How to find your computer's RAM speed, type and size

 

More of us use computers than ever before, and yet the ins and outs of hardware specifications remain a confusing minefield to many. 
One of the trickiest areas to make sense of can be your computer’s RAM. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by trying to decode what your computer’s stats actually mean, here’s our guide on how to find out your RAM speed, size, type and more.

How to find out your RAM speed, size and type: PC

Step 1

By far the simplest method of finding out the details of your computer’s internal workings is by using Windows’ built-in diagnostics.
If you open the Control Panel and navigate to System and Security, under the system subheading, you should see a link called ‘View amount of RAM and processor speed’.
Clicking on this will bring up some basic specifications for your computer such as memory size, OS type, and processor model and speed.

Step 2

However, it won’t give you any of the more detailed figures, such as the speed of your RAM. If you’re looking for this data, your best bet is to use one of the many third-party programs that can scan your PC to provide you with all the relevant information.
Our favourite is CPUID’s CPU-Z software (downloadable for free here), with a small install size and a comprehensive battery of information. Once you install the program, it’ll perform a quick system scan, and then display all your PC’s information, organised into handy tabs for your convenience.

Step 3

Navigate to the memory tab, and it’ll tell you how many memory slots your PC has, what type (DDR, DDR2, DDR3, etc) and size (in GB) your memory is, and real-time information on the frequency it’s running at. It also contains a detailed breakdown of your memory’s latency and clock speeds, should you require it.

Step 4

As an additional bonus, the software can provide motherboard, BIOS and graphics card info, not to mention a full breakdown of your processor’s name, model, number of cores, speed and cache sizes, acting as a one-stop shop for tech specs.

This makes it especially handy for working out whether your PC is compatible with upgrade components, or powerful enough to run the latest games.

How to find out your RAM speed, size and type: Mac

Step 1

As with everything Apple, the process for finding basic details about your hardware is super-simple: just click the Apple logo, and go to ‘About This Mac’.
An info box will pop up with your Mac’s processor’s name and speed, and the memory size, type and speed.

Step 2

Should you be after the more in-depth specs, a full technical breakdown is available by clicking System Report..., with your memory, processor, hard drive and other components separated into tabs.