Not all users are versed in the functioning of system components. Such knowledge helps to understand the computer and, if necessary, eliminate any problems. Therefore, you often need to know how to find out the amount of RAM or other characteristics of a PC.
RAM concept
RAM has long become an integral part of the system. And if the system can function without a discrete graphics card, then things are more complicated with the operational one.
The component is volatile in the system. It is part of computer memory and stores during PC operation. That is, RAM is not involved in saving user data, but is designed to maintain the health of the system.
For example, you opened a browser, and it has several tabs. After you had to interrupt work, to launch one of the programs. You worked with her for a while and returned to your web browser. So that neither one nor the other information is lost, it is written in RAM code. The same situation occurs with computer games.
RAM work
Before you figure out how to find out the amount of RAM, it is important to understand how RAM works. All data is stored in the semiconductors of the module. All of them are available and can work if voltage is applied to them. That is, in a turned off computer If, during operation of the RAM, the supply of electric current is interrupted, then any stored information can be distorted or destroyed.
RAM features
Thanks to the RAM, an energy-saving mode can work. It helps the PC put the system to sleep. At this time, energy consumption is reduced. But since electricity is still supplied to the motherboard, the RAM module functions fully.
But if you use hibernation, then in this case the RAM will not help, since it completely disconnects the voltage. But before that, the system manages to write down all the information that was stored on RAM in a special file that will be launched the next time the system is turned on.
RAM creation
About how to find out the amount of RAM, there was no question before. Many initially did not understand the essence of this component. But work on it was begun back in 1834. Of course, then these were only the beginnings of a modern prototype. But the idea itself came about thanks to Charles Babbage and his analytic machine.
During this time, the device has gone through a huge amount of processing. At first it was made as magnetic drums. After that, magnetic cores were developed, and already in the third generation microchips were invented.
RAM amount
Before installing the RAM module in the system, you need to understand how to find out the maximum amount of RAM on a PC. You can do this programmatically.
If you work with the Windows operating system, it will be enough to go to "My Computer". After clicking RMB on the free area and select "Properties". Brief information about the system will be available in the dialog box.
Here you need to find the line "System Type". The maximum amount of RAM can be determined by looking at the capacity of the OS. If it is indicated that the operating system is 32-bit, then the maximum supported RAM capacity is 4 GB. In the case of a 64-bit system, this figure is 128 GB. That is, all modern PCs should be based on the x64 OS.
It is not so easy to determine RAM. It all depends on how long the device was purchased. To do this, you will have to turn to the operational documentation. For example, models from 2006 to 2009. received only 4 GB, after - until 2012, they worked with 16 GB, and by the end of 2013, 32 GB of RAM was available.
Motherboard
Much also depends on the capabilities of maternal memory. Even if the operating system works with 128 GB of RAM, the motherboard may not support this amount. To do this, you will have to open your PC and find out the motherboard model. After that it will be possible to search for information about it. In the case of a laptop, it is enough to find the documentation for it or find information on the official website of the manufacturer.
Situation now
The minimum amount of RAM at the present time is 1 GB. This is the minimum that can still withstand work with office programs and a browser. But for another six months or a year, and due to the resource consumption of programs and media content, resources will not be enough.
Optimal is considered 8-16 GB of RAM. This is enough for heavy programs like "Photoshop", and for computer games, and for office work.
How much is installed?
When you figure out how to find out the maximum supported amount of RAM, you can try to upgrade RAM. But for this you will have to find out how much is in the system.
To do this, you can again go to "My Computer", click RMB on an empty space and select "Properties". A new dialog box will show the total amount of RAM. This option is more suitable in order to understand how to find out the amount of RAM of a laptop, since in laptops it is not easy to get to the module.
You can also install the CPU-Z program to get all the RAM data. To do this, you need:
- download program;
- install and open it;
- go to the SPD tab.
It will indicate the type of memory, its size, frequency, manufacturer and even serial number.
In a PC, it’s better to check everything firsthand:
- disconnect the system from power;
- remove the side cover;
- find the module on the board;
- turn it off and check the information on the label.
If one module is installed in the computer, it is possible to connect one or two more. But for this you will have to choose the same RAM modules. That is why it is better to get the device out of the case to find identical or very similar parts and purchase.
Mem Reduct Program
How to find out the amount of RAM used by a computer? To do this, you can install the Mem Reduct program. This small utility provides information on how much physical, virtual memory is used and in real time. But, in addition to this, it allows you to clear already unnecessary data.
If the system started to slow down, this is especially true for computers with 1-4 GB of RAM, then you can install this program. Entering it, some indicators will be highlighted in orange. This means that the memory is loaded. It is enough to click on “Clear memory” to unload it for a while.
The program is very useful because it allows you to maintain the working state of the system without braking. If you have a little RAM installed, it is best to clean it once an hour. Of course, everything will depend on the processes.
The composition of almost any computer equipment includes two types of memory. Permanent (non-volatile) memory is used to store MP3-compositions, photos, videos, documents and other important files. But what is the difference between RAM? What does RAM affect, how many gigabytes does a modern smartphone need? This article will answer all these questions.
Any smartphone consists of many components. Operating system performance is most affected central processing unit (CPU). Second place in this ranking certainly takes random access memory (RAM). If this component is very slow, and the free volume is very low, then the system and most applications will experience slowdowns. As an example, let's recall the very first Symbian-based smartphones, the amount of RAM in which was calculated in a few megabytes. On those devices, it was almost impossible to pause music playback to answer an incoming call - when returning to the music player, the track started again, as there was not enough space in RAM to store the current position.
The main difference between RAM and read-only memory is its volatility. When the power is turned off, the RAM is reset. But then this kind of memory is much faster than ROM.
And then, and now the RAM is divided into several conditional sections:
- System - here is the operating system (Android, iOS), as well as all sorts of service modules preinstalled by the smartphone manufacturer. In the same segment, a proprietary shell may be present. It is the system section that is filled with the very first information. The faster the memory used in the device, the faster the loading of the operating system.
- Custom - this memory is available after the loading of the "OS". This section contains the executable files of various applications - Internet browser, instant messengers and others. Also, add-ons for firmware released by the gadget manufacturer in the form of updates may gradually appear here.
- Affordable - A small section reserved by the operating system. Such a “reservation” is needed to prevent problem situations and quickly launch new applications.
What does RAM affect?
What benefits does the user get if the smartphone has an increased amount of RAM? On such a device, more applications can work in the background. That is, the Internet browser will not load the page from scratch if you returned to it after visiting many other programs. Also, with a large amount of RAM in the background, a huge number of instant messengers, torrent client and other types of applications can work. But the speed of the operating system itself depends not so much on the volume as on the speed characteristics of the RAM. It affects the operation of the Android or iOS OS and the optimization of the operating system.
Bill Gates once stated that 640 Kb of RAM is enough for any computer. Now, even a mobile “OS” requires about 1 GB, and you still need to add a proprietary shell and then installed applications. And if the code is poorly optimized, then the brakes and freezes will be observed in any case. Samsung smartphones and tablets released before 2015 are a good example. There was a sufficient amount of RAM in such devices, but the bulky and non-optimized interface literally forced the gadget to slow down from time to time.
The battery life depends on the amount of RAM. Everything is trite here. More background processes load the CPU quite heavily. And this, in turn, entails increased energy consumption. Smartphone manufacturers are struggling with this due to the finer chipset process technology, a more capacious battery and better optimization of pre-installed software.
How much RAM does a smartphone need?
As mentioned above, the Android operating system can occupy from 512 MB to 1 GB of RAM. Also, RAM is needed for those applications that will be installed during the use of the device. This means that now it’s not worth buying a smartphone, which contains less than 2 GB of RAM. And this is the minimum parameter! If you need to buy a device that definitely will not unload recently launched applications from memory, then you need to think about a device that has 4 GB or even more RAM in its characteristics.
Please note that overdoing is also not worth it. 8 GB of RAM is just a marketing ploy. Android so far simply cannot spend such a huge amount. Only future versions of the operating system will learn to do this, which, quite possibly, will never arrive on the selected device.
How to free up RAM?
It seems to many smartphone owners that in order to free up RAM, it’s enough to open the list of previously launched applications, and then click “Close All”. In part, this really helps to free up some RAM, which will contribute, for example, to a better launch of the game. But sometimes more effective methods are required.
Many proprietary shells have built-in tools to free up RAM. Unloading applications from it can occur automatically, once in a certain period of time. But much more often it is necessary to free memory manually. Consider the user’s actions on the example of a smartphone from Samsung:
Step 1. Go to " Settings».
Step 2 Click on “ Optimization».
Step 3 Wait until the device is tested, then click on the item “ RAM". Or click on the “ Optimize”, If you want to free up permanent memory at the same time.
Step 4 In the subsection "RAM" an additional check will be launched. Then you need to click the " Clear". The system first tells you exactly what amount of RAM will be freed.
On smartphones and tablets of other companies, the built-in optimizer utility may be located somewhere in the menu, you will not need to visit the “Settings” in this case. There are branded shells and without the built-in ability to free up RAM. Fortunately, no one bothers the user from downloading a special application from Google Play that does the same. There is a separate article on the site about the best optimizers for Android - it remains to choose the appropriate option. Let's try to download and install CCleaner.
Step 1. Run the installed application. At the first start, you will need to press the " To begin».
Step 2 The program may also offer to upgrade to a paid version. It is devoid of advertising and supplemented with some useful features. If you don’t feel like spending money yet, then click the “ Continue for free».
Step 3 The main window of the application shows the filled volume of ROM and RAM. In order for the program to understand which volume can be freed, press the “ Analysis».
Step 4 The first time you run it on fresh versions of Android, a warning appears that the utility needs permissions to work with certain sections of the operating system. Click the " Clear"And provide the requested permissions.
Step 5 The analysis can last quite a long time - it all depends on how long ago CCleaner was launched for the last time. When the process is completed - you need to tick off those items that can be removed from the permanent and main memory. After that, it remains only to press the button " Clear».
Step 6 In the future, you can order the program to automatically clear RAM and ROM. This is done in a separate section. However, to activate this feature, you will need to purchase a paid version of the application.
Cleaning up RAM in modern versions of Android is rarely required. Basically, this action may be needed before starting some very difficult game. In general, you can not think about RAM if the amount of this type of memory equals or exceeds 4 GB.
Summarizing
This article made it clear what the RAM of the smartphone is. RAM is much faster than flash memory, but it requires a constant supply of energy, without which all information will simply be deleted. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with how to increase permanent memory - this article is also very relevant for owners of budget smartphones.
Probably many remember, or heard about the first, today already ancient computers, such as, for example, the ZX Spectrum? Whoever does not remember or forgot, then recall that the RAM for these dinosaurs was measured in kilobytes. Yes, it is in kilobytes, not even in megabytes. Now any mobile phone is several times more powerful than the ancient Spectrum. Technology is advancing, time is running, and RAM is no longer required in kilobytes, but in gigabytes. In the future this will certainly not be enough, and our today's most powerful computers will also be called dinosaurs of the past. But back to our time.
It’s about today - How much RAM does Windows XP, 7, 8.1 and 10 support?
Suppose you want to install additional lines of RAM on your computer. Suppose you had 4 GB, stuck another 4 GB. We turn on the computer, and the properties are still the same 4GB (Yes, and even then this is a rounded figure, in fact a maximum of 3.750 GB). Why is that? Oh God!!!
Why are there the same 4 GB of RAM? Let's deal with these issues once and for all.
All Windows operating systems with x86 (32 bit) bits do not matter which version, they all see only up to 4 GB. memory. Do you even run out of memory with your entire computer, like a hedgehog with needles, it will only see up to 4 gigabytes. This is due to internal architectural restrictions.
If you install a 64-bit operating system on your computer, the system will see all your memory lines.
How much RAM does a different version of Windows see?
Windows XP
Windows XP x86 (32 bit): 4 GB
Windows XP x64 (64 bit): 128 GBWindows 7
Windows 7 Starter x86 (32 bit): 2 GB
Windows 7 Home Basic x86 (32 bit): 4 GB
Windows 7 Home Premium x86 (32 bit): 4 GB
Windows 7 Professional x86 (32 bit): 4 GB
Windows 7 Enterprise x86 (32 bit): 4 GB
Windows 7 Ultimate x86 (32 bit): 4 GB
Windows 7 Home Basic x64 (64 bit): 8 GB
Windows 7 Home Premium x64 (64 bit): 16 GB
Windows 7 Professional x64 (64 bit): 192 GB
Windows 7 Enterprise x64 (64 bit): 192 GB
Windows 7 Ultimate x64 (64 bit): 192 GBWindows 8 / 8.1
Windows 8 x86 (32 bit): 4 GB
Windows 8 Professional x86 (32 bit): 4 GB
Windows 8 Enterprise x86 (32 bit): 4 GB
Windows 8 x64 (64 bit): 128 GB
Windows 8 Professional x64 (64 bit): 512 GB
Windows 8 Enterprise x64 (64 bit): 512 GBWindows 10
Windows 10 Home x86 (32 bit): 4 GB
Windows 10 Home x64 (64 bit): 128 GB
Windows 10 Pro x86 (32 bit): 4 GB
Windows 10 Pro x64 (64 bit): 512 GB
As you can see, 64-bit editions support a huge amount of RAM, but in the case of the 32-bit version you need to be careful with the choice: often the system does not support even the specified 4 GB.
Bottom line: The maximum amount of RAM that the 32-bit versions of Windows are able to “see” is 4 GB. Thus, if you have more RAM, you must install the 64-bit version to take advantage of this memory. In order to find out which version of Windows is installed on your computer, open the “System” item in the control panel (or right-click on “My Computer” and select “Properties”).
Good day.
Today's article is devoted to RAM, or rather, to its amount on our computers (RAM is often reduced - RAM). RAM plays a big role in computer operation, if there is not enough memory - the PC starts to slow down, games and applications are reluctant to open, the picture on the monitor starts to “twitch”, the load on the hard drive increases. In the article, we just dwell on issues related to memory: its types, how much memory is needed, what it affects.
How to find out the amount of RAM?
1) The easiest way to do this is to go to “my computer” and right-click anywhere in the window. Next, select "properties" in the explorer context menu. You can also open the control panel, enter “system” in the search bar. See the screenshot below.
The amount of RAM is indicated next to the performance index, under the processor information.
4GB - the amount of RAM. The bigger, the better. But do not forget that if the processor in the system is not so powerful, then there is no point in putting a large amount of RAM. In general, the slats can be of completely different volumes: from 1GB to 32 or more. For volume see below.
1600Mhz PC3-12800 - Operating frequency (bandwidth). This plate will help to figure out this indicator:
DDR3 Modules |
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Title | Bus frequency | Throughput |
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As can be seen from the table, the throughput of such RAM is 12800 mb / s. Not the fastest to date, but as practice shows, for the speed of the computer the volume of this memory is much more important.
The amount of RAM on the computer
1 GB - 2 GB
Today, this amount of RAM can only be used on office computers: for editing documents, browsing the Internet, mail. Running games with such RAM is, of course, possible, but only the simplest.
By the way, with such a volume you can install Windows 7, it will work fine. True, if you open the heels of documents, the system may begin to “think”: it will not react so sharply and eagerly to your commands, the picture on the screen may begin to “twitch” (especially when it comes to games).
Also, if there is not enough RAM, the computer will use: some of the information from the RAM that is not currently in use will be written to the hard drive, and then, as necessary, read from it. Obviously, in this situation, an increased load on the hard disk will occur, and it can also greatly affect the user's speed.
4 GB
The most popular amount of RAM lately. On many modern PCs and laptops running Windows 7/8 put 4 GB of memory. This volume is enough for normal work with office applications, it will allow you to run almost all modern games (albeit not at maximum settings), watch HD video.
8 GB
This amount of memory is becoming more and more popular every day. It allows you to open dozens of applications, while the computer behaves very “smartly”. In addition, with this amount of memory, you can run many modern games at high settings.
However, it is worth noting right away. That such a amount of memory will be justified if you have a powerful processor installed in your system: Core i7 or Phenom II X4. Then he will be able to use the memory one hundred percent - and you won’t have to use the swap file at all, thereby increasing the speed of work at times. In addition, the load on the hard drive is reduced, power consumption is reduced (relevant for a laptop).
By the way, the opposite rule applies here: if you have a budget option, then putting 8 GB of memory makes no sense. Simply, the processor will process a certain amount of RAM, say 3-4 GB, and the rest of the memory will not add absolutely no speed to your computer.
is not as acute as before, today it still excites many users. Recently, even the cheapest computers have at least 4 GB of memory - an amount that once seemed unthinkable, but is now the de facto standard. Despite this, many are wondering: is this enough? Will the computer speed up the additional memory, or will there be no special effect?
There is undoubtedly a difference between 4, 8, 16 and more gigabytes of RAM, but for the mass user, the connection between the amount of installed memory and PC performance remains slightly blurred. In this article I will try to shed light on this question and briefly answer what is the optimal amount of RAM and whether it makes sense to install additional RAM modules.
What is Random Access Memory (RAM)?
Although computers have long become commonplace, many people still confuse the concepts of "operational" and "local" memory. The misconception often comes from the fact that both types of memory are measured in the same units - most recently in gigabytes (GB). Contrary to the fact that both operational and local memory are used to store information, they differ in terms of data retention. Random access memory is usually several times faster than local memory and is used for temporary storage of data. After turning off the computer, all the data stored in it disappears without a trace. In local memory (hard drives and SSD devices), information is stored regardless of whether the computer is turned on or off. That is why random access memory is usually defined as volatile, and local memory as non-volatile.
How much memory does a PC need?
For a long time, Bill Gates is credited with the phrase "640 KB of memory is enough for everything." Ultimately, Gates himself made an official statement, saying that he was not the author of this statement, which he called pure stupidity.
However, in the early 80s of the last century, this did not sound so comical, because volumes of about 100-200 MB were considered huge. Today, even the cheapest computer systems have 2-4 GB of RAM, and the local space for storing information is measured in terabytes.
Basic configurations have from 4 to 8 GB of RAM, and high-end models (multimedia or gaming) offer 12-16, sometimes 32 (or more) GB of RAM. So how much can be called "optimal"? Unfortunately, to give an exact answer, expressed in a specific figure, is very difficult, since the optimal amount depends on the tasks for which you use a computer. For example, on a Windows PC, only the operating system itself may require more than one gigabyte for its system libraries. If you use an antivirus program, then this is another 30-200 megabytes in the background, depending on the specific product. Most web browsers, office applications and multimedia players require 100-800 MB or more memory. If you run them at the same time (i.e., use Windows for its intended purpose - multitasking), these volumes become cumulative - the more programs are running, the higher the RAM consumption.
Champions in the consumption of RAM are video games. Popular titles like Call of Duty can easily swallow 4-5 GB of memory.
Most modern laptops use integrated graphics, which is also a consumer of RAM. The video cores integrated into the processor do not have their own memory (unlike discrete solutions) and “eat up” part of the available RAM. Therefore, if your laptop is equipped with specifications of 4 GB of RAM and integrated graphics, Windows will inform you that only 3.9 GB (or less) of memory is available to you.
Other considerations
The optimal amount of RAM has a software (perhaps, it would be more correct to say the system) aspect. Older versions of the operating system use the 32-bit memory addressing method. Currently, it is already outdated and goes back to the times when volumes of more than 4 GB of RAM seemed unthinkable. This is why 32-bit versions of Windows simply cannot use more than 4 GB of RAM. Even if you have more memory, the 32-bit operating system will insist that you have only 4 GB (although usually even less - 3-3.5 GB) of RAM. To make full use of volumes over 4 gigs, you will need 64-bit Windows.
Another interesting issue related to memory concerns the RAM filling rate, as well as what will happen if all available memory is exhausted.
If the system tool "Task Manager" shows that the entire amount of memory is almost completely exhausted, i.e. all running processes occupy 70-80% or even more RAM, this is not a cause for concern. Microsoft has long since seriously changed its philosophy in relation to memory management, and therefore, starting with Windows Vista, the company considers unused RAM to be “bad RAM”.
Since RAM is many times faster than any hard or even solid-state drive, Microsoft decided that it would be better if Windows keeps as many commonly used user modules and applications as possible constantly loaded into system RAM. Due to this, when accessing them again, the system reacts much faster than when it has to read them from the local disk again and again.
This is the essence of SuperFetch technology, which has been developing since Vista. The introduction of this concept points to one important conclusion - the more RAM available to modern versions of Windows, the better (faster) they work. Of course, we are not talking about exponential growth - the biggest difference will be when jumping from 2 to 4 GB of RAM. With each subsequent doubling - 4 to 8 GB, 8 to 16 and so on, the impact on the overall system performance will decrease. However, if you regularly work with heavy programs, keep dozens of open tabs in your browser and play actively, then the principle of choosing the optimal amount of memory comes down to one simple thing: the more, the better.
If at some point the available memory is exhausted, Windows will not stop working. In such cases, the operating system relies on the so-called. For this purpose, the area allocated on the local disk is used and Windows writes all the data from RAM that is not currently in use, and at the request of the user it reads it again using the resources of the local disk. Since local memory is slower than RAM chips, the process of reading data from a disk takes much longer, during which the computer can noticeably “slow down”. If the system regularly accesses virtual memory, this is a sure sign that it is time to consider expanding the RAM.
Have a great day!
