Your computer’s Random Access Memory (RAM) is designed to store electronic data so that your processor can be able to process it much faster. Therefore, it’s critical that your computer is always running on RAM with sufficient capacity, high frequency, and better latency to get optimal operating system performance. However, the common question in many users’ minds is whether there is anything else to do after upgrading their computer’s RAM!
Thankfully, the stick utilizes a plug-and-play feature that enables it to work seamlessly once it’s seated in its rightful slot. In other words, you don’t have to worry about installing certain drivers or additional software for the memory device to start working. But, you need to confirm whether the device is doing what it’s designed to do by checking its frequency and latency. So, here is an easy-to-follow guide on what you should do after you’ve installed your new RAM.
Should I do anything after installing a new RAM?
After installing more RAM, you’ll want to test to see if the memory stick is doing everything it should be doing. Also, we’ll help you compare your old RAM with the one that you’ve just purchased to make sure that the cost of your upgrade is worth it. Now that you have more RAM installed on your laptop or desktop computer, let’s explore what you should do next.
It’s important to remember that if the stick doesn’t sit properly in its slot, your computer might not be able to boot, as memory is a vital component of the computer. If the stick is not properly installed you’ll get an error message, see a black screen, or a continuous beeping sound. So, here are the steps to take after installing a new RAM:
1. Check If The Stick Is Detectable
It is not always possible for a particular motherboard to fully support all the different types of RAM on the market. Therefore, you should consult the manual to learn what RAM your motherboard is compatible with.
For instance, if your motherboard supports DDR4 RAM and you try to use DDR3 RAM as the new installation or addition, your system won’t support the installation. It is possible that some of the RAMs you buy won’t work; only the RAM that is officially supported by your system works.
Some rogue RAM manufacturers sell cheap sticks, and you might get scammed if the memory you bought is not fully compatible with your computer. Additionally, if you have upgraded the RAM, make sure it has the same amount of memory as stated on the memory stick.
It is easy to check several RAM settings on your computer using Windows. You can do all these checks automatically using the Windows Control Panel instead of going into the BIOS. Here’s a simple test to see if the new memory is properly recognized in Windows 11.
- Launch settings by pressing Windows + I KEYS
- Go into the System tab and scroll down to find the About option.
- Find the RAM installed on the device that gives you the maximum capacity.
- If you see the same memory as before the installation, it may be that your motherboard doesn’t support the new RAM
- Check whether the product you bought comes with a warranty, and if it does, get a compatible stick replacement.
2. Run Your System’s Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
It’s essential to know whether your new RAM is faulty or not. This tool is useful in detecting and diagnosing any memory problems. Before you go ahead and do any other steps, we highly suggest that you run the Windows Memory Diagnose tool. This utility checks whether there is a faulty memory on your system.
All you need to do is open the Windows Memory Diagnostic app, select Restart now and check for the problems (recommended) option.) The diagnosis process will start automatically, and your computer will restart. The tool will notify you with a list of potential errors.
3. Install Vital Applications
Basically, if you install the right type of RAM stick and power the CPU, everything should be good. Therefore, you do not really need to run any other programs. Nonetheless, there are some useful applications that allow you to check a lot of RAM settings that aren’t available within Windows.
For example, you can check the CAS Latency, DRAM frequency, and your processor’s critical information. There are a number of popular programs that allow you to check the performance of your computer. These programs include Piriform Speccy, CPU-Z, Memtest86, etc. You should be able to download them from the respective manufacturer’s website.
4. Examine RAM Speed
You may have added more memory to your computer to improve the speed of your computer. Therefore, it’s important to check the speed of your RAM after installing it. It’s very easy to check the speed of your RAM memory in Windows, and here’s how to do that:
- Go to your system’s Task Manager
- Navigate to the Performance tab
- Choose memory from the left panel
- Proceed to the right panel and find the speed where you will view the frequency or speed of the RAM in MHz.
5. Examine RAM Latency
The CAS Latency (CL) or RAM latency is measured as the time your RAM stick takes to respond to your computer CPU’s request. The Cache Latency is displayed in terms of clock cycles. For calculating cache latency, you need a monitoring application that can monitor RAM, unlike a speedometer that measures how fast the CPU can fetch data from RAM. For demonstrative purposes, we’ve used CPU-Z to inspect the CAS latency:
- Download the latest version of the CPU-Z application
- Once you have downloaded the software, launch the program
- Moreover, you can create a Desktop shortcut to run CPU-Z whenever you need it
- Navigating to the Performance tab will show you the current latency of the RAM that you use
- Here you can find out your CAS# Latency, which is your RAM Latency.
6. Enable XMP Profile
XMP is an easy and efficient way to overclock computer memory, enabling higher clock speeds your RAM can support with ease. However, it is only supported by some motherboards. When you power up a motherboard, the XMP profile is disabled by BIOS in order that your memory can perform as per the DDR specifications. So, you need to enable XMP in order that your RAM can perform at the speed that is expected.
- Go to the MSI BIOS
- Find the XMP profile in the DRAM Information section and click on it, to change to Profile 1.
- If you save your changes, your RAM will have the best performance
- If XMP is not found, you can find other MP3 decoders like DOCP in AMD and EOCP in Gigabyte motherboards.
Why install a new RAM
Here are some signs that show that you need to add more RAM to your computer:
If your computer slows down or crashes often.
If the hourglass icon of your computer or laptop keeps spinning constantly or if it keeps freezing the screen, it might be a good idea to add more RAM to your computer.
For better synchronized operation of programs
Multitaskers gain from memory upgrades, as having more memory or space in your system means that more programs can be run simultaneously.
When you run programs that require a lot of resources, like word processors or browsers like Chrome and Firefox, the microprocessor loads the program from your hard drive and loads it into RAM.
Faster startup time
Even if you run several programs, your computer may not have enough memory to start them all at once. If there is something that you need to do that takes a lot of memory, such as video editing, your computer’s capacity is likely to be compromised and may need an upgrade. When you add more RAM, your computer will start faster, and when it’s time to shut down, the process will be much faster.
Improved internet browsing
Streaming your favorite videos online will be more efficient if you add 4 GB RAM or more to your laptop. Furthermore, you can open numerous tabs on your browser and keep them running concurrently depending on the project you’re working without experiencing any unnecessary delays. Browsers will load much faster regardless of the internet speed. The network sharing speed of LAN- or WAN-connected computers will also improve.
Better GUI performance
If many programs are running at once, you will notice how the computer’s overall performance decreases; it is possible that the computer will start to slow down. Increasing a computer’s RAM can solve this problem; adding more RAM is the right solution. PC gamers require at least 16 GB of RAM to ensure that their games play smoothly, especially if that is what you usually do with your laptop.
Faster Data Transfer
Increasing the amount of RAM in your computer will help you transfer large files faster between your computer and the hard disk. You may notice a slight improvement in your performance when you try to download or upload files to the Internet.
Improves processor speed
It is extremely important that a computer performs fast, and this is especially true of a processor. It is like the brain because the computer performs various calculations and needs to perform specific operations at all times. Adding more RAM to your computer can help you work with more information while you are doing other tasks, making it easier for the processor to access the data more quickly and effectively. This is especially true for lesser-core processors, such as the AMD Athlon or the Intel Pentium.
Wrapping Up
Most likely, you have upgraded your computer with more RAM to increase your system’s performance. But it’s possible to do tons more with a little more RAM. When your computer becomes slow, you can add extra RAM to speed it up. One very cost-effective way to improve the performance of your computer is to add more RAM. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a computer expert to install a higher memory stick on your laptop or desktop.
