How to know what kind of RAM we need in our PC

[Inkriql]

The amount of RAM in the market is overwhelming, where if we add the variable of the types that have been going through the market, then we can literally go crazy. Luckily, if we want to know what kind of RAM we need for our PC, whether to expand or replace modules, there is a simple way to be 100% sure that we know which one is right.

Finding the type of RAM specific to our PC is sometimes a complicated task. And it is based on the fact that the controller that manages it for more than a decade that is no longer part of the motherboard as before, but is part of the processor.

Although the motherboard still has the physical RAM slots, the type of memory supported will always be determined by the memory controller or IMC (Integrated Memory Controller). In fact, there are motherboards that support various types of RAM, and this is because the IMC can support more than one type of RAM.

Therefore, to know what kind of memory we need, at present we must resort to looking at the specifications of our processor, where in them we will have all the data with a simple search in our browser.

Once we know the type of RAM we need, we will have to pay attention to the frequency. This is known (erroneously) as speed and is also specified by the IMC and should be next to the characteristics of the RAM.

RAM speed

It is true that this speed can be increased, but then we would be talking about overclock, since any value outside the specifications is considered as such.

The last step is therefore to verify that our motherboard supports the type and speed specified by the processor manufacturer (Intel or AMD), where as a rule we could see higher values in terms of speed.

RAM speed motherboard

These values remain under overclock, where all they indicate is that the manufacturer of the board guarantees its operation.
We must differentiate between the frequency of the BMI and the support of the motherboard

This does not mean that our BMI can withstand it, do not confuse these terms, since in most cases it usually requires an increase in voltage and thus an increase in the temperature of the processor.

Another important issue is the voltage of the RAM because of the type of memory to choose, since a laptop memory (SO-DIMM) is not the same as a desktop RAM (DIMM).

A common minimum voltage is always set on the desktop, but on laptops there are some types of systems (such as Intel NUC) that require low voltage memories, so this data must also be taken into account in the specifications of the motherboard or of the team in question.

Once we have the type of memory, the frequency of the memory and the support of the board endorse it, we can start up to find and buy the RAM model we want