When purchasing a new Server, Workstation or PC to support an expansion card one of the most important things to determine is what type of slot does the motherboard have. There are 3 types of slots that have been used for over the years: ISA, PCI, and PCI Express (PCIe). These are also the most common types of slots that computer motherboards have had for expansion cards. Let’s take a look at each of these:

ISA Slots

I own an Acer V571g laptop and I'd like to do a RAM update from 4gb to 8gb. Before I buy brand new 2x4gb ram, I'd like to make sure that my laptop has 2x2gb or 1x4gb ram slots. I mean, if both slots are used or if there's only 1 used. Is there a command line to have that information? I have 128's coming out my ears (yeah, I know, don't get smart.) and a few 256's, and it would be nice to put them to use. Computer only has 2 slots and even a couple of 512's are out of my budget. Millions of customers have trusted the Crucial System Scanner to find memory and storage upgrades. In minutes, learn how much memory and storage your PC or Mac can support, then buy 100% guaranteed compatible upgrades with confidence.

The ISA Slots are shown in Green in image to the right. This is the oldest slot type that is still available today. Computers with ISA slots are no longer available from major computer manufacturers, Ram PC Systems still sells industrial class systems with ISA slots.

PCI Slots

PCI slots were the replacment for ISA slots. The PCI Slots are shown in the Red box in the image. PCI slots come in several different versions including 5 volt and 3.3 volt slots, and 32-bit and 64-bit PCI-X slots. PCI slots are going away as well but are still available from some major computer manufacturers but they usually only offer one PCI slot. Ram PC Systems has several different systems available with 2 or more PCI slots.

PCI Express Slots

PCI Express slots are the replacement for PCI slots, and also AGP (used only for video cards). PCI Express, also labeled as PCIe come in numerous bus widths labeled: x1, x2, x4, x8, and x16.

How To Know If I Have Free Ram Slots Online

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When a user wants to add or upgrade memory (RAM) in a computer, they need to know how many memory slots are available. The following section helps you to determine the number of memory slots in your computer, and how many are used.

Windows Task Manager

The easiest solution for Windows users is to open the Windows Task Manager.

1. Press the Windows key, type Task Manager, and then press Enter.
2. In the window that appears, click the Performance tab (A), then select Memory (B).
3. In the lower-right corner, the number of slots is displayed in the Slots used: section (C).

4. As you can see, this computer has a total of four memory slots, although only two are currently being utilized.

Use the CPU-Z utility

Another way to get information about memory slots and details about the RAM currently installed on your computer, is to use the free CPU-Z third-party utility.

1. Open an Internet browser and visit the CPUID website.
2. On the left side of the screen, select your operating system.

3. On the next page, select your preferred language.

4. On the next screen, click the DOWNLOAD NOW! button.

6. Once the download has finished, install it from your browser and open the program.

7. Click the SPD tab at the top of the screen, and then click the down arrow in the Memory Slot Selection section.

8. As you can see in the image above, all of the memory slots are listed on the drop-down menu.

If you select a different slot from the drop-down menu, CPU-Z will tell you additional information about the RAM that is installed.

Examine the motherboard

Sometimes the best way to determine the available memory slots is to open the computer and examine the motherboard. Opening the computer is the best option if were unable to get the Windows Task Manager or CPU-Z to work.

Looking inside the case, the motherboard is the primary large circuit board. On most motherboards, the memory slots are on either side of the CPU, and resemble what is shown below.

How To Know If I Have A Free Ram Slot

Most computer motherboards have two, three, or four memory slots. Some higher-end motherboards have as many as eight. The above motherboard picture above has no memory modules installed in any of its three slots.

If your computer has no memory slots available and you want to upgrade, you must remove and replace some of the existing memory.

Additional information

How To Know If I Have Free Ram Slots Slot

• See our memory definition for further information and related links.