Determine Memory Type Without Opening The Computer
With so many different types of RAM these days, purchasing a memory upgrade is not as easy as it used to be. Since there are so many different types, you will want to make sure you know what you need before you place your order. I would like to show you some quick ways that will help you to determine RAM type without even cracking the case.
If you are running Windows you can download a freeware app called System Information for Windows. SIW audits your computer and gives you detailed information about your computer configuration. Although it has a wide variety of uses, it is great for getting information about your memory. SIW is a standalone app so it can run from anywhere on your computer and even from your USB flash drive. To see your memory information, run SIW and click on “Memory” in the left hand menu.
Another way to determine your memory type is to use the Crucial Memory Advisor Tool located at Crucial.com or the Memory Search at Kingston.com. These tools allow you to either search by the computer manufacturer or by your motherboard manufacturer. They also give you additional information like the maximum amount of memory you computer can use or how many memory slots your motherboard has. Even if you don’t want to purchase the memory from these sites, you can still use these tools as a reference to determine what type you need.
If you know of other ways to check memory type or possibly even an easier way please feel free to share your thoughts.
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February 19th, 2007 at 7:23 am
Very usefull
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August 2nd, 2007 at 1:44 am
How about using cpuz, a very nice tool. I even have repackaged it so i can run it directly from my u3 smart drive
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August 2nd, 2007 at 3:52 am
Also try- Create a new txt file on desktop, rename it” anything.nfo- (computername.nfo) open nfo file and there you have all the info about that PC that you need. I do this on any new server I set up and leave it on the desk top. if you add memory or anything- it will update when you open it
D
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August 2nd, 2007 at 9:41 am
That *.nfo file trick is interesting, though it would have been nice to have a little warning about the whole “possibly corrupt file or unrecognized version” warning box that pops up.
Even so, a useful little thing to have.
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September 3rd, 2007 at 4:44 am
You could directly run msinfo32…
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September 28th, 2007 at 7:33 am
Accessories -> System Tools -> System Information. Bing bang.
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David Reply:
May 13th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Haha, awesome! I love how the users always have the best methods, and I love all the other alternatives and work arounds. However, the tool is simple for non-techies as it singles out only the RAM in question. But that’s not me
Thanks guys!
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January 21st, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Great, thanks!
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September 14th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
on Linux,
sudo dmidecode -t 17
To get a nice printout showing how much memory is installed do this (all one line):
sudo dmidecode -t 17 | awk ‘/Size:/ { if ($2!=”No”) memtotal+=$2 } BEGIN { memtotal=0 } END { print “Total memory: “memtotal” MB” }’
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December 26th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
I cannot find to download link of this software. Please show me. I want to get this software.
Thanks
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Casey Reply:
December 27th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
You can get there by clicking on the link entitled “System Information for Windows” in the article or you can go directly to this website. http://www.gtopala.com/
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May 10th, 2010 at 5:59 am
Hi, this is wonderful…wonderful blog. Thanks.
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November 25th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Speccy is one of the better free products these days which allows you to find out a whole host of information about your machine (which having to open it up). It is created by Piriform – the same guys behind CCleaner and Defraggler so I believe it is a reputable program as well.
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December 5th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
I would also recommend CPU-Z. I have used it for quite some time and it is extremely easy to use (even for the computer newcomer).
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January 27th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
How i can know what my memories type i have like 512 RAM DDR2 or SD RAM
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July 14th, 2011 at 12:15 am
How i can know what my memories type i have like 512 RAM DDR2 or SD RAM????
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September 20th, 2011 at 7:19 am
Looks like even though gtopala still lists a freeware version, there is no way to download the freeware version. I have been all over the sites pages that concern SIW and can’t find a freeware download.
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