If you know your laptop has open RAM slots like our Acer E 15, it’s time to hit the store. There are two types of RAM used in laptops produced in the last two years and only one offers an. Many Laptops come with 1 soldered in RAM Module, often 4 GB and one socket for extra RAM, that usually limits max RAM to 12 GB (4 GB + 8 GB) rather than 16 GB and reverts to single channel mode. What you appear to have is 1 GB soldered in RAM that will be in single channel mode. That there is no actual socket for extra RAM does not matter.

When a user wants to add or upgrade memory (RAM) in a computer, they need to know how many memory slots are available. The following section helps you to determine the number of memory slots in your computer, and how many are used.

Windows Task Manager

The easiest solution for Windows users is to open the Windows Task Manager.

Press the Windows key, type Task Manager, and then press Enter.
In the window that appears, click the Performance tab (A), then select Memory (B).
In the lower-right corner, the number of slots is displayed in the Slots used: section (C).

As you can see, this computer has a total of four memory slots, although only two are currently being utilized.

Use the CPU-Z utility

Another way to get information about memory slots and details about the RAM currently installed on your computer, is to use the free CPU-Z third-party utility.

Open an Internet browser and visit the CPUID website.
On the left side of the screen, select your operating system.

On the next page, select your preferred language.

On the next screen, click the DOWNLOAD NOW! button.

Once the download has finished, install it from your browser and open the program.

Click the SPD tab at the top of the screen, and then click the down arrow in the Memory Slot Selection section.

As you can see in the image above, all of the memory slots are listed on the drop-down menu.

Tip

If you select a different slot from the drop-down menu, CPU-Z will tell you additional information about the RAM that is installed.

Examine the motherboard

Sometimes the best way to determine the available memory slots is to open the computer and examine the motherboard. Opening the computer is the best option if were unable to get the Windows Task Manager or CPU-Z to work.

Looking inside the case, the motherboard is the primary large circuit board. On most motherboards, the memory slots are on either side of the CPU, and resemble what is shown below.

Most computer motherboards have two, three, or four memory slots. Some higher-end motherboards have as many as eight. The above motherboard picture above has no memory modules installed in any of its three slots.

Note

If your computer has no memory slots available and you want to upgrade, you must remove and replace some of the existing memory.

Additional information

See our memory definition for further information and related links.

A memory slot, memory socket, or RAM slot allows RAM (computer memory) to be inserted into the computer. Most motherboards have two to four memory slots, which determine the type of RAM used with the computer. The most common RAM types are SDRAM and DDR for desktop computers and SODIMM for laptop computers, each having various types and speeds. The picture below is an example of what memory slots may look like inside a desktop computer. In this picture, there are three open and available slots for three memory sticks.

When buying a new computer or motherboard, pay close attention to the types of RAM the memory slots can accept. Make sure you know exactly the type of RAM to buy for your computer. It is also important to note how many available memory slots are available in your computer. It is not uncommon for computers to have all memory slots occupied. If all slots are full and you want to upgrade the computer memory, you need to remove some or all of the existing memory.

Why are the memory slots different colors?

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When a motherboard has different colored memory slots, it indicates the memory slots are dual-channel, and pairs of memory should be installed on the same channel (color). For example, a motherboard could have two yellow and two black memory slots. The yellow memory slots could indicate Channel A and Channel B could be indicated by the black slots. If you were only installing two memory sticks, you'd want to install both of them in Channel A (yellow slots) for optimal performance.

Memory Slots Ram

Memory module, Memory terms