Is your mac running slow? Here’s how you can upgrade your Mac’s RAM!

If you are running complex apps or your Mac feels like it’s running very slow, a lot of the time the issue has to do with your RAM or random access memory. That’s where the Mac stores data that the apps and operating system are using right now. Naturally, if there’s too much stuff to store and manage, the system will struggle. At that point, you will see the spinning beach ball, slow performance, the device is freezing and other things of that nature.

Do you really need more RAM?

Before you go on this path and buy, then install more RAM, you want to see if you really need more RAM in the first place. Enter the Activity Monitor and in there you want to check the memory consumption graph. If you see that the amount of memory used is close to 100% a lot of the time, that means your Mac is barely holding on and it needs more memory. And if that’s the case, you may want to buy more RAM. Of course, if the graph shows your Mac is ok with the amount of memory you have now, you won’t really need anything else.

Freeing up your Mac’s memory

A good idea before you follow our complete guide to upgrade Mac RAM is to free up some of the RAM. A Mac cleanup tool is ideal here because it will help you free up RAM quickly, effectively and without a hitch. The advantage is that it also allows you to speed things up, and the performance will be much improved, which is extremely important in these situations. At the end of the day, that’s the thing that you want to pursue first, before you do any physical upgrades.

Having the Mac cleanup tool running in the background is ideal. In doing so, whenever you see that more RAM is needed, you can go ahead and clean up the memory, and it will be much better in the end. Just make sure that you do this often, especially when the amount of RAM available is very low.

Is it possible to upgrade your RAM on a MacBook?

Yes, that is totally doable, but not for all models. The newer models have their RAM soldered onto the motherboard. That prevents you from upgrading or expanding the memory. But if you have an older MacBook, then that will not be a problem. Check and see how many RAM slots are on your device and how many are used right now. Upgrading the RAM will be handy, since it will offer you that much-needed boost.

If you want to know how many RAM slots are available, click on the Apple Icon, choose About this Mac and More Info. Then, click System Report and then access the Memory panel. That will let you know exactly how many sticks of memory are available and how many slots are available as well. It says if you have upgradeable memory or not, and that’s extremely important to keep in mind.

In case you can upgrade your Mac’s RAM, you can buy it from a variety of places. Just make sure that it’s compatible with the model you have. That way, you can prevent any issues where you might have to refund the memory and buy a new set of sticks. In the end, it helps if you go on dedicated forums or ask the help of a specialist when buying, just to ensure everything is ok.

Steps to help you upgrade your MacBook’s memory

Most MacBook models released until 2012 tend to have memory slots available. You can check and see for yourself before attempting this. Once you buy the memory, here are the steps to follow:

Turn off the MacBook and disconnect peripherals.
Turn the unit upside down, remove the screws holding the bottom case and touch metal to ground yourself before touching the RAM.
Now, you want to push the levers on the sides to remove the module.
Remove the RAM and try to hold the module by its edges. It’s crucial to not touch the gold connectors, as that could end up becoming a problem.
Now, you want to insert the new RAM and then push it down. If it clicks into place, then everything is fine. You must repeat this for as many modules as you want to install.
After that, you put the backplate back and screw it into place.
Lastly, you must turn on the MacBook and go to the About this Mac section. That way, you will confirm if the system sees your RAM or not.

Clearly, the process of adding more RAM can be tricky and also costly, because Mac random access memory is not cheap. That’s why it makes sense to have a cleanup tool that will help you clean up the memory. But at some point, more RAM becomes a necessity and that’s what you want to focus on the most.

Further Reading