Memory upgrades · Desktops and laptops
RAM and memory upgrades
Memory is the cheapest upgrade that produces a change you can actually feel, and the one most often bought in the wrong specification. Boards accept particular types, particular speeds, and particular arrangements, and memory that does not match either will not run or will not run properly.
Section 01 / Compatibility
Why memory is so easy to buy wrong
Memory looks interchangeable and is not. Four things have to match the machine it is going into, and getting any of them wrong produces a computer that will not start.
The type has to match the board
Successive memory generations are not compatible with each other and are physically keyed so they cannot be fitted into the wrong board. A board takes one generation and only that one. This is the most common mistake on self-bought memory, and the modules are usually non-returnable once opened.
Desktop and laptop modules are different
Laptops use a physically shorter module than desktops. They are not interchangeable, and a listing that does not state which it is will catch people out. Small form factor and all-in-one desktops frequently use the laptop size too, which surprises people who assume a desktop takes desktop memory.
Speed, and what the board will actually run
A board supports a range of speeds and will run faster memory at a slower rate, so paying for speed the machine cannot use gets you nothing. Faster memory also often needs a setting enabled to reach its rated speed at all, which is why people fit an expensive kit and measure no improvement.
Slots and matched pairs
Memory runs meaningfully faster in matched pairs in the correct slots, and the correct slots are usually not the two next to each other. Adding a single module to an existing pair, or mixing kits bought at different times, is a well-known cause of instability that shows up as random crashes weeks later.
Section 02 / Situations
When more memory is the answer
And when the machine is telling you something else is wrong.
Section 03 / Machines
What can take a memory upgrade
Section 04 / Questions
Before you book
How much memory do I actually need?
Enough that the machine stops running out during what you actually do with it, which is measurable rather than a matter of opinion. Buying well past that point costs money and changes nothing, because unused memory does not make a computer faster. The measurement tells you where your line is.
Can I just add one module to what is already in there?
Sometimes, but it is the most common cause of instability I see from self-fitted memory. Memory runs best in matched pairs, and mixing modules bought at different times often produces crashes that appear weeks later and look like a completely unrelated fault. If you want the machine reliable, matched is worth doing.
I fitted memory and now the computer will not start at all.
Very common and almost never damage. It is usually the wrong type for the board, modules in the wrong slots, or one not fully seated, and they take more force than people expect. All three are quick to sort out, and the machine is fine.
Can my laptop's memory be upgraded?
Often yes, despite the common assumption. Plenty of laptops have accessible memory slots. Thin models and modern MacBooks solder it down and cannot be upgraded at all. Which one yours is takes a single check, and it is worth doing before writing the machine off.
Will more memory fix a slow computer?
It depends on why it is slow. If it bogs down once several things are open, memory is very likely the answer. If it is slow from the moment it starts, including just opening a folder, storage is the more likely cause and an SSD will change far more than memory would.
Book
Get the right memory the first time.
Send your machine's model and you can have the correct specification quickly. Fitted, then tested for stability before it goes back. One year warranty on the work.