Ways to increase computer RAM. How to increase the amount of RAM on your computer How to increase the RAM. The simplest option

Why might you need to increase the amount of RAM on your computer?

Unfortunately, many developers of operating systems and software (programs for work and games) do not think at all about optimization, do not remember that many users do not have the opportunity to constantly buy the most modern hardware, so their creations can “slow down” . To partially solve this problem, you may need to increase the amount of RAM on your computer.

How to buy a suitable RAM stick?

When purchasing a RAM stick, you need to remember that different types of RAM are not suitable for every motherboard. To choose the right memory stick, you need to look in the documentation for the exact model name of the installed motherboard. Look at the description of this motherboard model on the manufacturer’s website, which should indicate what type of memory is suitable for the job, as well as the maximum possible amount of memory that this motherboard “sees.” You can also find out from the description the number of slots for installing RAM.

Determine the amount of RAM available on your computer. To do this, turn on the computer, right-click on the “My Computer” icon, then select “Properties”, in the “General” tab and you can find the total amount of installed RAM.

From the data received, your task is to calculate the volume of the stick that you will purchase (if at least one slot for RAM on the motherboard is free, then you just need to subtract the amount of installed RAM from the maximum possible amount of RAM, otherwise you will need to pull out one of the smaller sticks volume, and in its place install a new bar, the volume of which is also calculated).

After purchasing a new memory stick, remove the case cover (depending on the case model, it can be removed entirely or it is possible to remove only the side cover). Look carefully at how the existing memory stick(s) are installed. Place a new strip parallel to them and insert it into the free slot. The memory stick must fit tightly into the connector so that the contacts are not visible, and the latch must be activated, which additionally holds the strip in the connector.

The diagram below shows an example of changing a DDR2 memory stick, but it is not at all necessary that you will also have this type of memory, however, the appearance of the RAM connectors and the memory sticks themselves are similar and you also need to take into account the location of the recesses on the boards.

If everything is done correctly, the above tab will display more memory than before.

When actively using a device running Android OS and downloading various software, the owner of the device may encounter insufficient memory provided by the manufacturer. Overcrowding of the information storage leads to a decrease in the performance of the phone or tablet and causes it to periodically freeze. And downloading new content becomes almost impossible. Therefore, let's look at how to increase memory on Android.

There are two ways to expand the memory of your Android phone or tablet:

  • Physical. Requires installation of an external micro SD memory card;
  • Software. In this case, unnecessary applications and files are removed from the device, and other manipulations are performed that lead to an increase in free space.

It is necessary to understand that for most gadgets running the Android OS, there are three types of memory:

  • Operational (RAM or RAM);
  • Internal;
  • External.

The first type is intended for temporary storage of data that is used by running applications and services. If on a PC you can increase the RAM by installing an additional RAM stick, then in mobile devices this will not be possible. On a tablet or phone, you can only clean the RAM of debris, thereby improving the performance of the device. You can see how much Android RAM is available in the device settings.

Internal memory is used to store various information on the gadget. In many phones it can be physically expanded by installing an external SD card.

Manufacturers of modern smartphones are increasingly less likely to equip their products with a slot for a micro SD card. If your device does not have such a connector, you will have to be content with the volume provided by the developers.

If the physical increase in Android memory due to micro sd should not cause any difficulties, then with software expansion it is not so simple. Therefore, let's look at how to increase the internal memory of Android using software.

Expand internal storage with built-in Android features

The easiest method to increase memory on Android is to clear it of unnecessary data. To do this, just find files that you will not need in the future and click “Delete”. If there are a lot of such files, it is better to perform this procedure through Explorer:

You can also expand your free space by uninstalling unnecessary software:


Using these steps, you can increase Android memory for installing applications. Not all software available on the gadget can be erased. Many standard applications provided by the Android system can only be uninstalled if you have root rights.

Another standard method to expand the built-in memory is to transfer user-installed programs to a micro sd card. To do this, you need to enter the properties of an application and tap the corresponding button.

Increase free space with additional software

When considering how to increase the internal memory of an Android device, you should note the Clean Master cleaning application. Its main function is to speed up the performance of devices on the Android OS by closing unused programs running in the background, as well as clearing the cache and deleting residual files from system folders.

To expand free space on your phone using Clean Master, do the following:


Expanding internal memory using an external SD card

All programs that are downloaded to a phone or tablet are installed by default into the device’s internal storage. And even the presence of a micro sd card does not actually increase the space for applications. Starting with version Android 2.2, the system now has the ability to select memory for installing software.

The lack of RAM causes a lot of inconvenience to users, since with its small amount it becomes impossible to work with some resource-intensive programs, play modern computer games that are very demanding on system resources, watch high-definition videos, etc. This is where the problem of how to Increase the RAM to such a size that there is no slowdown or freezing of the system. There are several basic methods for this, including the use of removable storage devices in the form of regular flash drives or memory cards used in smartphones and tablets.

RAM: what is it and how does it work?

Before dealing with issues of increasing the amount of RAM, you should understand what it is, how it functions and what tasks are assigned to it.

Random access memory (RAM, RAM, random access memory, “RAM”) is designed to store data from all processes (system and user) active at a certain point in time. It is the link between the installed software and the central processor, but not directly, but through the system bus and caching.

Without rummaging through the jungle of computer terminology, RAM memory can most simply be described as follows: at the moment a program or process starts, the main components are loaded into RAM, which are stored there until the program ends. Only after loading is the commands redirected to the central processor, which processes them. Thus, RAM memory is a kind of intermediate data exchange buffer, without which no system can function. The larger the amount of RAM, the more components can be loaded and transferred for processing.

How to increase RAM by increasing the number of sticks

Let's leave aside the issue of increasing memory through the use of removable devices for now, and consider standard methods to increase system performance, which in some cases can be very useful.

In stationary PCs, the issue of increasing RAM is solved by simply replacing or adding memory sticks by inserting them into the corresponding slots on the motherboard. But it is advisable to use sticks of the same type and generation (SDRAM, DDR, etc.) and take into account many additional factors.

Changing the paging file size

Another solution to the question of how to increase RAM by using additional means without physically changing the volume is to set a larger size of virtual memory, which is responsible for the so-called paging file (pagefile.sys), which is space reserved on the hard drive , where cached data is written when the RAM limit is exceeded. Of course, the speed of accessing the hard drive will be much lower than directly accessing RAM, but it’s an option.

To do this, use the advanced settings section in the computer properties, where you select the advanced settings tab, and use the button in the performance section to go to the current settings. On the Advanced tab, you can change the virtual memory size by setting a custom value larger than the recommended default setting. However, you shouldn't get carried away. If the size is too high, the system will begin to first access the pagefile.sys file, and not the RAM, which will only lead to the opposite effect.

Changing timing in BIOS settings

If you look at the problem of how to increase RAM on a laptop where it is not possible to install additional memory sticks, you can use the BIOS settings (although this mostly concerns increasing the amount of video memory).

In the additional settings section, you need to find the Shared Memory line and change the DRAM Read Timing parameter (the lower the value is set, the higher the system performance).

Increasing RAM using a flash drive: prerequisites

Finally, let's look at how to increase RAM on your computer using a flash drive. This is done quite simply, but several initial conditions must be met.

For these procedures, you will need a removable drive (flash drive or memory card) with a capacity of at least 1 GB and no more than 32 GB with a write speed of 1.75 MB/sec (with 512 KB blocks) and a read speed of 2.5 MB/sec (with the same block size). There must be at least 256 MB of free space, although this parameter can be neglected, since in any case, the media will be formatted at the preparatory stage (recommended). The total memory size of simultaneously connected devices cannot exceed 256 GB. And it is advisable to use devices that support the USB 3.0 standard, since in this case the data transfer speed will be much higher than through ports with a USB 2.0 interface.

Where to begin?

Now directly about solving the problem of how to increase RAM on a computer. Let's take Windows 7 as an example, although in all other modifications the actions will not be different.

Many people have probably noticed that after inserting the device into the appropriate port and with the drive auto-detection mode enabled, a window appears on the screen with a choice of action. But few people pay attention to the fact that at the very bottom of the window there is a system acceleration line. This is exactly what you need. We click on it and for now we leave aside the question of how to increase RAM on a laptop or desktop terminal, since we need to perform several preliminary steps.

ReadyBoost Technology

To increase RAM, ReadyBoost technology will be used, which means that physical flash memory can be used as virtual memory. In other words, another swap file is simply created on the removable device.

For operating systems based on x64 architecture, the size of the used physical space cannot exceed 32 GB, for x86 (32 bit) systems - 4 GB. In addition, according to the recommendations of Microsoft Corporation specialists, the ratio of drive memory to stationary RAM can range from 1:1 to 2.5:1. At the same time, the maximum performance increase is observed when reading smaller blocks with a size of 4 KB (compared to accessing hard drives, the performance increase is approximately 10 times), but when reading large blocks, the effect is almost invisible.

Formatting media

So, how can you increase RAM to the size the user needs? First, format the media by selecting the appropriate partition from the right-click menu on the device.

It is advisable to perform a full format with the choice of the NTFS file system without changing the default cluster size (usually the same 512 KB). We confirm the removal of all information and wait for the process to complete.

Using media and specifying the size of allocated memory

Now we right-click on the formatted media in the usual “Explorer” and select the properties section.

In the new window, go to the ReadyBoost tab and activate the permission line for using this device for the specified technology (the size will be set automatically, using the maximum possible space). If a smaller volume is needed, the usage line just below is activated, and the size is indicated manually. But in general, it is recommended to use the maximum.

After this, in the same “Explorer” you can see that the device is almost completely full, and only 100 MB of space remains free. That's how it should be. The filled space will be used for caching files. Agree, the increase is significant.

Increasing memory in Android systems

Now a few words about how to increase RAM on Android. You don't need to do anything physically. In the simplest case, you can simply stop currently unused applications running in the background. However, this will have no effect, since they will start again. In this case, it is better to turn to optimizer programs that allow you not only to unload unnecessary processes from RAM, but also control autorun. In this case, it is advisable to have root rights with the ability to remove built-in applets of the system itself.

But this method rather looks like self-deception. Therefore, the problem of how to increase RAM on Android can be solved using utilities like RAM Manager (for older devices with version 2.1 systems), SWAPit RAM EXPANDER, Swapper 2, etc. The last two programs are able to create their own swap files in a similar way with Windows systems and save cached data either in the internal memory of the device or on SD cards (you can specify the location of the swap file manually). In addition, they also have quite a lot of additional tools, including manual control of the performance of the entire system.

Brief conclusions

If we draw conclusions from all of the above, it is worth noting that the most effective method of increasing RAM is still replacing or adding strips. However, if such an opportunity is simply physically absent (for example, on laptops or netbooks), the option of using removable drives seems to be the most preferable. In this case, you don’t even have to use the system virtual memory, the file of which is stored on the HDD, since access to the hard drive has a lower speed. But, as is already clear, you need to take into account some of the requirements for flash drives and removable memory cards. Without this, you can’t even count on the effect of increasing RAM. And of course, do not forget to insert a flash drive or card into the appropriate port or card reader before turning on your computer or laptop, since inserting media will not work in a running system.

Today we will talk about how you can expand the boundaries of RAM on your Android. For those users who do not understand the definitions, we will tell you about the abbreviations RAM, RAM. This is flash memory, the task of which is to work with running programs, that is, the application, during its operation, is stored not only on the internal memory of the mobile device, but is also simultaneously stored in RAM, due to which the operation of the utility becomes more responsive. If the RAM becomes low, then the device begins to slow down.

Basic ways to increase memory

If on personal computers this procedure is carried out only by connecting or changing the RAM strips, then on devices such as smartphones this possibility is excluded due to the standard configuration, since this board is soldered to the main circuit to reduce space and preserve the dimensions of the device.

To the question, is it even possible to expand the RAM on a device with an Android system? The answer is ambiguous - depending on what goal you are interested in. If you need to increase the space of existing free memory, then in this case you need to remove unused programs; they will help relieve the workload of the device. If you need to add physical volume to the existing one, then the answer will be negative, since initially such a function is not included, and if when purchasing a device it is written that it has 512 MB of memory, then it cannot be expanded like on a PC. But there is one tricky way.

How to increase RAM on Android: Video

SWAPit RAM EXPANDER program

You can increase the size of free RAM memory on Android by downloading the SWAPit RAM EXPANDER utility. This program creates a paging file, the dimensions of which can reach 2.5 GB. This utility creates swap files on the system that manage running applications, which in turn do not use large amounts of resources, this largely frees up RAM for more resource-intensive utilities. In other words, you can enable many small programs, and the size of the RAM will hardly change, which will make the system easier and faster.

Also, you can also change the amount of RAM on Android using an SD card by simply selecting External_SD in the settings.

Every user often encounters low memory on their PC. There is not enough space to save work materials, download movies, the computer does not play games at high quality settings, it freezes, the Internet works slowly, it is unbearable to spend time on the computer.

You can increase PC performance by increasing the amount of random access memory (RAM). There are several options on how to do this. An excellent solution to this problem is to buy a new memory card that has enough free space for saving. But if your financial situation temporarily limits this possibility, then let's take a closer look at methods for increasing the amount of RAM without spending money.

Everything that does not fit in RAM is stored on the hard drive in the page file. Typically, Windows automatically sets the size of such a virtual cache, but if there is a shortage, it can be increased. To do this you don’t have to be a programmer, just follow the instructions below:

For the swap file, use a disk that has more free space. Do not select the system drive for this purpose.

Finding where the virtual cache and paging are configured in Windows 8 is easy. Follow the descriptions below:

  1. Using italics, open the menu and click “Search”.
  2. In the right corner you will see a search bar, enter system properties performance in it and press Enter.
  3. The “Performance Options” window will appear; find the “Advanced” tab.
  4. In the “Virtual Memory” column, click on the “Change” button and from now on we do everything the same as in the instructions above.

Increasing the virtual cache will not save you from problems with a lack of RAM, but will only speed up your computer a little.

Expanding RAM using a flash drive

An excellent method for creating additional RAM space for your PC. It appeared recently, thanks to Ready Boost technology from Microsoft. Few people resort to this method due to ignorance about this innovation.

The Ready Boost program allows you to expand the amount of RAM on your computer using free space on a flash drive or other external storage device (SD card, SSD drive), which plays the role of an additional cache device containing information.

Increasing OP using the Ready Boost program has its own requirements; if the flash card does not meet them, the program will not install. Primary requirements:

  • write speed 1.75 MB/sec, 512 kb blocks;
  • reading speed of at least 2.5 MB/sec, blocks of 512 kb;
  • The minimum free space on a flash drive is 256 megabytes.

Having selected a suitable drive, you can begin to connect a function that allows you not only to increase the cache size, but also to speed up your PC. Let's start:

  1. Insert the selected drive into the connector of the system unit and go to the menu.
  2. Among the list of drives, find the new connected device (flash drive), click on italics (right-click).
  3. In the table that appears, find the “Properties” item. Let's press.
  4. In the new table “Properties: Removable disk”, look for the Ready Boost line, check the box, set the required cache size and confirm the action by clicking on the “OK” button.

Then wait a little while the system finishes setting up the updated parameters.

Increase RAM in BIOS settings

Most BIOS versions allow you to manually configure the amount of RAM. In the BIOS, you can speed up the cache by lowering the timings, but after such manipulations you need to test the system to avoid malfunctions.

  1. First we enter the BIOS. To do this, during system boot, press a key combination, most often Delete, F2 or Ctrl-Alt-Esc.
  2. In the BIOS program menu, look for and click on the line Video Ram or, depending on the program, Shared Memory.
  3. Next, find the DRAM Read Timing line and reduce the number of timings (cycles) in RAM. Fewer cycles means better system performance. Too much reduction will negatively affect the performance of the equipment, so do not overdo it.
  4. When you have finished making changes to the storage configuration, save the settings and exit the BIOS.

Remember, increasing RAM in the BIOS may lead to changes in other settings.

Expanding capacity using memory modules

This method of expanding the cache requires a small financial investment, but is one hundred percent effective.
The motherboard has several cells for installing memory modules, which allows you to install not one, but several boards to increase RAM on your PC.

If it is not financially possible to buy a large memory card, purchase an additional module and install it next to the existing RAM.

Installing modules is an effective way to increase RAM, but before purchasing, you should make sure that the motherboard has free connectors, as well as what standards it supports. There are several types of RAM; if you buy the wrong one, the module will not fit into the motherboard connector. You can find out the type of PC RAM by the number on the board that is already installed in the motherboard. There is no free connector, replace the old board with a new, larger one.
Install the board carefully so as not to break anything. Insert the module until you hear a characteristic click, which means it is securely fastened.

After that, turn on your computer and check the RAM data. There is more storage space - everything went well, no, then turn off the power and try again.

The above methods will expand the size of your computer's cache, improving its performance. But remember, carry out all manipulations in the system carefully and slowly to avoid PC damage.

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