How to Test RAM in Windows 10

Do you wish to do a RAM test on your Windows 10 computer? Are you worried that your computer’s Memory is not performing as it should? If yes, then you have come to right place. RAM, also referred to as Memory, is one of the most important components on a computer as far as performance is concerned. Should anything untoward happen to the memory modules on your computer, this will severely curtail its performance? In the worst instances, your computer could even start giving you the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. In this article, we take a look at how to test RAM on a Windows 10 computer. There are several ways of doing it. Click on any of the links below to jump to your preferred method;

Test RAM on Windows 10 using the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool

This is the first method of doing a Memory Test on a Windows 10 computer. Windows comes with a build in tool, the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool, for testing RAM. So, before you go online to download any of the other tools that are out there, you should try out this method to find out if there is anything wrong with the RAM modules that are on your PC. To do a RAM test on Windows 10 using the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool, you need to take the following steps;

1. In the Windows Search bar on your computer, type in Windows Memory Diagnostic.
2. Next, click on the Windows Memory Diagnostic app that comes up in your search results.
3. A small window will come up asking you to choose between immediately doing the RAM 10 and postponing it to the next time when you restart your computer. Choose Restart now and check for problems.
4. The Windows Memory Diagnostic tool will immediately start checking your computer’s RAM for errors.
5. After the RAM test is done, your Windows 10 computer will reboot.
6. Now you will need to right click on the Windows icon on your desktop and choose Event Viewer from the menu that pops up. You can use the Search bar on your computer to look for and open Event Viewer.
7. In Event Viewer, click on Windows Logs.
8. Next, click on System.
9. Next, click on Find to the right of your screen.
10. Type in MemoryDiagnostic and click on the Find Next button.
11. Memory Diagnostic information will now appear. This can be in the form of Information, an Error or a Warning.
12. If there are errors and warnings, click on the issue and go online to find out details about the issue with your RAM.

Do a RAM Test Windows 10 using Memetest86

There are other tools out there if you want to test RAM on Windows 10. You don’t have to stick to the native Windows 10 tool. You can do a Memory Test on Windows 10 using MetTest86. This tends to be a bit of an involved process, so you need to have some time in order to do it. You also need to have an empty USB Flash drive to complete this process. To do a RAM Test on Windows 10 using memetest86, you need to take the following steps;

1. To get started, go to the memetest86 website and download the tool. The download is in the form of a zip file.
2. Next, you need to extract the contents of the zip file.
3. Insert a USB Flash drive into your computer.
4. From there, you need to run the imageUSB.exe file in amount the files that you extracted from the zip.
5. Now you need to click on the checkbox next to your USB.
6. On step 2, make sure Write image to USB drive, has been selected. (see screenshot above)
7. On step 3, make sure that memetest86-usb disc image is selected. If not,click on Browse and navigate to the folder into which you unzipped the memetest86 files. There, choose the “memetest86-usb.”
8. Now you need to click on the Write, button.
9. Confirm installation to USB.
10. Confirm that you understand that the USB drive will be erased. Click Yes.
11. Installation takes a few minutes.
12. Now you need to shut off your computer.
13. The next step involves physically opening your computer to get to the Memory mdules. Testing is done on one RAM module at a time. So you need to remove all the others.
14. With one Memory module in your computer, restart your PC and boot to the USB drive. You can check out our instructions on how to reboot to USB below.
15. In the Memtest86 menu, you have the choice to do the default scan or the one pass scan. Go for the Default Scan.
16. Your computer will start scanning your RAM for errors.
17. Your will get notification if there are errors on your Memory sticks.
18. Go through the process with all the other RAM modules on your computer. You need to install them one at a time before testing.

Which ones do we recommend?

So, which RAM Test Windows 10 method do we recommend? Based on our experience, its way better to test Windows 10 memory using the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool. Why do we say so? Well, the memetest86 test is good but it’s a longer process since you need to create a bootable USB. It’s way simpler to run the process via the native tool. You will also have the logs regarding your test in Windows. So, you can consult them to find out what’s wrong with your PC.

A bit about RAM

The issue of Windows 10 Memory is one that we have covered a lot on this blog. Feel free to check out our article to help you determine the type of RAM that you have on your computer. Thing is, RAM is absolutely important when it comes to the performance of a computer. Have too little of it, and your computer will become sluggish.

The experience can actually be rather frustrating. You open a program, such as Chrome or Word, and it takes annoying seconds to come up. That’s because your computer will be busy shunting things between your RAM and the hard drive. The hard drive is good for storing things long term. However, it sucks when it comes to performance because your processor needs quite a few seconds to retrieve information from it.

RAM, on the other hand, is volatile, meaning you lose all your information the moment power goes out. However, it has the advantage of being very fast. Your processor can quickly and easily retrieve information that’s on your RAM. However, you need to have enough of it.

How much is enough? Well, you can never have too much RAM, honestly, though if you have too much, you probably won’t use all of it! And how much RAM should be in use at any given point of time? Well, all of it, where possible! RAM is not there for decoration. It needs to be filled with stuff, so you don’t have to wait long periods to get information on your computer.

Why Test Computer RAM?

So, why do a RAM test Windows 10? Why should everybody bother going through the process that we have described above? Surely, there is no need! Well, as it turns out, many people out there are looking for information on how to test RAM Windows 10. The following are some of the reasons why you may find yourself having to do it;

The dreaded Blue Screen of Death

This is probably the major reason why people do RAM tests on Windows 10. If your computer has been giving you the Blue Screen of Death, it can be difficult to determine the exact cause of the problem. However, the major reason for it tends to be Memory issues. So, if you encounter the Blue Screen of Death, your first port of call should be to do a RAM test on your Windows 10 computer. Testing the Memory on your computer allows you to eliminate this as the cause for problems on your PC.

Test Windows 10 RAM if your computer has slowed down

Perhaps your computer has been cruising along at a fine pace. However, all of a sudden, it has become rather slow. There could be quite a number of reasons for this. However, one of your first port of calls should be to do a RAM test for Windows 10. As noted, RAM is absolutely crucial to the performance of a computer. Should any of the modules go wrong, you will start having all sorts of issues on your PC. So, it’s important to test your RAM before throwing in the towel and buying a new computer.

What do you do if your RAM has gone bad?

Why do a Memory Test on Windows 10? Why Test RAM on a Windows 10 PC? That’s the question that we usually get from people who come to us for help with poorly performing computers. The answer to that is that if after carrying a RAM Test Windows 10, you find that some of the modules on your computer have gone bad, there is no way that you are going to be able to repair those modules.

You will need to get replacement RAM to take your PC back to its previous performance. There is a bit of good news though. Memory is one of the cheapest performance enhancements that you can do on your computer. And replacing RAM is a doable DIY venture. If you were able to open your computer to test each of the modules on there, then you should have no problem popping out the bad modules. After that, you should then be able to pop in new RAM.

Where can I buy new RAM?

After doing the RAM test Windows 10 and discovering that some of the modules are packing up, where do you go? To be frank, there are probably hundreds of places from which you can buy RAM. We usually recommend Crucial because they have a tool that helps you find the type of memory that you have. At the same time, they give you the option to buy the necessary modules.

What you don’t want to do is to buy RAM modules that are not compatible with your computer. Otherwise you are going end up giving yourself a headache. Another thing is that you should not mix RAM modules of different speeds. Otherwise, your overall Memory will be as fast as the slowest module. So, these are all things that you need to keep in mind.

You can also get the information from Crucial before going to eBay or Amazon to buy. It’s up to your! The thing to note is that RAM is not that expensive. We are always saying it’s probably the cheapest upgrade that you can do on your computer. When buying RAM, it’s probably better to buy the entire set for your system to avoid having different kinds of Memory on your computer. Again, the argument is the same as given above. Your RAM will only be as good as your worst module.

I am also always advising people who have done Windows 10 RAM tests and who are now looking to purchase Memory modules to take the opportunity to upgrade. As an example, the computer on which we are typing this has 3GHz RAM. So, should we decide to be forced to buy a new module because our Memory has gone back, we will actually take the opportunity to upgrade to 8GHz, which is the maximum for this particular PC.

Summary

Hope this article has shown you how to do a RAM test Windows 10. Memory is an important component on any computer. So, you need to make sure that you carry out a Memory Test on your Windows 10 computer should you encounter problems with performance. Once you have done this, you will be able to either pinpoint or eliminate RAM as the source of your woes. We noted in this article that RAM is not expensive. That’s despite the fact that it’s one of the best ways through which you can upgrade your computer.