How to know if I can expand the ram memory of my pc

This article on how to know if I can expand the RAM memory of my PC is aimed at those users who do not have extensive knowledge of hardware or have doubts about whether their desktop or laptop computer allows them to expand RAM memory. So that's why we will give you all the keys about this matter, in the most practical way possible.

Index of contents

And it is that even the most experienced can sometimes have doubts about the expansion of RAM memory and also about the maximum speed that it will allow us to install, although for this last matter we already have an article where we explain in detail how to proceed.

What determines the amount of memory on a PC

Well, it is three elements that will determine the capacity and speed of a PC's RAM memory. The motherboard, along with its chipset, the CPU you have installed and the operating system. In fact, we have interesting news regarding the 9th generation of Intel processors as we will see later.

Processor limits

The first limit is established by our PC's own processor. This is because within the current processors it is located in the north bridge, and consequently the RAM memory controller. We already know that a 32-bit processor is only capable of addressing 4 GB of RAM, but 64-bit processors theoretically address up to 16 Exabytes.

Let's leave such large quantities behind because currently modules are limited to 16GB and newer ones to 32GB. So far from the astronomical figures, the LANES of a processor will be able to support a maximum of 128 GB of RAM for desktop computers to act. Be careful, we are talking about desktop, because server processors like the Intel XEON W-3175X on socket LGA 3647 are capable of supporting up to 512 GB of RAM with its 48 LANES.

As a summary, we are going to list the current processors and the amount of memory they support:

Model / family	Amount of memory	Channel settings
Intel Pentium Gold	16/32/64 GB	2 channels
Intel Celeron G	8/64 GB	2 channels
Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 (6th and 7th generation)	64 GB	2 channels
Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 (8th generation)	64 GB	2 channels
Intel Core i5 / i7 Vpro	128 GB	2 channels
Intel Core i3 (9th generation)	64 GB	2 channels
Intel Core i5 / i9 (9th generation and some 8th)	128 GB	2 channels
Intel Core i7 / i9 X and XE	128 GB	4 channels
Intel XEON E-2000	64 GB	2 channels
Intel XEON W-3000x	512 GB	4 channels
Intel XEON W-3000x	512 GB	6 channels
AMD FX	16 GB	2 channels
AMD Athlon	32 GB	2 channels
AMD Ryzen 3/5/7	64 GB	2 channels
AMD Ryzen Threadripper	128 Gb	4 channels
Laptops
Intel Core M	16 GB	2 channels
Intel Core H and HK 9th generation	128 GB	2 channels
Intel Core H and HQ 8th generation	32/64 GB	2 channels

Change processor and know what generation it is

Motherboard limits

The second limit is established by the motherboard itself and its chipset. As we know, the motherboard is the place where the main components of the computer, CPU and RAM are installed. It is true that currently it is the processor itself that has the north bridge integrated, so the RAM has a direct bus with it.

What happens then is that the BIOS is in charge of controlling the speed of RAM, not directly the amount of it, but its JEDEC profile, and although it is not the main point of the article, it will also be important for us to know.

The actual limit of the motherboard is interposed by the DIMM slots that have the motherboards installed. Until now, each DIMM slot officially supported a total of 16 GB of RAM (although high-performance boards have been shown to be capable of addressing 32 GB without problems). Newer models supporting 9th generation processors are capable of housing 32GB modules.

Let's take a closer look at the types of motherboards and their current limit:

Size	DIMM slots	GB quantity
Mini ITX	two	32GB DDR4
Micro-ATX	two	32/64 GB DDR4
ATX	4	64/128 GB DDR4
EATX	8	128GB DDR4
Laptops	2/4 SO-DIMM	32/64/128 GB

Operating system limits

The last limit is established by the operating system that we have installed. We have already anticipated that, if it is a 32-bit operating system, the limit will be 4 GB of RAM, nothing beyond that, even if we have more installed.

In the case of the 64-bit operating system, specifically Windows 10, it will support a total of 128 GB in its Home version, while in the Pro version it will be 512 GB. Windows Server ranges from 32GB to 24TB. For its part, Linux is capable of supporting between 1 TB and 256 TB of memory.

Well here we have already established the main limits in terms of expansion of RAM memory including the most used laptops and family of processors. Now it's time to see in a practical way how to know if I can expand the RAM of my PC.

Ways to see if I can expand RAM

We have several ways to know if our PC supports a memory expansion, so let's see how. Everything is based on them, knowing the brand and model of the motherboard and processor.

Inspection of our hardware

It is surely the most uncomfortable way to do it, although it will undoubtedly be the fastest if we have a PC disassembled by parts and without the possibility of starting it immediately.

What we will have to do is inspect the motherboard for its brand and model. In addition, we will see how many RAM memory slots it has installed, although they surely do not put the amount they allow. In any case, we will know first of all that it will support 8 GB for each slot if they are DDR3, and 16 GB if they are DDR4. Although the newest and most powerful support up to 32 GB for each DDR4 DIMM slot.

We recommend going to our beloved browser to answer any questions and place the information we have obtained. Here there are no tricks or hidden paths, it is the best way to know this information. Example: Asus PRIME Z270-P

We must always look for the information about the memory, here we will see the maximum capacity and the speed it supports. Very easy, because almost all manufacturers provide this information in the same way as that shown in the specifications section.

But of course, at this point we will also have to see what processor we have installed, since it may be that the memory limit is lower than that of the motherboard. It is not common, but in the new generations we see that the models oscillate between 64 and 128 bits, so it is worth being completely sure.

In such a case, we will do exactly the same, we will take the brand and model of the CPU and we will go to our browser, manufacturer's page or the table that we have left above. Example: Intel Core i5-6500.

As simple as looking at its specifications.

Keep in mind that in AMD processors, the manufacturer does not provide information on the maximum amount of memory to install, so we must look at the motherboard or the table that we have left above.

With CPU-Z software

CPU-Z will be our best ally, a simple free software that gives us very complete information about the hardware of our equipment, and with which we can verify the make and model of the CPU and motherboard.

In addition, we can see how many expansion slots we have available and occupied and for what amount of RAM memory. Let's see how to do this by obtaining the same components from the previous case.

In this first window, as soon as the program is started, we obtain the complete information of the CPU. We already know from the model that it is a 6th generation processor, so according to the table the maximum memory will be 64 GB, but let's continue extracting information.

In the Mainboard section we will know what our motherboard is, and the chipset it has installed. In this section no specific information is provided from the report, so it is necessary to go to the web to obtain it. Let's keep going. In the Memory section we will be able to know the amount of memory that is installed in our PC, but this does not interest us to know if I can expand the RAM memory of my PC.

We like this more, in the SPD section we have all the slots available on our motherboard. Being a motherboard with a chipset for 6th generation processors, we will know that each DIMM slot supports 16 GB, which makes a total of 64 GB.

In addition, we are shown information about the module that is installed in the second slot, which is 8 GB of the G.Skill brand at 2133 MHz. In any case, we can see that the maximum available RAM is not shown anywhere, so That is why we have bothered to create the summary table of the first section.

But it is always recommended to use the Internet and the manufacturers' websites, our best and most reliable ally.

Conclusion and interesting links

If something has become clear to us about knowing if I can expand the RAM of the PC, it is that almost on any occasion we will have to resort to the website of the manufacturers of the motherboard and CPU to be completely sure of the information. In the tables we have generalized for the most used models, and types of plates, but it is not a universal rule.

We leave you some article links that you will surely find interesting:

And you already know friends, if you have any problem, or even if you know a faster way to know the maximum memory supported, leave it in the comments and we will add it to the article. It is always good to learn.