{"id":77720,"date":"2020-09-29T09:40:41","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T06:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/5-things-to-consider-before-upgrading-your-pcs-ram\/"},"modified":"2020-09-29T09:40:41","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T06:40:41","slug":"5-things-to-consider-before-upgrading-your-pcs-ram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-things-to-consider-before-upgrading-your-pcs-ram\/","title":{"rendered":"#5 Things to Consider Before Upgrading Your PC\u2019s RAM"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a410044d9ec7\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a410044d9ec7\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-things-to-consider-before-upgrading-your-pcs-ram\/#Do_You_Need_a_RAM_Upgrade\" >Do You Need a RAM Upgrade?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-things-to-consider-before-upgrading-your-pcs-ram\/#Check_for_Bottlenecks\" >Check for Bottlenecks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-things-to-consider-before-upgrading-your-pcs-ram\/#Is_XMP_Enabled\" >Is XMP Enabled?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-things-to-consider-before-upgrading-your-pcs-ram\/#Check_Your_Speeds\" >Check Your Speeds<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-things-to-consider-before-upgrading-your-pcs-ram\/#Get_an_SSD_Instead\" >Get an SSD Instead<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-things-to-consider-before-upgrading-your-pcs-ram\/#Look_at_the_CPU_and_GPU\" >Look at the CPU and GPU<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-things-to-consider-before-upgrading-your-pcs-ram\/#To_RAM_or_Not_to_RAM\" >To RAM or Not to RAM<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#5 Things to Consider Before Upgrading Your PC\u2019s RAM&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_450295\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-450295 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/xram-memory.png.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.9vLUiuUS__.jpg\" alt=\"Bare RAM modules with green circuit boards and gold connectors.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/rammemory-computer-558880375\" data-credittext=\"subin-ch\/Shutterstock\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/rammemory-computer-558880375\">subin-ch\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There was a time when the pre<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">script<\/a>ion for speeding up a slow PC was just to add more (or faster) RAM. These days, though, that\u2019s not necessarily the best upgrade to choose first.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_You_Need_a_RAM_Upgrade\"><\/span>Do You Need a RAM Upgrade?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are certain scenarios in which upgrading the RAM is obviously a good idea. A computer for everyday uses, like web browsing, streaming videos, running Microsoft Office, and playing a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> or two, should have at least 8 GB of RAM, in our opinion.<\/p>\n<p>That might come as a surprise, considering many mid- and low-end PCs come with 4 GB. However, they aren\u2019t very responsive and tend to slow down as soon as a background process or three start running.<\/p>\n<p>This is why we recommend at least 8 GB. If you have a laptop with 4 GB, check the manual to see if you can upgrade the RAM yourself. Some laptops have the RAM soldered to the motherboard, in which case, a RAM upgrade isn\u2019t possible.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, gamers who want to play the latest AAA titles are better off with 16 GB of RAM. Going above that really depends on what you want to do with your system. An enthusiast-grade PC you want to use for 4K video editing, for example, would likely need something around 32 GB.<\/p>\n<p>If these situations don\u2019t cover your PC, below are some things to consider before reaching for those new RAM modules.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_for_Bottlenecks\"><\/span>Check for Bottlenecks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-691300 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/xTaskManagerRAMUsageWin10.png.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.GWHwWeY_vc.png\" alt=\"The &quot;In Use&quot; and &quot;Available&quot; RAM stats in Windows 10.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If a shortage of RAM is the source of your issues, you should be able to discover this by checking your system performance. To do so,\u00a0press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to\u00a0open Windows 10\u2019s Task Manager, and then click \u201cMore details\u201d to open the advanced view. Click the \u201cPerformance\u201d tab, and then click \u201cMemory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then, start using your PC as you normally would, while keeping an eye on the task manager.<\/p>\n<p>When you experience a slowdown, check the \u201cIn Use\u201d and \u201cAvailable\u201d sections under the graph that displays the RAM usage. If you frequently have a ton of RAM that\u2019s still available, then RAM is probably not the issue. However, if it\u2019s maxed out during each slowdown, more RAM could improve things.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_XMP_Enabled\"><\/span>Is XMP Enabled?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_691303\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-691303 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/xBIOSScreenshot.png.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.NXpUd3tWAA.jpg\" alt=\"An Aorus BIOS screen.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">XMP profile information in the BIOS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>DIY desktop PC builders might not be maximizing the performance capabilities of their current RAM. Most people who build their own PCs have likely done this already. In the motherboard\u2019s BIOS settings, you can activate something called an eXtreme Memory Profile (XMP). If your PC has an AMD processor, you might see DOCP instead.<\/p>\n<p>XMP is an Intel <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> that\u2019s, ostensibly, an overclocking tool. However, if you just turn it on in the BIOS without tweaking any of the manual settings, it\u2019ll let the RAM run at the speed for which it\u2019s rated, rather than the slower default.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Enable Intel XMP to Make Your RAM Run at Its Advertised Speeds<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_Your_Speeds\"><\/span>Check Your Speeds<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Upgrading your PC\u2019s RAM isn\u2019t as simple as changing out the storage or graphics card. You have to choose the right type (the version for modern motherboards is DDR4), and its speed has to be compatible with your computer\u2019s motherboard.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, if you\u2019re keeping one RAM module and adding another, they must have the same speeds. Even then, some people prefer to use two identical RAM sticks instead of mixing and matching, just to be certain. Be sure to check your computer\u2019s RAM speed\u00a0to determine how big of an upgrade faster RAM will really be.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to actual speeds, if your PC\u2019s RAM is a lower speed, like 2,400 MHz, upgrading to 3,000 MHz or higher should result in noticeable performance improvements. If you\u2019re already rocking 3,000 MHz, however, the performance boost from faster RAM might not be as noticeable. This will vary depending on your specific PC and how you use it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to See How Much RAM Is In Your PC (and Its Speed)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Get_an_SSD_Instead\"><\/span>Get an SSD Instead<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_659245\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-659245 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/xSamsungSSD.png.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.VswzDpJr95.png\" alt=\"A black Samsung 2.5-inch solid state drive.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-credittext=\"Samsung\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Samsung<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If the bottleneck isn\u2019t your RAM, then you have a few other choices. The number one option is to upgrade to a solid-state drive (SSD) if your PC still has a hard drive. Even if you do increase the RAM, there\u2019s simply no better upgrade for a PC than moving it from a hard drive to an SSD.<\/p>\n<p>Even an older SATA III SSD, like the Samsung 860 Evo, will provide a noticeable increase in response times and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> performance. If the motherboard accepts NVMe drives, then the performance improvements will be even more noticeable.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t throw out that old hard drive, either\u2014you can use it as secondary storage if your PC still has room for it. You can also put it in an external hard drive enclosure and use it that way (after copying your personal files and reformatting, of course.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How To Upgrade and Install a New Hard Drive or SSD in Your PC<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Look_at_the_CPU_and_GPU\"><\/span>Look at the CPU and GPU<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_675703\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-675703 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/xintel-core-i7-cpu.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.EYtS-fv87q.jpg\" alt=\"An Intel CPU in a motherboard socket.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/kobe-hyogo-japan-october-26-2019-1575478906\" data-credittext=\"yishii\/Shutterstock\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/kobe-hyogo-japan-october-26-2019-1575478906\">yishii\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you determine that RAM isn\u2019t the issue, and the SSD upgrade is already covered, it might be time to upgrade your CPU or GPU, or, perhaps, to build or buy a new system.<\/p>\n<p>To get a sense of how your CPU is performing, you can go through the same steps we covered above on checking for bottlenecks. This time, look at the CPU utilization in the Task Manager.<\/p>\n<p>Is the CPU maxing out frequently when you have multiple programs open or during a variety of games? Be sure you try a few games and see if this is consistent before you blame the CPU, as some games rely more heavily on the processor, to begin with.<\/p>\n<p>If you haven\u2019t got the money to upgrade your rig, then, for the time being, just be aware of your system\u2019s constraints. Don\u2019t, for example, use too many programs simultaneously\u2014before you play a game, shut down every background process you can. These are just stop-gap measures, but they\u2019ll help.<\/p>\n<p>If the CPU isn\u2019t the issue, then look at the GPU, especially if yours is at the bottom end of a game\u2019s minimum specs. Of course, once you get a new GPU, it might result in a CPU bottleneck, meaning you\u2019ll need to test again.<\/p>\n<p>Another alternative for those tight on cash is to try overclocking the components to squeeze a little more performance out of them. This comes with risks, however, including voiding your warranty, consuming more power, and, potentially, shortening the life of the CPU and GPU.<\/p>\n<p>Still, for an older PC, where your choice is to either overclock or get something new you can\u2019t afford, overclocking is sort of a built-in upgrade, and it might be the best choice.<\/p>\n<p>For more info, check out our tutorials on overclocking, and how to overclock your GPU\u00a0or\u00a0Intel CPU.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"To_RAM_or_Not_to_RAM\"><\/span>To RAM or Not to RAM<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>RAM is a weird component in modern PCs. If you don\u2019t have enough, adding more can have a dramatic impact on your computer\u2019s performance. If, however, your system doesn\u2019t use all its RAM on a regular basis, changing it won\u2019t have the impact you need.<\/p>\n<p>For those who don\u2019t need a RAM upgrade, the better choice might be getting an SSD, upgrading to a new CPU, or installing a new graphics card.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/691292\/5-things-to-consider-before-upgrading-your-pcs-ram\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#5 Things to Consider Before Upgrading Your PC\u2019s RAM&#8221; subin-ch\/Shutterstock There was a time when the prescription for speeding up a slow PC was just to add more (or faster) RAM. These days, though, that\u2019s not necessarily the best upgrade to choose first. Do You Need a RAM Upgrade? There are certain scenarios in which&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":77721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/thumbcache\/2\/200\/adc463cef49eaa95b4de89257b4fdec2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/ram-memory.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}