How much RAM do you need in a laptop? Here’s how to figure it out

Determining the specs for a fresh laptop (or a laptop upgrade) can be a delicate balancing act. You want to employ ample so you won’t be miserable in the future, but now no longer so much that you don’t make use of all the hardware you obtain.

Reminiscence (or RAM) is the greatest example of this. Your PC makes use of RAM to maintain data temporarily: When you’re opening applications, working on large information in Photoshop, or even juggling dozens and dozens of browser tabs, that data is being stored in the machine reminiscence, now no longer on your SSD or HDD. The extra reminiscence-intensive tasks you do, the extra RAM you may peaceful have. It’ll protect your laptop feeling fast and responsive.

Many laptop purchasers know this, but now no longer exactly how much to obtain. So we’ve damaged down what to question from normal RAM configurations, plus some strategies at the finish for purchase strategies.

Additional reading: The handiest laptops we’ve tested

Is 2GB of RAM just correct for a laptop?

For contemporary Windows computers, 2GB of RAM will really feel gradual. You won’t be able to sprint many programs simultaneously, much much less have extra than a few browser tabs inaugurate at one time. These days, most Windows laptops arrive with 4GB as the baseline configuration, and for just correct reason.

(As for Apple laptops, they’ve lengthy left even 4GB RAM behind as a baseline.)

If for some reason you come upon a laptop with handiest 2GB RAM—perhaps an older funds mannequin being equipped secondhand—it’s handiest priceless if you can immediately upgrade it to 4GB RAM or extra. That means the laptop may peaceful have user-accessible SODIMM slots, ideally with one unpopulated so you can immediately tumble in another module.

For Chromebooks, 2GB of RAM will peaceful limit the desire of browser tabs you can have inaugurate, but that amount is liveable. We advise you aquire a mannequin with expandable reminiscence (user-accessible SODIMM slots) so you can upgrade down the road.

Is 4GB RAM ample for a laptop?

Worth range purchasers can start with 4GB of RAM for a Windows laptop. Combined with an SSD for storage, you’ll obtain a responsive PC that handles the basics easily—e.g., having a few low-intensity programs plus a handful of browser tabs inaugurate all at the same. When doable, search for laptop items that have user-accessible RAM that can be upgraded. You can start with 4GB as your funds configuration then add extra reminiscence later as needed.

Chromebooks with 4GB RAM may peaceful handle a decent desire of browser tabs easily, so when faced with the desire of extra reminiscence or a faster storage power (i.e., an SSD instead of eMMC storage), pick the faster storage power. It’ll make the ChromeOS experience smoother overall.

How much is 4GB of reminiscence on a laptop?

A laptop with fair 4GB of reminiscence may peaceful value beneath $300 in today’s pricing. The Acer Aspire 3, our favorite laptop beneath $500, comes with 8GB of reminiscence despite costing fair $260.

Is 8GB RAM just correct in a laptop?

Most folk with a moderate funds ($400 or extra) for a laptop may peaceful aim for at least 8GB RAM. We generally indicate this amount of reminiscence for many folks doing administrative center work and various basic tasks, as effectively as gamers—especially if you’re looking at a mannequin with soldered RAM and can’t upgrade it later. You may peaceful have ample capacity to comfortably watch you thru the machine’s lifetime.

As for Chromebooks, you typically handiest watch 8GB RAM on the extra luxe items. It’s now no longer strictly necessary, but it will make a contribution to a highly responsive experience overall, as the various parts in such methods tend to be on par with similar Windows laptops. The same applies for items with 16GB RAM, too.

For folk doing administrative center work or gaming, 16GB of reminiscence can be a hedge against future needs. Maybe you create straightforward spreadsheets in Excel now, but later you’ll be working on complex documents overflowing with data. Or perhaps you strictly play games at the moment, putting most of the load on your discrete GPU’s VRAM, but later may also juggle various programs and tons of browser tabs in the background. In laptops where you can’t later upgrade the reminiscence, you’ll be extra future-proofed.

However, for swear material creators (and folks that protect dozens and dozens of tabs inaugurate in extra than one browsers) 16GB is a starting place. Renders can gobble up reminiscence, for example. If you anticipate that you may need extra RAM down the road, search for laptop items that enhance user-serviced upgrades.

Additional reading: The handiest gaming laptops we’ve tested

32GB and up

Of us considering extra than 16GB of RAM may peaceful be actively using programs known for gobbling up machine reminiscence or requiring it for optimal performance—for example, video editors working on time-sensitive initiatives. Many professionals would regularly rather pay extra cash if it cuts down on the time it takes to finish tasks.

However what about high-finish gamers, you ask? Whereas some top-of-the-line gaming laptops arrive with 32GB of reminiscence, that amount has little to do with gaming needs. The cynical may call it a way to explain dear configurations; or you may watch it as the laptop maker maximizing the specs across the board to create a bleeding-edge vibe.

RAM configuration strategies

Original laptops

When figuring out how much RAM to purchase for a fresh laptop, find out if the mannequin(s) you’re looking at allow user upgrades. Laptops can arrive with soldered reminiscence, which means it’s mounted to the motherboard and can’t be upgraded, or they can count on SODIMMs, which can be inserted and eliminated similar to desktop RAM.

If a laptop’s reminiscence is soldered on, resolve an amount that you think will watch you thru the machine’s lifetime. For example, if you anticipate doing extra RAM-intensive tasks in the future, pony up for 16GB now. It shall be cheaper than replacing your laptop sooner than anticipated.

If a laptop’s reminiscence is user upgradable, you can hedge by choosing the lowest amount of RAM needed for your latest workloads, and waiting to add extra. For example, you can start off with 4GB RAM in a funds laptop then later upgrade to 8GB, saving you some money at the outset.

One indicate for gamers: If you sprint games on a laptop that depends entirely on integrated graphics for output (e.g., Intel’s UHD or Iris Xe graphics, or AMD Radeon Graphics), you may want to increase its amount of machine reminiscence. Integrated graphics use RAM for storing image data from games as you play, which can decrease the amount available to various programs adore internet browsers or capture software.

Take a look at out our roundups of the handiest laptops and handiest gaming laptops for expert recommendations across all imprint ranges.

Laptop upgrades

For older laptops capable of RAM upgrades, first determine how much RAM is already in your machine. If the amount matches your use case (as described above), bear in mind a various upgrade instead—for example, if your machine has a hard disk power instead of an SSD, change that out first sooner than adding extra RAM.

If you think you can benefit from extra RAM, examine first what SODIMMs are already installed. Is it a single stick? You can aquire a 2nd one with matching specs and pop it in for each a capacity bump and a faster dual-channel configuration. If each slots are already populated, you may peaceful then aquire a larger capacity station to replace each sticks. Follow our manual on upgrading RAM to make this activity plus installation a wander.

Author: Alaina Yee, Senior Editor