These days most laptops and many desktops come with a standard 4 Gigabytes of RAM already installed. And for a “light” user, this may be more than enough. But for the average user today 4GB may lack the needed oomph to have a lag-free experience.  Especially is this the case when one is working in a fast-paced, high-demand setting while multitasking between many applications at a time. Then, 8GB of RAM would be ideal. 

If that describes you, then an upgrade might just be the solution you’re looking for! After a RAM upgrade, many users experience faster, smoother running of their programs, web browsers, networks, and games. That’s because adding more RAM to your system enables you to run more programs simultaneously and have backup memory in store for those RAM-hungry programs (like Google Chrome, Photoshop, gaming platforms etc). 

Unfortunately, upgrading your RAM is a little bit more complicated than just buying a new module and installing it. There are a few crucial things to consider, such as how much RAM is currently installed, your motherboard or laptop model, your current Operating System, DDR version, available slots, and the maximum RAM size and speed supported, and required voltage. 

Some of these specs can be found in your computer’s System info (and Task Manager for Windows 10). There are also free apps that can tell you what you need to know, like Crystal Disk Info, CPU-Z and others.