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Learn how much memory your computer or motherboard supports
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RAM (Random Access Memory) is the memory that your computer uses to store data from programs that are in use. Generally, the more RAM you have installed, the more programs you can run at once and the better your computer performs. The amount you can install is determined by your computer’s hardware. This wikiHow article teaches you how to check the maximum RAM capacity on your computer.
Find Your Maximum RAM Capacity
- The best way to find your computer's max RAM capacity is to search for the make and model of your laptop or motherboard on the manufacturer's website.
- On Windows, enable WMIC in Optional Features, then type “wmic memphysical get maxcapacity” in Command Prompt to find max RAM capacity.
- Install DMIDecode on Linux and run “sudo dmidecode” in the Terminal to find the max RAM capacity under “Physical Memory Array.”
Steps
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Identify your motherboard. Generally, the amount of RAM your computer supports is limited by your motherboard. If you don't have access to your motherboard documentation, you will need to identify the motherboard and look up the specifications online.
- To find your motherboard on Windows, click the Windows Start menu and type “System Information.” Click System Information and check your baseboard manufacturer, baseboard model, and baseboard version.
- If you are using a laptop, check your system manufacturer and system model as well.
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Search the web for your motherboard's documentation. Near the beginning of your motherboard's documentation, you should be able to find a specifications chart or page. Look for the maximum amount of RAM or system memory that can be installed . You will also see the number of available slots on your motherboard.
- RAM needs to be installed in pairs. If your motherboard supports 16 GB of RAM and has four slots, you can install four 4 GB sticks or two 8 GB sticks to reach your maximum.
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3Google the maximum capacity for your motherboard or laptop model. If you don’t have the documentation that came with your computer, you can probably find the specs online by Googling “[manufacturer] [model] maximum RAM capacity.” You should be able to see the specs on the manufacturer’s official website.
- If you are checking a motherboard, it will most likely list the maximum number of memory expansion slots your motherboard has and what type of RAM chips are compatible. If you are checking a laptop, it will most likely list how much RAM it comes with and how much you can expand it to. Not all laptops have expandable RAM slots.
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1Press Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. You can open Task Manager in the Windows Start menu or by using the keyboard shortcut.
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2Check the Performance section. If you are using Windows 10, click the Performance tab at the top. If you are using Windows 11, click the icon with three lines (☰) in the upper-left corner and click Performance in the menu bar to the left.
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3Check how much RAM you have. You’ll see the total amount of RAM you currently have listed at the top of the page.
- You can also see a breakdown of how much RAM you are currently using compared to how much RAM you have available.
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4Check how many slots you have. Check next to “Slots used” to see how many RAM slots you are currently using compared to hw many you have in total.
- If you are using 1 of 4 slots, your RAM capacity is four times what your current total RAM is. If you are using half of your slots, your RAM capacity is double what you currently have. If all of your slots are being used, your computer is already at max capacity.
- Divide the total number of RAM your computer currently has by the number of slots that are being used to find out what size RAM chips your computer takes. For example, if you have 8 GB of RAM total and you are using two slots, your computer takes 4 GB RAM chips.
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1Ensure WMIC is installed. WMIC is an optional feature of Windows that allows you to check hardware and software information using the Command Prompt. Use the following steps to check if it’s installed and install it if it’s not:
- Click the Windows Start menu.
- Type Optional Features .
- Click Optional Features .
- Check if WMIC is installed.
- Click View features if WMIC is not installed.
- Enter “WMIC” in the search bar at the top.
- Click the checkbox next to “WMIC" and click Next .
- Restart your computer when it’s finished installing.
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2Open the Command Prompt. To do so, click the Windows Start menu and type “CMD.” Click Command Prompt to open it.
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3Find your total RAM capacity. Use the following steps to find your total RAM capacity:
- Type wmic memphysical get maxcapacity and press Enter .
- Divide the number by 1024 to get your total RAM capacity in megabytes (MB).
- Divide the number by 1024 again to get your total RAM capacity in gigabytes (GB).
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4Find out how many memory slots your computer has. To do so, type wmic memphysical get MemoryDevices and press Enter .
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5Find out how much RAM each memory slot uses. This will display how much RAM is in each slot to help you determine how much RAM each slot takes. Use the following steps to do so: [1] X Research source
- Type wmic memorychip get capacity and press Enter .
- Divide the number by 1024 to get your total RAM capacity in megabytes (MB).
- Divide the number by 1024 again to get your total RAM capacity in gigabytes (GB).
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6Find out your memory type. To do so, type wmic memorychip get devicelocator, memorytype and press Enter . This will display a number that corresponds to the memory type. The numbers are as follows:
- 0: Unknown.
- 1: Other.
- 2: DRAM.
- 3 : Synchronous DRAM.
- 4 : Cache DRAM.
- 5: EDO.
- 6: EDRAM.
- 7: VRAM.
- 8: SRAM.
- 9: RAM.
- 10: ROM.
- 11: Flash.
- 12: EEPROM.
- 13: FEPROM.
- 14: EPROM.
- 15: CDRAM.
- 16: 3DRAM.
- 17: SDRAM.
- 18: SGRAM.
- 19: RDRAM.
- 20: DDR.
- 21: DDR2.
- 22: DDR2 FB-DIMM.
- 24: DDR3.
- 25: FBD2.
- 26: DDR4.
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7Find the form factor of the RAM your computer supports. To do so, type wmic memorychip get devicelocator, formfactor and press Enter . This will display a number that corresponds to the form factor of the RAM that your computer supports. The form factors are as follows:
- 0: Unknown.
- 1: Other.
- 2: SIP.
- 3: DIP.
- 4: ZIP.
- 5: SOJ
- 6: Proprietary.
- 7: SIMM.
- 8: DIMM.
- 9: TSOP.
- 10: PGA.
- 11: RIMM.
- 12: SODIMM.
- 13: SRIMM.
- 14: SMD.
- 15: SSMP.
- 16: QFP.
- 17: TQFP.
- 18: SOIC.
- 19: LCC.
- 20: PLCC.
- 21: BGA.
- 22: FPBGA.
- 23: LGA.
- 24: FB-DIMM.
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1Find out if your Mac has expandable memory. Most newer Macs with Apple Silicon chips (most Macs produced after 2021) have the memory integrated into the Apple Silicon chip. These Macs do not have memory slots, and you cannot upgrade or replace the memory. Use the following steps to check if your Mac has expandable memory: [2] X Research source
- Click the Apple icon and select About this Mac .
- Check if your Mac has an Apple Silicon chip.
- If it says “M1,” “M2,” “M3,” or something similar next to “Chip:”, you have an Apple Silicon Mac. If it lists a CPU model next to “Processor:”, you probably have an Intel-based Mac.
- Check your Mac model to see what type of Mac you have.
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2Find out the memory capacity of your iMac. The following lists the maximum memory capacity of iMac models: [3] X Research source
- iMac Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020: Maximum RAM 128 GB. 4 slots that support up to 32 GB DIMMs, 260-pin DDR4, SDRAM, PC4 chips.
- iMac Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017 - 2019: Maximum RAM 64 GB. 4 slots that support up to 16 GB DIMMs, 260-pin DDR4, SDRAM, PC4 chips.
- iMac 27-inch 2012 - 2015: Maximum RAM 32 GB, four slots that support up to 8 GB, 204-pin DDR3, SDRAM, PC3 chips.
- iMac 21.5 & 27 inches 2009 - 2012: Maximum RAM 16 GB. 4 slots that support up to 4 GB, 204-pin DDR3, SDRAM, PC3 chips.
- iMac 20 & 24 inches 2009: Maximum RAM 8 GB. 2 slots that support up to 4 GB, 204-pin DDR3, SDRAM, PC3 chips.
- iMac: 20 & 24 inches 2007 - 2008: Maximum RAM 4 GB. 2 slots that support up to 2 GB, 200-pin DDR2, SDRAM, PC2 chips.
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3Find out the total memory capacity of your MacBook. The following lists the maximum RAM capacity of MacBook models: [4] X Research source
- Macbook Pro 2009 - 2012: Maximum RAM 8 GB. 2 slots that support up to 4 GB, 204-pin DDR3, 204-pin, 30mm chips.
- Macbook Pro 2008: Maximum RAM 4 GB. 2 slots that support up to 2 GB, 204-pin DDR3, 204-pin, 30mm chips.
- Macbook Pro 15 - 17 Inches 2008: Maximum RAM 2 GB. 2 slots that support up to 1 GB, 200-pin DDR2, 30mm, PC2 chips.
- Macbook Pro 15 - 17 Inches 2008 (Dual-core): Maximum RAM 3 GB. 2 slots that support a 1 GB and a 2 GB, 200-pin DDR2, 30mm, PC2 chips.
- Macbook Pro 15 - 17 Inches 2008 (2.2/2.4 Ghz): Maximum RAM 4 GB. 2 slots that support up to 2 GB, 200-pin DDR2, 30mm, PC2 chips.
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4Find out how many slots your Mac is using. If you have an older Mac computer, you can see how many slots your Mac has and a report of what type of chip is installed in each slot using System Information. Use the following steps to view this information:
- Click the Spotlight/Magnifying glass icon in the upper-right corner.
- Type system information and select System Information .
- Click Memory in the panel to the left.
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1Press Ctrl + Alt + T to open the Terminal. You can use the Terminal to find out how much memory your computer supports. The Terminal has an icon that resembles a block screen with a white cursor. You can open the Terminal in your Apps menu or use the keyboard shortcut.
- You can also install DMIDecode on a Chromebook using the Linux Development Environment. You just need to enable the Linux Development Environment .
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2Install DMIDecode. DMIDecode is a command-line tool that displays your system information. Use one of the following commands to install DMIDecode:
- Debian/Ubuntu/Mint/Chromebook: sudo apt-get install dmidecode
- Fedora/Redhat/CentOS: sudo yum install dmidecode or sudo dnf install dmidecode
- OpenSUSE: sudo zypper in dmidecode
- Arch Linux: sudo pacman -S dmidecode
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3Type sudo dmidecode and press ↵ Enter . This will scan your system and display your system information.
- You may need to enter your password before performing a system scan.
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4Check your total memory capacity. You can find your total memory capacity next to “Maximum Capacity” below “Physical Memory Array” in the printout. This will display your total memory capacity in GB. [5] X Research source
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Determine if Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit . The Windows operating system has a maximum amount of RAM that it will recognize. If you have more RAM installed than is allowed, the extra RAM will not be used. This limit is determined by whether Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit. [6] X Research source
- See this guide for details on checking your copy of Windows. Generally, you can see whether Windows is 32- or 64-bit from the System Properties window ( ⊞ Win + Pause )
- 32-bit can support up to 4 GB (for all versions) of RAM
- 64-bit can support up to 128 GB (Windows Home) to 2 TB (Windows Education, Enterprise, Pro) of RAM [7] X Research source
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Determine how much your Linux system supports. A 32-bit Linux installation may only support up to 4 GB, but if it has the PAE kernel enabled (most newer distributions do), then a 32-bit system can support up to 64 GB of RAM. A 64-bit Linux system can theoretically support up to 17 billion GB of RAM, though most cap out at 1 TB (Intel) or 256 TB (AMD64). [8] X Research source
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Community Q&A
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QuestionCan I change my original RAM if I have only one slot for RAM in my computer?Community AnswerYes, but make sure you also know your operating system capacity. If you are using 32bit Windows, its maximum capacity is 4GB.
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QuestionThere are two slots in my PC. Can I install 4 and 8 GB RAM there? It is a 64 bit PC.Community AnswerYes, you can. Just make sure they are both the same type, speed, voltage, etc. Check that as much as possible is the same (except RAM amount) so it works. It takes lots of research.
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QuestionCan increasing the RAM on my computer make it work faster and not freeze?Community AnswerYes. But if it is still sluggish, remove unnecessary programs and data on desktop, and browser caches.
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References
- ↑ https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/how-to-check-ram-slots-in-windows-11/
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/116943
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/108317
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-gb/102416#4
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqoGjjK8waw
- ↑ https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001778.htm#win
- ↑ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/memory/memory-limits-for-windows-releases?redirectedfrom=MSDN
- ↑ https://whatsabyte.com/ram-motherboard-can-handle/
About This Article
Article Summary
X
If you’re using a Mac, search for your system model on the Apple website to find out the maximum amount of RAM it can handle. If you’re using a 32-bit version of Windows, your system can support up to 4 GB. If you’re using a 64-bit version of Windows, it can handle up to 128 GB.
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