The standard for computer memory is double data rate (DDR) synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). Today’s DDR memory has evolved through DDR2, DDR3, and now DDR4. We’ll show you four simple and helpful methods that will work in Windows 10/8/7 to determine whether your computer’s RAM is DDR3 or DDR4.
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Things You Should Know About RAM’s Type
- DDR4 RAM is the most popular. It’s DDR SDRAM version 4. (DDR SDRAM). “Double data rate” signifies twice as much data per clock cycle. It doubles memory bandwidth, or how fast data may enter and exit RAM.
- Computers used DDR3 before DDR4. Computers often use DDR3 RAM. DDR4 wasn’t the most prevalent RAM until a few years after its release in late 2014.
How to Check RAM Type Using CPU-Z
CPU-Z is the quickest and most accurate way to determine whether your RAM is DDR3 or DDR4. Operating Systems: Windows 7, 8, and 10 users can access this tool to learn specifics about their hardware, such as the DDR generation of RAM installed.
The first step is to save the utility to your computer and run it from there. To access the memory settings, start it up and select the corresponding tab. Looking at the General tab, you can tell whether the RAM is DDR3 or DDR4.
After determining if the RAM is DDR3 or DDR4, you should verify that the speed of the RAM is within the range supported by your computer.
How to Check RAM Type Using CMD
The Command Prompt is a built-in program in Windows that lets you run programs with specialized syntax. You can use it to see the DDR generation of your computer’s RAM, among other things. System requirements are Windows 7, 8, or 10. The procedures are outlined below.
Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type “cmd” and press Enter.
Step2: Open a command prompt and type wmic memorychip get memorytype.
Step 3: A numerical result is displayed, with each number corresponding to a specific generation of DDR memory.
The value:
- “20” indicates DDR,
- “21” indicates DDR2,
- “24” indicates DDR3,
- “26” indicates DDR4, and
- “0” indicates that the type is not known.
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How to Check RAM Type Using Task Manager
The Task Manager has a feature for discerning whether or not the installed RAM is DDR3 or DDR4; however, this feature is not universally available and is present only in some Windows 8 and Windows 10 builds (not all).
- To access the Memory menu, press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
- The RAM type, DDR3 or DDR4, will then be displayed in the window’s upper right-hand corner.
How to Check RAM Type on Physical RAM
You can also physically check if your computer’s RAM is DDR3 or DDR4 by taking it apart. However, a laptop is not a good candidate because taking it apart is a tedious process. Most RAM sticks have their parameters, such as size, speed, and DDR generation, printed on them, so it’s easy to identify if you have DDR1, DDR2, DDR3, or DDR4 RAM just by taking it apart and looking at the specifications.
Additionally, RAM sticks from various DDR generations have slightly varying physical appearances. You can use the differences between DDR, DDR2, DDR3, and DDR4 RAM sticks, as listed in the table below, to tell the difference between the generations.
