There always has been a fascination with the amount of RAM your PC should be running on. If you have never boasted before your friends regarding the RAM under the hood of your system, you have missed half the fun.
With an unending thirst for RAM, the question generally arises whether you can use external RAM for your Laptop or not. Well, it’s time to answer the question that’s been driving your sleep away and bring some peace into your mind.
What Is RAM and External RAM?
RAM aka Random Access Memory is one of the building blocks of a PC. RAM stores data temporarily for your computer to run smoothly. It’s like your distant friend’s house you visit to get some work done and leave afterward. The amount of RAM present in your PC determines the system’s processing power.
Now that you have heard about external storage, chances are there might be an existence of external RAM too. In simple terms, an external RAM would be a kind of RAM you can hook up to your Laptop via USB or a similar procedure. This will offer you an instant boost and performance without getting into the Laptop’s hardware.
Can I Hookup My Laptop With An External RAM?
It’s time to answer the much-awaited question. So can you use external RAM for your Laptop?
The answer is no. Unfortunately, there is no such technology now that will allow you to expand the RAM of your Laptop externally. There might be such tech available in the recent future so you can keep your hopes high.
The reason for the tech not being available till now is due to the working mechanism of RAM. As a temporary memory for the PC, RAM has to process data at a blazing fast speed. The RAM has to be placed very close to the motherboard. Having the RAM placed externally might delay its performance, defeating its sole purpose.
How Much RAM Should My Laptop Have?
So how much RAM should your Laptop run on? There was a time when 4 GB of RAM was considered pretty good for most tasks. But with the unending desire for faster data processing, computer programs now consume more RAM than a few years back. This means a mere 4GB of ram won’t be able to offer you a consistent performance even for beginners.
So what’s the go-to RAM as a beginner, casual user, and professionals? Well in terms of RAM, it’s safe the say the sky is the limit. That being said, some limitations won’t allow you to reach your dreams. Noteworthy among those are the price and the compatibility of your Laptop.
Motherboards are designed to be compatible with a certain amount of RAM. For instance, the cheap motherboard you bought for your grandma’s PC might only support RAM up to 4 GB. Besides that, RAM anywhere upwards of 16 GB is pretty expensive for casual PC users. Taking all things under consideration, 8 GB of RAM should be enough to get you through most office tasks and light gaming.
Can I Upgrade Internal RAM On My Laptop?
Now that it’s clear that you can’t have external RAM for your Laptop, how about an internal one. Can you install internal RAM on your laptop motherboard? While the answer might have been straightforward for a desktop PC, it depends in terms of a laptop.
The ability to upgrade RAM on a laptop varies with laptop brands and models. MAC is well known for keeping their parts in-house and thus limits you from upgrading the RAM. On the other hand, Windows laptops are generous in this case, as many of the windows laptop models offer slots for additional RAM.
One way to find out if your Laptop comes with an upgraded RAM option is to check the manufacturer’s website. You can also take the Laptop to a service center or watch some DIY videos to find out and upgrade the internal RAM on your Laptop.
Conclusion
With the emergence of external storage as well as external GPU, it’s not unusual to look for external RAM as well. But as all good things take time, you might have to wait a few more years for the technology to come to life. Until then, you should look for upgrading the internal RAM of your Laptop or pick a laptop with an adequate amount of RAM to meet your daily requirements.