The number of RAM slots on a motherboard can be a limiting factor when upgrading your PC, but it’s not necessarily the end of the world. Here’s what you need to know.
When you’re looking at upgrading your PC, one of the first places you’ll likely look is the amount of RAM you currently have. More RAM can help your system run more smoothly, and it can be helpful when working with large files or running memory-intensive programs.
Exclusive Slots & Free Spins Offers:
But if you’re looking at upgrading your PC’s RAM, you may wonder if the number of RAM slots on your motherboard will limit how much you can upgrade.
Generally speaking, the answer is “no.” Most motherboards have four slots for RAM, and if you have a four-slot motherboard, you can install up to 64GB of RAM without issue.
That said, there are a few things to keep in mind if you plan on upgrading your PC’s RAM.
First, if you have a four-slot motherboard and you want to install more than 32GB of RAM, you’ll need to use registered DIMMs (or RDIMMs). Registered DIMMs are a bit more expensive than standard DIMMs, so that’s something to keep in mind if cost is a factor.
Second, if you have a four-slot motherboard and you want to install more than 64GB of RAM, you may need to install two sets of matched pairs of DIMMs. For example, if you want to install 72GB of RAM, you could install two 16GB DIMMs and two 8GB DIMMs. Or, if you wanted to install 96GB of RAM, you could install four 24GB DIMMs.
This is because most motherboards only support up to four channels of DDR3 memory (two per CPU). So, if you want to install more than 64GB of DDR3 memory on a four-slot motherboard, you may need to use two sets of matched pairs of DIMMs.
Finally, it’s worth noting that most consumer-grade motherboards only support up to 32GB of DDR4 memory (two 16GB DIMMs). So, if you have a four-slot DDR4 motherboard and you want to install more than 32GB of DDR4 memory, you may need to replace your motherboard with one that supports more than four slots.
In conclusion, the number of RAM slots on a motherboard can be a limiting factor when upgrading your PC, but it’s not necessarily the end of the world. If you have a four-slot motherboard and want to upgrade your PC’s RAM, there are a few things to keep in mind, but generally speaking, you should be able to upgrade without issue.
