How to Check What RAM I Have?

Random Access Memory, aka RAM, also just referred to as Memory, is one of the most important resources you have in a computer system. Over the years, we have had four total iterations of DDR RAM, ranging from DDR to DDR4.

However most modern computers will just carry DDR3 or DDR4 at this point, but there are different speeds within those as well. If you want to check compatibility, upgrade your RAM, or are just curious, there are a few ways of checking which RAM you have, and how much of it.

Here’s how you can check what RAM you have:

Physically check the slot

While it might be an inconvenient way to do it, accessing the inside of your PC and physically checking the memory slots. Not only will this help determine which type of RAM you have, but the exact channels, configuration, and memory timings, all of which age important if you’re thinking of upgrading your RAM while keeping some or all of your existing RAM.

Here’s what the RAM slot on your motherboard will look like:

Be careful with the locks of the RAM slots, or you might end up breaking the sticks or damaging the motherboard.

Check RAM details in Windows

You can natively check the memory capacity and type in Windows. If it’s just the RAM capacity slow after, then you can easily just right click on your My Computer icon, and click on Properties. The basic system specifications are displayed in the properties, including the RAM capacity.

You can further check the device manager, and check in the memory section. However, you’ll have to go through a lot of trouble to get that info. The middle ground is to bring up the task manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete and then clicking on the Memory tab. You will see the memory size, speed, and form factor.

Check Exactly What Type of RAM You Have in Command Prompt

Now of course, as it is with most things in Windows, this method has a flaw too. Task Manager can often report memory type wrong, like DDR3 being reported as DDR2 or ‘Other’, in which case you can resort to using the command prompt.

Just open an elevated command prompt (run command prompt as an administrator) and type in the following command:

wmic MemoryChip get BankLabel, Capacity, MemoryType, TypeDetail, Speed, Tag

The MemoryType header, aptly named, will display a value between 0-25. Here’s what the numbers mean:

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—May not be available; see note above.
25 = FBD2

The MemoryType header will also show a 0 for DDR4, but the Speed header will return one of these numbers: 1600, 1866, 2133, 2400, 2666, 2933, and 3200.

However, 1600, 1866, and 2133 can also be DDR3, but only if MemoryType returns 24 as the value. The other important header is TypeDetail, which will give you more information about your memory, returning one of the following values:

1 = Reserved
2 = Other
4 = Unknown
8 = Fast-paged
16 = Static column
32 = Pseudo-static
64 = RAMBUS
128 = Synchronous
256 = CMOS
512 = EDO
1024 = Window DRAM
2048 = Cache DRAM
4096 = Non-volatile

Install CPU-Z

CPU-Z is a hardware identification tool that is sort of a must-have if you’re looking to check the detailed hardware specifications of your system.

Install CPU-Z from the official website. Run it, and click on the Memory and/or SPD tab to see all details about your RAM, including capacity, type, timing, manufacturer, latency, and pretty much every detail you’re ever gonna need.

There is also other similar software that will give you these details like Freemium, Rainmeter, SpeedFan, CoreTemp, but I’ve found CPU-Z to be the most reliable one.

Ready to Roll?

That’s about it! Share with us your experience fetching your RAM details in the comments, down below!