Do you feel that your laptop should be faster? Adding working (RAM) memory is one of the easiest ways to speed up your laptop without any additional software. While many assume that it is the extremely complex task, it is actually quite easy. This is a “step by step” guide that will show you How to add more RAM to the laptop.
Find out whether your laptop needs more RAM memory
The low RAM memory is often the cause of “bottleneck” on your laptop and can lead not only to bad performance, but also to stability problems. If you are an experienced or advanced user, multitasking through several intensive programs, or opening some at least 20 web pages at once – more memory is likely to help your system work better.
To check how much memory the laptop is currently using, click on the “Search” in the Taskbar and find “Task manager”. In the “Performance” tab, click on “Memory” and you find out how much memory is available.
We can see in the picture that there is 1GB of available memory, which means that the laptop is using more than 2/3 of RAM. Also, here you can see how much free slots are available for upgrade.
In order to have more detailed insight on how much memory is used and how much left, click on “Open Resource Monitor” and under “Memory” tab, you will see how much free memory remains, in our case it’s 103MB.
Find the adequate memory
Probably the most difficult part of the upgrade is – how to find and buy the appropriate RAM memory for your laptop. Crucial.com offers very useful tool which will analyze the system and help us to easily find out memory that best fits our device. There are two easy ways to find it out: the first is “Crucial Advisor tool” which helps you to find the appropriate memory by selecting the manufacturer and model of the laptop you use. If you do not know the specifications of your laptop, “Crucial System scanner” will do it for you. Just download the program and run it.
When the scan is completed, you’ll get results with the number of available slots and the maximum amount of memory that can be installed.
Once you have purchased the required memory in the next few steps we will explain how to add RAM memory into a free slot:
Remove the battery.
Turn the laptop – and put it on a flat and clean surface
The first thing you need to do is to remove the battery. Before you start, shut down the laptop not to leave it in sleep mode.
Use special tools to open the RAM box
Use the right tool for opening the laptop, most often it is a set of nine quality screwdrivers with strong magnetic tops. Ground yourself using the ESD wrist strap or other methods to prevent damage of chips from static electricity.
Locate your memory slots
Unscrew the screws on the lid where the memory is and store the cover. Locate your RAM memory, in our case we have two slots, one is free.
From category: Buyer's Guide
Remove the memory if necessary
Grab the memory by the edges and gently pull it out of the cradle. Carefully remove the memory module that is inside. Pull its holders that are located on both sides so that the module tilts upward.
Locate additional RAM
Prepare RAM module that you purchased. Insert the new memory module in slot 2. Align the edge which is notched with the tab inside the memory slot. Insert the RAM module into memory slot, initially at an angle of 45 degrees, until it is placed correctly. Then press down the memory by applying pressure on both sides until it is seated.
Then, insert previously removed old RAM module in slot 1.
Back the cover on its place
Close the cover and re-screw the bolts.
Turn on the laptop and check if the additional RAM memory works properly.