Does Any RAM Work With Any Motherboard?
So many people are confused about whether their RAM is going to work with any of their motherboards. This comes down majorly to you knowing the specifications of your PC which is why it is going to vary for every user. This is why we are going to help you in this guide where we tell you if you can use any RAM with the Motherboard that you have.
Make sure to stick to the end of this guide to know which RAM is going to comply with your motherboard. If you stick in the wrong RAM then there could be problems that arrive within the Motherboard. That is something you wouldn’t want. This is why we bring you this guide.
Most Important Factors
When considering the compatibility of the motherboard with your RAM, here are the five most important things which you need to keep in mind:
1. DDR Generation
The first thing that you’ll need to keep in mind is that DDR, DDR2, DDR3, and DDR4 are four different types of RAM that aren’t interchangeable with each other. This is why they need to have the compliant motherboard with them in order to work the right way. If you’re building a new computer using a new motherboard then you’ll need DDR4 RAM.
Whereas on the other hand when you use a motherboard that is old or if you’re upgrading your computer then you may need to use the DDR3 RAM which is going to benefit you and work perfectly fine with the Motherboard that you have.
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2. Form Factoring
One thing about desktop motherboards is that they accept dual in-line module (DIMM) RAM and the laptops use small outline dual in-line memory module (SO-DIMM) RAM. DIMMs are longer compared to SO-DIMMs which is why they take up more space.
3. Speed
The RAM Clock speed is measured in MHz, and RAM with a faster clock speed is going to speed up a number of functions on the computer. RAM is usually backward compatible in the sense that it is still going to work on your motherboard even though it might be faster than your dedicated Motherboard.
4. Storage Capacity
Storage capacity is also an important factor while choosing your RAM. Greater storage capacity is going to allow you to multitask between several applications at once where you can manage to run more applications and games while some Motherboards have a limit on the capacity of RAM that they support.
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5. Internal Clearance
RAM modules that have huge heat sinks can get in the way of other internal parts, especially for the cooler of your CPU. Here, you will consider the height of your RAM modules and the size and position of your CPU cooler. This is to decide whether or not they’ll be fitting together.
All these factors are major players on whether you’re going towards a brand new computer or upgrading an older one. From our personal experience, it is better to upgrade to an older computer because if your computer is working properly then you will have the choice to search for your motherboard.
How Much RAM Does Your Motherboard Need?
Whenever you consider the capacity of your RAM, you will need to know the number of RAM slots that are present on your motherboard as well as the total amount of RAM which your motherboard supports.
You can also see how many slots the motherboard has just by searching it up. For this, you will need to get the specifications of the motherboard from your machine’s manufacturer.
A diagnostic tool can also be run on your system to check if your computer is operational or not. The amount of RAM that you’ll be needing differs from the amount your motherboard tends to support. However, you don’t need to max out your RAM. You can begin to start with two RAM modules and then add additional RAM if your computer isn’t functioning well enough.
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There are several activities on your PC such as gaming, image editing, video editing, and documenting files that use a significant amount of power from your PC’s RAM. So how you plan to use your computer is going to play a significant role in how much RAM you will need.
Many users tend to work just fine with 8 GB but if that isn’t enough then you always have 16 GB or even 32 GB for that matter.
Use System Checking Tool for RAM and Motherboard Compatibility
If your computer is operational and you’re also looking to upgrade your RAM then you can run a system checking tool that is going to help you identify what kind of RAM is going to run on your motherboard. For instance, you can get the Crucial System Scanner which is going to help you carry out this function. Here is how:
- Go to the Crucial System Scanner, check the box present next to I agree to the terms and conditions and then continue to begin with your free scan
- When prompted to open the program, you will then click on Open or Run
- Scroll down here on to your results page where you will be seeing the upgrade that is recommended to you. Ignore this and the results of the scan will show you whether you can add more RAM to replace your existing RAM
- You will then continue to scroll until you reach the compatible memory section where every RAM module here is going to work with your motherboard. So don’t need to sweat over this one bit
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Conclusion
So, with whatever we have discussed above, it is quite clear that there will only be a few specific RAMs that are going to work with any motherboard out there. As long as both pieces of tech comply with each other then we’re good to go!
