How to Check Your RAM Type (DDR3, DDR4, DDR5) in Windows

The Importance of Knowing Your RAM Generation

If your computer is starting to feel sluggish when running multiple applications or browsing the web with dozens of tabs open, upgrading your Random Access Memory (RAM) is often the cheapest and most effective way to breathe new life into the machine.

However, buying new RAM is not as simple as walking into an electronics store and picking the cheapest stick off the shelf. Motherboards are physically built to support only one specific "generation" of memory technology, commonly referred to as DDR (Double Data Rate). You cannot physically force a stick of DDR4 memory into a motherboard designed for older DDR3 memory because the physical notch on the bottom of the stick is in a completely different location.

Before you purchase any upgrade, you must determine exactly what type of memory your system currently uses. Fortunately, you do not need to open your computer case or download complex diagnostic software to find this out; Windows 11 and Windows 10 have this information built right into the Task Manager.

How to Check Your RAM Type in the Task Manager

The Task Manager is the fastest way to get a quick overview of your system’s hardware specifications.

1. Open the Windows Task Manager. You can do this quickly by pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Alternatively, right-click on your Windows taskbar at the bottom of the screen and select "Task Manager" from the context menu.
2. If your Task Manager opens as a small, simple window, click the More details arrow at the bottom to expand it into the advanced view.
3. Look at the tabs running across the top of the window and click on the Performance tab.
4. On the left-hand sidebar of the Performance tab, click on Memory.
5. Look at the top-right corner of the main window. You will see the total amount of RAM installed in your system (e.g., "16.0 GB"). Directly to the right of that number, Windows will explicitly state the generation. It will say something like 16.0 GB DDR4 or 32.0 GB DDR5.

Note: If you only see the gigabyte number and no "DDR" text next to it (which sometimes happens on older versions of Windows 10), do not worry. You can find out using the Command Prompt method below.

How to Check Your RAM Type Using Command Prompt

If the Task Manager does not explicitly state your DDR generation, you can use a powerful system administration tool built into the Windows command line called Windows Management Instrumentation (WMIC).

1. Press the Windows Key to open the Start Menu.
2. Type cmd in the search bar.
3. When the "Command Prompt" app appears in the search results, click on it to open the black terminal window.
4. Carefully type or paste the following command exactly as written, and press Enter:

   wmic memorychip get memorytype

5. The terminal will return a numerical code. You must match this code to the corresponding RAM generation:
   • 21: DDR2 (Very old, obsolete)
   • 24: DDR3 (Common in PCs built before 2015)
   • 26: DDR4 (The most common type today)
   • 0 (or blank): This usually indicates DDR5 (or an unknown generation). If you see a zero, proceed to the speed check below.

Checking Your RAM Speed (MHz)

When upgrading, you also need to match the speed of your existing memory. If you buy a stick of fast RAM and pair it with a stick of slow RAM, your motherboard will force the fast stick to run at the slower speed, wasting your money.

You can check the speed in the exact same Task Manager window you used earlier.

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
2. Go to Performance > Memory.
3. Look beneath the graphs in the middle of the screen. You will see a specification labeled Speed: (e.g., "3200 MHz" or "4800 MT/s").

When shopping for your upgrade, ensure the new sticks you purchase match both the DDR generation (e.g., DDR4) and the exact speed (e.g., 3200 MHz) of your existing memory to guarantee system stability.