How to check RAM type DDR3 or DDR4 in Windows 10

Thinking of upgrading your laptop or desktop computer and are wondering what DDR RAM type your PC supports?

Well, modern Windows computers, depending on the hardware configuration, use the latest DDR4 memories out of the box.

However, older systems are most likely to have DDR3 configuration as it was the standard a few years ago.

Knowing installed memory’s technical specifications on your Windows 10 computer can be helpful in many ways.

For one, if you are considering upgrading your RAM, you would certainly need to know the RAM type, speed, and brand to purchase for compatibility purposes.

It can help in situations where you are trying to troubleshoot issues like Windows 10 high RAM usage with your memory and need to provide memory-related information to the manufacturer.

Or you may want to tweak the memory setting through BIOS/UEFI to make precise changes to your memory module.

Irrespective of the reason, Windows 10 can help you check RAM type DR3 or DDR4 using the command prompt.

If you don’t want to use the Command Prompt, the task manager can provide some basic memory-related information as well.

How to check if your RAM type is DDR3 or DDR4

As discussed earlier, Task Manager in Windows 10 offers basic information about your RAM type, form factor, speed, etc.

This information, in most cases, is sufficient to know the type of your RAM you can use to upgrade your memory game.

1. Right-click on the Taskbar and choose Task Manager from the options.
2. Open the Performance tab in the Task Manager.
3. Choose the Memory tab from the left pane.
4. You can check whether you have DDR 3 or DDR 4 memory installed on the top right corner.
5. Below, check the speed, slots used, form factor, and hardware reserved memory information.

If you are considering to upgrade, note down the speed, slots used, and the form factor, as it is required when purchasing a new RAM kit.

Task Manager offers all the quick information to help you identify DDR 4 and DDR4 RAM physically.

Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHZ ( Affiliate Link)

Best of DDR3

• If you are still rocking an Intel Z68 or Z77 motherboard, the Corsair Vengeance Pro Series RAM kit offers exceptional performance for the price. 
• Tested Latency: 9-9-9-24 
• Type: DDR3
• Speed: 1600MHz

Check RAM type using CPU-Z

CPU-Z is a free Windows utility that gathers information on your system’s main hardware components.

It can provide information related to the mainboard, chipset, memory type, size, timings, module specifications, and more.

Here’s how to use CPU-Z to check if your RAM type is DDR3 or DDR4 in Windows 7, 8.1, and 10.

1. Download CPU-Z from the official site and run the installer once the download is complete.
2. Once installed, open CPU-Z and wait for it to scan the system to gather all the required information.
3. To check the RAM type, open the Memory tab. Check the General section to find if your system is using DDR4 or DDR3.
4. Additionally, you can also check channel status, size, frequency, and other technical stuff.

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz C16 Desktop Memory Kit  (Affiliate Link)

Best of DDR4 RAM

• Corsair Vengeance LPX is optimized for wide compatibility with the latest Intel and AMD DDR4 motherboard. This slim profile memory kit can be accommodated even in the smallest builds. 
• XMP 2.0 support 

Check RAM information using Command Prompt 

If you need more information regarding your RAM, you can use a few commands in the Command Prompt to get the required information.

Here’s how to check RAM type DDR3 or DDR4 in Windows 10 using Command Prompt.

1. Press the Windows key, and type cmd.
2. Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and hit enter:
   wmic memorychip get banklabel, manufacturer, part number, speed, MemoryType, SMBIOSMemoryType, device locator
4. Go through the results to extract the required information about your memory.

As you can see in the screenshot above, while the MemoryType is displayed as 0, the SMBIOSMemoryType is shown as 26, which means the RAM type is DDR4.

Below is a little table to help you transcode the command line result for memory type.

Knowing your computer’s RAM type is essential if you are planning to upgrade your system’s memory.

Most modern motherboards and laptops support DDR4 memory type, but being sure of the RAM type is important to ensure memory compatibility after installation. 

We have listed the three ways to check RAM type DDR3 or DDR4 in Windows 10. Want to know anything else about your RAM?

Do let us know in the comments, and we will try to answer them for you.

FAQs: Learn more about checking RAM type DDR3 or DDR4 in Windows 10