RAM slots provide fast interfaces between memory sticks and your computer’s motherboard. They allow your system to store data and speed up processes temporarily. But how would you know if one of your RAM slots has failed?

Signs of a faulty RAM slot include failure to recognize functioning RAM sticks, frequent freezes, crashes, and reboots, corrupt files, and consistently poor system performance. A “Blue Screen of Death” or other diagnostic signals from your operating system can also point to RAM slot failure.

Faulty RAM slots can slow your machine and cause it to behave erratically, so you’ll want to watch for the first signs of trouble. Here are eight signs to watch out for.

1. Installed RAM Does Not Show Up

The clearest indication that you may have a faulty RAM slot is if one or more of the RAM sticks you’ve installed on your computer are not being used by your system. But how would you know if this is the case?

Check How Much RAM You Have on Windows

To check how much RAM your system is running on a Windows computer, follow these steps:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
From the tabs at the top of the screen, select “Performance”.
On the panel on the left, select “Memory”.

You should now be able to see how much memory you have installed. The open Task Manager window will also give you information on the number of RAM slots available on the motherboard and the number of slots that are in use.

If fewer RAM sticks than you’ve installed show up and occupied slots show up as unoccupied, you may have a faulty RAM slot on your hands.

Check How Much RAM You Have on a Mac

To check how much RAM your system is running on an Apple computer, follow these steps:

Click on the Apple logo in the top-left-hand of your screen.
Select “About This Mac”.
Click on “System Report”.
A new window will open.
Select “Memory” from the options on the left panel.
You will now see details of the memory installed on your machine.

If installed memory fails to show up, it may be because of a malfunctioning RAM slot.

However, another possibility is that individual RAM sticks have failed. So, how do you ensure you are dealing with a malfunctioning RAM slot instead of a failing stick?

Ensure That the “Missing” RAM Is Correctly Installed

Follow the steps below to see whether your RAM sticks are correctly installed. If following these steps does not restore the RAM stick in question, you may have a faulty RAM slot on your hands.

Shut down your computer.
Unplug all devices connected to the ports of the computer.
Open the computer’s cabinet.
Gently remove the “missing” RAM stick from its slot.
Clean the memory stick. (Read How to clean RAM contacts for a full guide).
Use a compressed air pump to clear any dust from the slot.
Reinsert the stick into the same slot. Press straight down until the stick “locks” with the slot. (Read: Can you put RAM in the wrong way? To learn more about inserting RAM sticks).
Close the case, restore all connections, and start your computer.
If the memory stick is still unrecognized, shut the system again.
Unplug all devices and open the cabinet.
If a free RAM slot is available, plug the RAM stick into it. If not, plug another RAM stick into the potentially faulty slot.

RAM sticks and slots are pretty hardy and usually do not fail. When they do, you’ll see other signs hinting at the problem. Let us look at some of these next.

2. Applications Hang or Crash Frequently

RAM is crucial to speeding up processor-intensive applications on your system. So, if a RAM slot fails, your system may struggle to load such applications. Alternatively, tasks that depend on your RAM for memory may fail to execute properly within applications.

As a user, you’ll experience these problems as frequent hanging or crashing behavior. You may have a memory issue if your system struggles to load certain applications or execute individual commands that demand more resources.

Alternatively, your machine may frequently freeze or take a long time to execute certain commands.

3. System Reboots Randomly

Often, a memory failure can interrupt operating system functions. This will force your system to shut down and restart, even if you’ve not given the command. In the worst-case scenario, your machine may refuse to boot altogether.

4. “Blue Screen of Death” Displays

One of the most terrifying omens for Windows users, the “Blue Screen of Death” indicates hardware or driver failures. It’s known as such because it is a critical error message that pops up on the screen just before your system crashes.

While it does not confirm RAM slot or memory failure as the cause of the crash, RAM failure is one possible explanation of the problem.

To confirm that the problem is memory related, you’ll need to follow up on the error message to locate the cause of the crash.

5. Malfunctioning Video Card

Your RAM sticks play a crucial role in real-time video playback. If a RAM slot has failed, making some RAM unavailable, it can cause problems with your video playback.

In the worst cases, the video card may not function at all, and you may get an error message when you boot your machine.

6. Consistently Lowered System Performance

Most of the issues discussed so far seem dramatic. However, it doesn’t need to be the case for every RAM slot failure. If you’ve got a powerful system fitted with generous amounts of RAM, you may experience much milder symptoms before things get so dire.

Well before critical devices fail and applications hang or crash, you may experience a consistent lowering of overall system performance.

For instance, your system may take much longer to boot than usual. Similarly, other tasks may take more time than they do on average.

Since adding RAM speeds up your computer’s processing, it follows that taking it away should slow it down. This is usually the first indication that something is wrong with your computer.

7. Corrupt Files

As your computer processes files, data is transferred back and forth between your RAM and the storage devices on your computer. When a RAM slot fails, these processes can become disrupted, and information can be lost. Ultimately, files become corrupted.

8. Other Diagnostic Signals

Each time your system boots, its BIOS runs several diagnostic tests to check whether all your system’s devices are functioning properly. Success is then signaled using LED indicators on the motherboard and a series of beep sounds.

If one or more RAM slots fail, the indicators may fail to light up or sound. You will need to review your motherboard manufacturer’s manuals to determine what specific indicators mean.

Remember that a RAM slot failure can also appear as a critical failure of another device, such as a video card. It is not always easy to zero in on the cause of the problem. You may have to use trial and error to hone in on the faulty device.

Resolving a Bad RAM Slot Issue

Many of the symptoms listed in the earlier sections were meant to help you diagnose a faulty RAM slot. However, these issues may also be caused by other failing components.

Therefore, it is important to rigorously test different components to isolate the source of the problem. The easiest way to do this is to swap out components.

However, unless you have an extra computer lying around, this is easier said than done. That’s why many people prefer calling in experts to resolve hardware issues. If you aren’t sure how to proceed, this is your best option.

If you know your way around a computer and are certain that your problem lies with one or more malfunctioning RAM slots, here are your options for resolving the issue.

Use Another Free RAM Slot

Unless all your RAM slots are in use, the failure of one slot need not be catastrophic. Most computers come with 2 to 4 RAM slots. You can just as well use your RAM sticks in a different configuration to the one they are in, with little to no difference in performance.

Note, however, that RAM slots work in channels. If you use more than one RAM stick, you need to place pairs of RAM sticks in the same channel. These are usually the odd or evenly numbered slots on your motherboard.

Moreover, RAM sticks paired in channels need to work at the same speeds and timings and be of the same generation of hardware.

Swapping out RAM sticks is the easiest and lowest-cost solution to the problem. If you have sufficient room on your board, this is the first solution you should attempt.

Use More RAM in the Remaining Slots

If you do not have sufficient remaining RAM slots, you could try replacing the existing RAM sticks on still functioning slots with sticks that have more memory capacity and are faster. While this will cost you money and may not be as fast as running RAM off more slots, it is still cheaper than the alternate solutions.

Replace a Faulty RAM Slot

You could try replacing the faulty RAM slot. However, this is slightly complicated and should only be tried if you know your way around hardware. Otherwise, you can end up causing further damage to your computer.

If you’re unsure how to proceed, outsource the job to an expert.

Replace the Motherboard

A more expensive solution involves replacing the entire motherboard. This is usually only worth it if your components are nearing obsolescence anyway.

However, if one or more RAM slots are damaged, and you cannot get by using the remaining slots or using faster and more capacious RAM sticks, you may have no other solution.

Replace Your Computer

In the worst-case scenario, be open to replacing your entire system. If your computer is over 5 to 6 years old or your laptop is over 3 to 4, it may be time to shop for a new one. In this case, a failing RAM slot indicates that time’s up on your old computer.