How to add RAM to a laptop or how to upgrade RAM on laptop? When you find the machine’s performance gets poor due to insufficient RAM, you may want to do this work. In this post on the MiniTool website, you can see a simple guide on how to perform the laptop memory upgrade.

When you build up many files, add many pictures, upload a lot of music files and use various programs at the same time, you may find the laptop runs slowly and the performance is poor. Usually, the culprit is insufficient RAM.

You can go to Task Manager > Performance, click Memory and you can see the RAM information including the memory total and used size.

RAM is a form of temporary computer storage. When running a program, it will be temporally saved to the RAM for quick access rather than being written to the permanent hard disk. If the RAM is not enough, the PC performance will be impacted.

To solve this issue, you can choose to add RAM to a laptop. In the following part, let’s see a guide.

Tip: Make sure your Windows operating system is 64-bit since the 32-bit system supports maximum 4GB RAM.

Can I Add RAM to My Laptop

Before introducing how to add RAM to a laptop, you should know if your laptop supports the laptop memory upgrade. To do this work, the professional tool – Crucial System Advisor can be helpful.

Step 1: Go to this link to get this tool.

Step 2: Choose your laptop’s manufacturer, product line, and model. Then, click Find my computer.

Crucial System Advisor

Step 3: This tool will tell you the maximum memory and how many slots your laptop has. If your original RAM is 4GB and here you see the maximum memory is 8GB, and the number of slots is 2, it means you can increase RAM on laptop.

If there is only one slot and the maximum memory is larger than your RAM, you can replace the memory with a large one for the upgrade.

Tip: You may be interested in this question – can I add 8GB RAM to 4GB laptop. In the technical aspect, you can add 8GB RAM to a 4GB laptop as long as these two modules have the same front-side bus (FSB) speed. To get better performance, they also should have the same size. That is, the second RAM should be 4GB rather than 8GB.

Purchase a RAM for Laptop Memory Upgrade

After knowing if you can add RAM to your laptop, now you need to purchase a proper memory module based on your actual situation. When buying RAM, you should note that the voltage and speed of the RAM as well as the type of RAM (DDR2, DDR3, or DDR4).

Since Crucial System Advisor comes from Crucial, it recommends some products from Crucial but you can take note of the products’ specs and go to your laptop manufacturer’s website to buy one.

Related article: Does RAM Matter and How to Check RAM Compatibility

How to Add RAM to a Laptop

How to increase RAM on laptop? Here are some steps you should follow:

Step 1: Make sure your laptop is completely turned off and unplug the power adapter.

Step 2: Open the panel of your laptop that covers the memory banks on the bottom. Sometimes, you need to unscrew the whole back of the machine to access the memory.

Step 3: Try to touch a metal object to discharge any built-up static electricity.

Step 4: If there is only one memory slot, you should remove the existing memory module to replace it. Just push apart the clips that hold it in place and it should pop up at an angle. Then, lift the module out by holding its edges. Don’t touch the gold connectors at the bottom.

Step 5: The memory module has a small notch that should match up with a nub in the slot. Just insert it to the slot at a slight angle and press the top of the module to push it into place. After inserting the module, push the module back until it is flat and level and hold it in place using the clips.

Related article: How to Install RAM in Your PC – Here’s a Complete Guide

Bottom Line

How to add RAM to a laptop? In this post, we give you a simple guide and you should follow it if you need to upgrade laptop RAM. Just do it to get more memory to improve your PC performance.

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