Memory (RAM)

RAM size determines how much you can keep open at once. When comparing memory, capacity comes first, then generation, then speed.

Types and differences

• Capacity — 8 GB covers office and browsing; 16 GB is the comfortable standard for multitasking and photo editing; 32 GB and more for virtual machines, video and large projects.
• DDR generations — DDR4 and DDR5 are the current laptop standards; each generation moves more data per clock tick.
• Soldered LPDDR — many thin laptops solder memory to the board: power-efficient, but not upgradeable.
• Dual-channel — two memory modules working together roughly double memory bandwidth; most noticeable for integrated graphics.

How it affects your choice

RAM is the component you often cannot upgrade later — pick capacity with headroom at purchase time. Check what the motherboard allows if you plan to add memory later. The catalog can filter by RAM.