A Beginners Guide: Upgrading Your PC's RAM

First time upgrading or installing RAM into your PC? You'll be happy to hear the physical removal and installation process is super easy and in this video that is the first thing I go over. When upgrading your RAM or even purchasing RAM for a new PC build there are some things that are important to know and take into consideration. In this video I cover the most important things I've learned over the past 15 years that I've been building PC's for myself, friends and family members to help you upgrade your PC's RAM like a pro. If you follow the tips I share in this video your RAM upgrading, removal and installation adventure will be a smooth and successful one. Thanks for watching and enjoy your new upgrade.
Want to learn more about ESD (electro-static discharge)? The following videos are from one of the most well known and well respected PC Tech reviewers on KZbin, JayzTwoCents. His knowledge and experience are priceless and in these 4 videos he explains what ESD is, why we need to be aware of it and why we don't need to worry about it as much with modern computer hardware. If you're worried about shocking and destroying your computer components Jay not only tells you why you don't need to worry but shows you just how much more robust today's PC components are by doing the things the ESD fear mongers tell you not to do.
JayzTwoCents Will ESD Kill a Computer? - • Will ESD kill a computer?
JayzTwoCents Two Idiots Build a Home Theater PC... ON CARPET! - • Two Idiots Build a Hom...
JayzTwoCents 5 Common PC Myths Explained - • 5 Common PC Myths EXPL...
JayzTwoCents We Built a Computer Wrong on Purpose - • We built a computer wr...
Like my videos? Want to help support the channel? Leave a comment, click the "Like" button, subscribe and share my videos with your friends. You can also purchase items I feature in my videos by shopping at my Amazon store here -
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Wanna skip to a particular part of the video? Use the Time Stamps. :)
Time Stamps
0:00 - intro
0:22 - the first steps
1:33 - how to remove RAM modules
2:03 - how to install RAM modules
2:58 - 2, 4 & 8 DIMM slot motherboards
3:30 - Single Channel or Dual Channel?
4:10 - running your RAM in Dual Channel
4:41 - using 1 stick of RAM only
4:57 - tips for adding more RAM to your system
7:12 - tips for upgrading your RAM
7:40 - determine your RAM type (DDR3, DDR4, DDR5)
8:40 - How much RAM should I buy?
9:01 - What speed of RAM should I buy?
10:00 - check your motherboards memory support list a.k.a. QVL
10:51 - my first PC building experience
11:56 - Thanks for Watching! Like, Share, Comment & Subscribe! :)
Music in this video - "Apolllo" by Patrick Patrikios from the KZbin Creator Studio Music Library

[@Maraksot78]

Wanna skip to a particular part of the video? Use the Time Stamps. :) Time Stamps 0:00 - intro 0:22 - the first steps 1:33 - how to remove RAM modules 2:03 - how to install RAM modules 2:58 - 2, 4 & 8 DIMM slot motherboards 3:30 - Single Channel or Dual Channel? 4:10 - running your RAM in Dual Channel 4:41 - using 1 stick of RAM only 4:57 - tips for adding more RAM to your system 7:12 - tips for upgrading your RAM 7:40 - determine your RAM type (DDR3, DDR4, DDR5) 8:40 - How much RAM should I buy? 9:01 - What speed of RAM should I buy? 10:00 - check your motherboards memory support list a.k.a. QVL 10:51 - my first PC building experience 11:56 - Thanks for Watching! Like, Share, Comment & Subscribe! :)

[@yostokley1673]

okay please see this my mic is not in my audio settings, like it says no devices installed and my mic is plugged in

[@Austin-xm4ke]

once i completely remove my okd ram sticks and in new ones will i have any software i have to download or do they start working right away?

[@Maraksot78]

@@Austin-xm4ke nope, no software to install, but if you want them to run at their rated speed you will have to enable the XMP profile in your motherboard BIOS.

[@Maraksot78]

@@PalaceLad yup, they go in the same way but the latch on the one side is the only one that locks. :)

[@marcodevera8771]

I want to buy the NZXT Starter PC and I want to upgrade and replace the one stick of ram. Do I have to download anything to upgrade it?

[@joellsoares109]

No adds... No clickbait.. Tells you when to skip videos if that iformation is not for you... Subscribed!

[@TAC0MAlowlife]

i like and agree with your comment, but i'm going to be that guy and tell you that it's "ads". add=ADDition ad=ADvertisement

[@lchapo6698]

Ads*

[@SwaggerMcpimpdaddy1]

100% why I liked the vid all I needed was to know how to take them out and he said it right from the beginning what a good guy

[@the-vault-ofheaven44]

I got ads so i dislike your comment

[@Gizs.]

I used 4g ram for a while I noticed it wasn't raming me hard enough so I got 32g it rams me so hard now

[@Im_SSJay]

huhhh😳

[@chokeonthis2932]

looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

[@chokeonthis2932]

@stefan azeem no you don't need to, just take out the old, slot in the new one until it clicks, I have to stress the until it clicks, because I didn't push mine down properly and had problems. After this you're set up and ready to go, I dont know what ram you're getting but if you're computer is still under warranty don't mess with the ram speed, because you'll void your computer warranty.

[@elliswilkins2910]

UHHHHH 😫

[@Rextruh]

Can I just take out my 8gb and put in 32?

[@albertarbelo]

This was the best video to show my mom why she needs to let me upgrade her pc. Thank you.

[@gunslinga5906]

Was actually thinking the same thing bro aha I’m sure she’s rockin 4 g or something

[@bwilk282]

Lol my mom Is On 16gb

[@user-wd1td9ig5w]

@@bwilk282 damn im on 8gb

[@critterchamber]

I think you're aiming at gaming aint you?

[@LilBrownieD]

lol this is my struggle this morning- she dgaf

[@americansun766]

I've been a console guy my whole life MAINLY because whenever I looked at gaming PC's I saw a bunch of numbers, and abbreviations that confused the heck out of me, and I was worried about maintenance and upgrading parts etc. ! Finally took the plunge and got one despite my technical knowledge of a potato. This video helped a LOT!

[@bongwaterbaptist]

Respect. How is it going for you now?

[@teachandfunnstuff3127]

What is the gigabyte ram for? Is it supposed to turn your slow potato monitor to gaming monitor

[@La_Bigmama]

Same! I just subscribed! This was very helpful for someone who transitioned to PC 2 years ago and new nothing. I felt intimidated with specs, numbers. Im still learning, but thanks to this guy, i now know how i am going to upgrade from 16 to 32. This was very helpful!

[@mostunique5941]

I was the same so instead just got a custom made. Told them my budget/ what GPU and CPU I wanted them I let them to the rest or asked friends what to do

[@eggofshell]

I feel this, the only pc i owned in my life was an old ass office dell tower

[@Nibble4B]

you don't install more ram, you download it. *Everybody knows that*

[@Maraksot78]

😂👍

[@kerryangel603]

Is this true

[@Maraksot78]

@@kerryangel603 Downloading RAM? No it's not true. It's an old joke among PC DIYers.

[@kerryangel603]

@@Maraksot78 ohh btw you think you can help me

[@mynameis8211]

@@kerryangel603 I know it's 3 weeks later, but what you looking for help on?

[@darkslayer3342]

i want to upgrade my ram on a pre-built pc, i needed some more information about pc ram (how it works etc) and how you upgrade it. you've basically told everything that i needed to know, thanks!

[@karlabad3457]

Since you have 2 monitors and a pc with lights on it in the background, it automatically means you are an expert on this. I trust you.

[@MrDerpMadChannel]

It is very uncommon to found youtubers that very thoughtful of their viewers, and from this video I could feel your sincerity in sharing your knowledge to your viewers. I had just bought new RAM sticks and actually only looking on steps to replace them but end up watching the video until end. Thank you for your video, and I like your positive attitude! Keep it up and have a good day too!

[@TransSanitizer]

I'm just now starting to learn about PC's since I bought a pre-built a few months ago. This video was extremely helpful. I learned that one of my RAM sticks was not clicked in all the way since I bought it, therefore giving leaving me only on the single channel. I would probably have never known if it wasn't for me watching this. PC runs MUCH smoother now so thanks!

[@maxeisert7466]

Instructional video. However, it is not always so easy to find (years later) a RAM brand & type which was tested by the manufacturer of your motherboard. Also keep in mind that the dimensions of your new RAM can vary with the dimensions of your existing RAM meaning that you must look very carefully to your motherboard layout to make sure the new RAM fits into the slots (and is not obstructed by - for instance - the cooling fan on your processor).

[@HolyBBs]

Thank you for your help! This is my first time installing ram in a pc. I bought a prebuilt that only came with 16gb of ram and I needed just a little more. So I ordered more and your video was perfectly clear and helped me install my new ram! Thank you again! Have a fantastic day!

[@grim2221]

I was looking into upgrading my RAM and had so many questions, watched this and you seemed to have read my mind because you've answered each one! Thank you for the detailed information on how to install and what to look out for without overexplaining. Def subbed!

[@chaldo_mike]

This vid made my decision so much easier. I'm a total newbie and this answered my question in a few minutes but this vid was so concise and informational I couldn't help but fully watch. Thanks for the great tutorial!

[@Maraksot78]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@itsprod.472]

Dude I always get nervous installing GPUs and RAM since I have to apply pressure to it lol

[@mont9150]

I remember one time i try install ram and i have to smash like a baboon just to install it lmao

[@parkouringmidget]

@@mont9150 “Like a baboon” haha that gave me a chuckle

[@Regnier575]

Came back to this as I finally got around to upgrading my ram and everything went smoothly. Thank you for this video

[@euwderamos6148]

Man, got me subscribed for this very first video, actually let's you feel comfortable and confident when it comes to learning things you don't know. Sweet spot!

[@SuperChubbS_NTC]

One of the best instructional videos I’ve ever seen. Well thought out and very organized, answered all my questions as well as some I didn’t even know I had. Thank you

[@Flamedramon212]

Thank you for this video!! First time Ram upgrader and you hit everything I was looking for in understandable terms and everyday knowledge!

[@emiliohorvath203]

Came for the physical installation part alone and got exactly what I needed, thank you good sir

[@ebikedorset]

Very well explained to a relative novice. I knew how to remove RAM but didn't know what to buy to upgrade. I do now!

[@Joel-vm2pk]

Absolutely brilliant, thanks so much for explaining how to choose/upgrade RAM in a way that even I could understand

[@Maraksot78]

You're welcome. Happy to hear the vide was helpful. :)

[@TwinsFun]

Thanks for this video. My pre-built only had one stick, and am looking to add one more.

[@mr.k1tchens920]

This video was helpful, I was wanting to learn everything I needed to know about switching RAM for the first time. this video covered all of my questions and more. Thank you for the lesson my guy.

[@catxls1835]

You can handle computer components or build them on most surfaces. Just remember to stand on rubber/insulator and insulate your work surface then there's no chance of an ESD. Great video once again man!! Very educational for all!!

[@lolatyourface2219]

This was very helpful and easy to follow, thank you for making life easy for a PC newbie 👌🏻

[@gabathor9618]

Amazing! You made it so easy to understand! Keep up the great work!

[@vileytadei]

This was exactly the kind of info that I was looking for, your video is simply perfect.

[@racsonyc7911]

Although, I have read and asked around about swapping out for new ram cards, but this video really made me feel more confident on my process of getting new ram cards. This is video is great and looking forward on watching more when I need help. Thanks!!!

[@fuzzy3932]

This is the exact... I mean exact video I was looking for and need. You hit all the points I wanted. Excellent for a new builder. Thank you very much! Instant sub! Do you have/can you make a vid on the basics of Bios? I’m really worried about going in and messing something up but I want to learn. Need a beginner vid! Thx again. Great content!

[@Mr.NM26]

This is the only video that explains exactly what we need to know about RAM and upgrading it. No cringy jokes no BS. Thank you!

[@CathannSmith]

Thank you for this very informative video, I was going to install my new ram in a few days and I never did it before, you made it seem easy and nothing to worry about.

[@smokedprune7426]

I honestly came here just for the how to put it in and where to put it in but then I just for some reason stayed until the end and am glad I did

[@himearikawa3130]

Thank you! I wasn’t pressing down on it all the way.

[@TraumaTeamRacing]

This was a fantastic tutorial and had everything I needed to know. Well done. Quality content. Subbed💪🏻

[@Maraksot78]

Very happy to hear the video helped you out. Thanks for the compliment and for the sub. Cheers my man. 😀👍🏻

[@TraumaTeamRacing]

​@@Maraksot78 You are very welcome. I sit here very happily with the correct sticks of RAM correctly installed. Thanks again mate!

[@MartinOrkuma]

Thanks for the insight. I salvaged an 8GB RAM from an old laptop to add to the 8GB in my current laptop. Same manufacturer, but the laptop became significantly slower. Your explanation of running at the slower speed seems to be the explanation I needed

[@petermikus2363]

There is also so to speak diffrent generations of ram the most modern one is ddr5 while a lot of pc's nowadays use ddr4 older pc's used ddr3 and so on each new generation is faster then the previous one

[@abdulkhafidsulaymaan]

Great video, one of the best I've see on youtube and believe me I've been scouring youtube for this info because I have an old pc with windows 7 and I'm trying to learn how to upgrade my RAM... Thanks so much you just earned yourself a new sub.

[@andrejmaertens6098]

This really helped me out :)

[@jgarzo]

Thanks. I only had to watch one video to fully understand how to upgrade more RAM

[@HEMSJim]

Excellent video! You answered my question and put my mind at rest in the the first 2 minutes! Thanks for helping out a noob and I've subbed for more great videos!

[@k2o530]

Im new to the PC building world im trying to build one for me and this video really helped me out thanks!

[@robynd6138]

as well as the same speed and capacity, ram timing is most important if you want to run two different brands. different brands might both have a 3200mhz rating with a cas latency of 16 or whatever, but the last number of the timing sequence could be different. eg: vengeance pro 3200mhz timings are 16-18-18-36 and trident z of the same rating is 16-18-18-38, just change the ''row active timing'' at the end to be the same as each other, you can definitely run two different brands, no troubles at all.

[@chalvo6801]

How do you change the last number

[@justagenosfan]

maraksot: 8 gb is least ram you should have me watching this with 3.6 gb of ram:

[@cyberseph]

bro what is your average fps? [ i have 4 gb so i can probably make a guess LOL ]

[@derpocheesbalsvodsnvids6806]

just buy 2x8 on amazon you can get good ram for like 50 bucks.

[@whyareyousopoor2478]

@@derpocheesbalsvodsnvids6806 which one

[@tobbe5189]

:(

[@DZX6_]

@@cyberseph 120 when playing chess

[@carterplayz641]

thanks a bunch for this i don’t know what i’m doing since i have a pre built so this helped

[@codypilgrim1949]

I learned more watching this video than i have in the last year of being a new pc gamer. Thanks man

[@jordanericbaird2724]

You put these things into terms I actually understand. This will be my go to when I actually go to upgrade my pc

[@asfandyarkakar9898]

Very Helpful. I have two different ddr3(8gb & 4gb) rams with different speed & there I was wondering why it shows lesser memory speed instead of that other more faster one. Good thing I know now.

[@TheMaukingbird]

Same!

[@TheNuggzt3r]

The slower one limits the faster one to the max speed of the slower one.

[@SephirothsGirlfriend]

lol you solved my RAM issue, just ended up taking it out entirely and replacing with new RAM. Helps not having to worry about compatibility. Thank you for the video!

[@twitchyrascal5025]

thank you so much! i worked up the courage to put 16gb ram into my pc and it has been working good!

[@macktrav2001]

I stumbled across you and I am 110% subscribing! Very knowledgeable and very great to watch!

[@Maraksot78]

Thank you. That's very nice of you to say. Cheers. :)

[@phantom9014]

TYSM! i was upgrading my PC so it could run rust and was making sure that I dont do anything wrong. I purchased 2 8 GB sticks of RAM. and now can play rust with my friends thanks to you!

[@yungcuttuh9734]

I'm only running 8gigs of Ddr4 ram in my pc, but I'm not sure what motherboard I have, it's a gaming pc, when I buy DDR4 ram, do I need to change anhthing in bios when putting the new sticks in?

[@elip4854]

I bought a CL gaming computer and couldn't get it to work....until I saw your video. Thanks I'm so happy

[@TieDyeKingGaming]

Thanks for the help, good to know! You are super chill too :)

[@ZombehPanda]

Exactly what I needed! Thank you! I just got my first gaming PC and just now starting to upgrade. I know there is no need for 64GB of RAM (4x16GB) but would it hurt anything if I did? I've got the Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro RAM and bought it to both be awesome as well as pretty, of course.

[@CortneySalerno]

This was such an informative and easy to understand video. Thank you SO much and for mentioning the kit + sticking with same brand.

[@xazz]

I'm replacing some RAM that got corrupted and my friend who's better at this than me sent me your video to help me replace things right. Very helpful

[@PeterESSA]

Thank you very much! This helped me a lot with deciding which memory to buy for an upgrade.

[@Regnier575]

Thanks for this. Just pretty much got into PC gaming and got a prebuilt with 16gb ram. Want to upgrade to 32gb and this definitely helped a lot

[@xkittencatx]

Have you upgraded? Do you find it helped a lot?

[@Regnier575]

@❤️KittenCat❤️ It's definitely made a difference. Like if I'm playing a game that uses up 16gb I still have room for other tasks that my PC needs to do whether that's installing stuff or whatever

[@SLEEPYTIMENOW]

my new ram doesn't let my computer boot up, help?

[@BillTheHawk]

Probably the best video I have ever seen, regarding RAM! Thanks

[@SyncZzzz]

Thank you! This helped a lot. I was installing my ram and had no problem until it booted into windows and I got a kernel security check failure error. Then I had to reboot my PC and it got into safe mode and I went into the bios and lowered the speed to 3000 mhz and it works fine. My motherboard supports up to 3200 mhz.

[@Krp006]

But once we install new RAM sticks, is it going to run normally on its own or do we need to go to BIOS and do some activation or something? Please help! 👀

[@bryanherrera9549]

Same

[@user-xv6bh1eu4i]

To awnser simply No you do not need to activate anything whatsoever your computer will boot up as if nothing happened to it, although if you're interested in manually overclocking your ram you have to enter BIOS to do so.

[@BrUSomania]

I would recommend more than 16 GB of RAM as games like Warzone - and other badly optimized games - take up a huge chunk of memory. I am currently in the process of upgrading from 16 GB to 32 GB as both Warzone and Borderlands 3 (with the settings that let you run it properly) takes up about 90% of the RAM (in combination with background tasks running).

[@nbatweets6562]

I just got Hogwarts and it’s chewing up my RAM. Time to double up 😂

[@yowhatitlooklike]

I'm doing the same. I like to have lots of tabs open while doing game dev, 3d modeling, discord, obs, video editing, etc etc and it adds up fast

[@FeeForDreams]

thank you so much for this video, it was so incredibly informative and helpful. I’ve been into PC’s for a long time but never felt like building one was worth it, as I figured I would mess something up, and just didn’t know enough about it. I got a prebuilt when I was 12 in 2014, it had a GTX 710 and some other really bad components, although not too bad for the time, and I didn’t even know what any of the specs meant in the slightest, I was just happy to have my own PC. Christmas of 2022, I got a new prebuilt ASUS desktop, and now that I’m older and know what to look for, I got one with an RTX 3080, i7 processor, etc. and I am just now, for the first time, going to upgrade a part inside my PC. I play a lot of VR, GTA FiveM roleplay, and other Ram-intensive games, and also like to record and stream while in VR, so I think I should probably skip 32gb and go from 16gb to 64gb. I have 2 sticks of 8gb each that came with my PC right now, and I think I might swap them out for 2 x 16, and get 2 more 16gb a few paychecks from now, or if I can justify the purchase in my head, I might go ahead and buy 2 x 32, which would set me up to go to 128gb someday quite easily Sorry for typing a novel, i’m just very excited that I finally understand all this stuff thanks to your video, and I finally feel capable of turning my machine into something amazing, so thank you very much, this video was extremely valuable

[@jaydenlundie9572]

After I put my new ram in and removed the old my pc will turn on but the monitor wont now.

[@spicywiener2889]

Same :( Did you find a fix??

[@oedreycanonizado6199]

And my case fans are much louder🥲

[@edgaredgar154]

Watching this just Incase I ever upgrade my ram

[@user-gd2fb9kc3v]

Watching this because I’m going to upgrade my ram...I only have 8GB of ram...

[@Currychicken5]

@@user-gd2fb9kc3v cries in 4g

[@user-gd2fb9kc3v]

@@Currychicken5 lol

[@steveemery2178]

Excellent video to learn about ram. So helpful in deciding if and what to upgrade my ram on an older computer. Thanks

[@balasury1050]

Great presentation. Clear instructions. Sensible convincing advice. Thank you , my friend.

[@jonasuytico8117]

I want to upgrade my ram sticks on my potato pc hahaha lmao

[@Gizs.]

Is your ram not raming you hard enough

[@itz_n1co]

I hope to win so much 🍀

[@shirvanmohammed4339]

One of the best instructional, educating video of all time

[@ChrisSmith_NW]

Great video with clear and concise information. Thank you for this!

[@narimoto11]

But can it open 5 Chrome tabs? 😂

[@sethfreeman6949]

I really liked the video and the simplicity of it. Great stuff

[@olliedoust6150]

Awesome vid man! I recently bought some additional RAM and didnt realise it was as easy as just putting it in :O The video was really interesting and informative too, thanks!

[@JeffAlberts91]

thanks for this! very clear and concise.

[@heisenbergpinkman2265]

This has been the most useful I've watched

[@BlueprintsForHeadaches]

Thanks for the in depth info on everything.

[@lin_designs]

This is exactly the style of teaching that makes learning enjoyable. THANKS!!!

[@Maraksot78]

Glad you think so! Thanks for checking out the video.

[@chrisspivey5399]

Thank you for the quick, straight to the point video.

[@randyjaramillo880]

Thank you for your very helpful and informative Video. Followed ur instructions and was successful in trouble shooting my memory upgrade and installation.

[@randyleppell8885]

Great video!! Thank you SOOO MUCH for breaking it all down "Barney Style"!! Every question I had, you answered and made it make sense. Thanks again and Happy New Yr!!

[@eschreck814]

Needed this video (particularly the over clock bit) thanks!

[@zaoldyck]

thank you for this video, it was very useful & potentially prevented me from making some rookie mistakes

[@Brothermanbillz]

The tip at 6:10 helped me a lot I just bought some 4000 ram and had 2400 so this woulda been an issue for me so tysm!

[@davedave245]

thank you so much i was about to by RAM that didn't match my current RAMs memory speed. thank you for the information!

[@benjamincole6064]

Thanks, you provided information that is hard to find but diffenently needed before installing memory.

[@psychobobsweets]

Great job brother. Was much easier to digest than ole 2spent. Thankyou!

[@dragosphere2118]

thank you so much i learned alot by installing ram i am getting more ram soon and this helped me alot

[@luminitaszabo1798]

This was really helpful thank you so much keep up the great work.

[@cheddarlamp]

this video covers everything i needed thanks man!

[@rachellebasadre6919]

Trying to upgrade my ram and this came up thanks!!

[@waltermills8571]

Very informative; now I know what I'm looking for in ram. Thanks.

[@utscs1864]

Well Done. Thanks for your clear simple informative instructions.

[@makscatyt6089]

love his energy anyway thx i new how to do this buit i was scared to do by myself

[@markbrenner5713]

thank you for this video. I'm planning to buy a prebuilt with a good mb and upgrade the ram.

[@montrealfilmguy]

Fantastic video. Everything clearly explained. Well done.

[@scorpzgca]

Thanks for these tips I thought you could just install any capacity of RAM now I know what I have to do

[@gregburgett9042]

My new brother 💖😀💖. Man-o-man do I appreciate this video. I have been educated in many forms. First of all as I am typing this out, I have two different speeds of ram in my computer. It made no sense when I was working slower and freezing for up to 30 seconds at a time. I have just subscribed and we'll be going to you first with any computer education. What's sad is I built my first computer around 1991. So I thought I was a little educated myself. I try to keep up-to-date and I repair my own computer which is actually store bought. But I can pretty much fix anything hardware or software. I have not made comments too many people on KZbin. Mostly because I knew as much as they did. Or they did not impress me. I cannot say that about you many thanks and lots of love

[@sidehusleentrepreneur9373]

Thank you for your input. Because of your explanation, I decided to subscribe to your channel as I probably will need your advice in the future.....