshots of what it says for Slot 1 and Slot 2 to Imgur and post a link here if you need help understanding what it all means.
2 things to bear in mind:
1) are you really going to get any benefit from more RAM? Depends on your laptop spec and exactly how you use it
2) If it's under warranty, does the manufacturer allow you to open it to add RAM?
You can add/change RAM in just about any laptop
Assuming the RAM in yours is user-replaceable, most laptops have 2 slots for the RAM. For your existing RAM, your laptop will likely either have 2 x 4gb sticks, meaning both slots are populated, or 1 x 8gb, meaning there's a free slot.
If there's a free slot, you can just add another 8gb stick - though make sure the frequencies and timings are the same. If both slots are occupied (2 x 4gb) then you can just remove the 2 sticks and add 2 x 8gb stick in their place.
If you download and run CPU-Z and look at the SPD tab, it will tell you what RAM you have in what slots. You can upload screenshots of what it says for Slot 1 and Slot 2 to Imgur and post a link here if you need help understanding what it all means.
2 things to bear in mind:
1) are you really going to get any benefit from more RAM? Depends on your laptop spec and exactly how you use it
2) If it's under warranty, does the manufacturer allow you to open it to add RAM?
Lutfij
Moderator
To add, perhaps include a make and model of your laptop and the SKU to it. We can then move forward. In the interim period, make sure your BIOS is up to date. Even if you don't add hardware, it's good to have the platform updated for the OS(at the very least)and ironing out any bugs in the platform.
The link does seem to be broken for me too.
The rules are pinned to the top of most forum pages though
And a direct link:
forums.pcgamer.com
The rules are pinned to the top of most forum pages though
And a direct link:
Announcement - Read Before Posting: Forum Rules
Welcome to the PC Gamer Community Forums! We extend a warm welcome to everyone who wishes to participate in the ongoing discourse here in our community, where you can share with like-minded enthusiasts from across the globe! Before you begin, however, there are just a few rules of the road to...
forums.pcgamer.com
Lutfij
Moderator
Sigh, I think I need to do some summertime account sig cleaning thanks for letting me know! Link fixed!!!
We're still waiting on the answer to the(pseudo) question I made prior here. If you're going to ask me if I've upgraded a laptop before?...well yes I upgrade laptops provided the user has the funds and can take advantage of it but the precursor to that is if the laptop will accept said upgrades.
Last upgrade I did was on a Lenovo ThinkPad W540 that came with 16GB of DDR3L-1600MHz rams(4 identical sticks across 4 slots), I bumped the ram up to 32GB of DDR3L-1600MHz ram(identical 8GB sticks) and a small sized M.2 SSD for a scratch disk.
Then was a Asus GL551VW which got a 2.5" SSD in a secondary drive caddy(replacing the ODD)but the mSATA slot was left unpopulated since I couldn't source a small drive for scratch disk space during this pandemic.
To note, look at ram upgrades like buying a pair of shoes. If you loose one shoe out of the pair, you can't buy that missing shoe from the store. Instead you'll need to buy one pair. Same story with a laptop that has two slots or more, buy in pairs or a ram kit(ideally). If your laptop's ram is soldered onto the board and you have one physical slot open, you will need to match the frequency of the ram that's soldered onto the board.
thanks for letting me know! Link fixed!!!We're still waiting on the answer to the(pseudo) question I made prior here. If you're going to ask me if I've upgraded a laptop before?...well yes I upgrade laptops provided the user has the funds and can take advantage of it but the precursor to that is if the laptop will accept said upgrades.
Last upgrade I did was on a Lenovo ThinkPad W540 that came with 16GB of DDR3L-1600MHz rams(4 identical sticks across 4 slots), I bumped the ram up to 32GB of DDR3L-1600MHz ram(identical 8GB sticks) and a small sized M.2 SSD for a scratch disk.
Then was a Asus GL551VW which got a 2.5" SSD in a secondary drive caddy(replacing the ODD)but the mSATA slot was left unpopulated since I couldn't source a small drive for scratch disk space during this pandemic.
To note, look at ram upgrades like buying a pair of shoes. If you loose one shoe out of the pair, you can't buy that missing shoe from the store. Instead you'll need to buy one pair. Same story with a laptop that has two slots or more, buy in pairs or a ram kit(ideally). If your laptop's ram is soldered onto the board and you have one physical slot open, you will need to match the frequency of the ram that's soldered onto the board.
Last edited:
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