minimum hardware requirements for increasing ram

Question

I have 5 years old PC with i3 processor (3.07GHz) 32bit operating system and 2GB ram. My question is: is there any minimum hardware requirements for increasing ram memory, or i can just put another 4GB of ram in second slot?

Answer 1

There are generally no minimum requirements for installing more RAM, assuming that the RAM fits (physically and electrically). So if you make sure you get memory sticks of the correct type (DDR2, DDR3, ...) and with correct timing (CL9, CL11, ...) you should be fine from that perspective.

However, you should be aware of two things:

• Many motherboards place an upper limit on how much memory you can use. If your PC is five years old, it is perfectly possible that you would run against that limit if you add 4 GB to your existing 2 GB. It's hard to say exactly what effects this would have.

• A 32-bit operating system will only allow you to use, at most, 4 GB without employing special tricks such as PAE. Since non-server operating systems generally do not do that, the operating system will in this case cap your usage to 4 GB minus some address space reserved for the system itself; in practice, the cap will likely be at 3 or 3.5 GB. Anything more than that will most likely not be of any use.

Answer 2

Check the computer manufacturer's website for the maximum allowable memory and configurations.

You can also try Crucial's memory scanner. It works rather well.

Answer 3

1. You can only use 4GB of RAM on a 32-bit OS and even then only 3GB to 3.5GB will be available for use.

2. Buy another 2GB of the same RAM you already have or buy a 4GB stick that is compatible with your motherboard.

Answer 4

You asked a specific question regarding your specific configuration. You can add the extra 4 BG of RAM, but the current configuration will not utilize it. You state an upgrade of OS in comments, so other points to consider as far as maximum amount and type:

Your mother board: GIGABYTE GA-H55M-S2V LGA 1156 Intel H55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory Number of Memory Slots2×240pin

Memory StandardDDR3 2200/1800/1600/1333/1066/800

Maximum Memory Supported16GB

Channel SupportedDual Channel

Knowing you are moving to a 64 bit OS, you have a few limitations if you subscribe to Windows:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit versions - max RAM 16 GB

Windows 7 Business, Enterprise and Ultimate 64-bit version max RAM 192 GB

Windows 8 - 128GB

Windows 8 Professional - 512GB

Windows 8 Enterprise - 512GB