Cheapest 8GB laptop RAM ranked by price per GB

8GB laptop RAM: the cheap fix for an older or entry-level laptop

An 8GB SO-DIMM is the most common laptop memory module there is, and it is still the cheapest way to make a 4GB laptop usable again. The table above lists 531 8GB laptop kits and single modules ranked by price per gigabyte, from £2.21/GB with a median of £8.21/GB. The cheapest right now is OFFTEK 8GB RAM Memory 204 Pin Sodimm - DDR3L - PC3-12800 (1600Mhz) - N… at £17.69. Almost everything here is a single 8GB stick; the occasional 2x4GB kit appears too, and the Capacity column shows which.

What 8GB is enough for on a laptop

With 8GB in total, a laptop handles Windows 11, a browser with a sensible number of tabs, email, Office and the odd video call. It gets tight with a modern browser and Teams or Zoom open together, and it is not enough for a gaming laptop or for photo and video editing, which start at 16GB. So an 8GB module is usually bought for one of three jobs:

• Replacing a 4GB stick in a single-slot laptop, doubling the memory with one part.
• Filling the empty second slot of a laptop that shipped with one 8GB module, giving 16GB in dual channel for the price of a single stick.
• Topping up soldered memory. Many budget and mid-range laptops have 4GB or 8GB soldered to the board plus one free slot. An 8GB SO-DIMM next to 8GB soldered gives 16GB with both halves the same size, which keeps the whole amount in dual channel.

Which generation your laptop takes

Laptop modules are keyed so the wrong generation will not seat, but you still need to order the right one:

• DDR3L SO-DIMM (204 pins, 1.35V): laptops from roughly 2013 to 2016, Intel 4th and 5th generation and some 6th. Many will not boot with ordinary 1.5V DDR3; see the DDR3L page. Laptops from 2010 to 2013 take standard DDR3 at 1333 or 1600MHz, and DDR3L works in those as well.
• DDR4 SO-DIMM (260 pins): roughly 2016 to 2023 and the bulk of this page, usually 2400, 2666 or 3200MHz. A faster module simply runs at the laptop's own speed.
• DDR5 SO-DIMM (262 pins): 2022 onward. 8GB DDR5 modules exist but are less common and often cost more per GB than 16GB ones, so on a DDR5 laptop the 16GB page is usually the better value.

Gotchas before you order

Check that the laptop has a slot at all: many thin models since about 2019, most Chromebooks and every Apple Silicon MacBook have all their memory soldered. The laptop RAM upgrade guide covers how to find out from the model number. When adding to an existing stick, match its generation, speed and voltage; Task Manager (Performance, then Memory) shows the speed and how many slots are in use. Mixing an 8GB module with a 4GB one works, but only the first 4GB of each runs in dual channel and the rest in single channel.

Reading the table

The Form Factor column should say SO-DIMM; a few desktop DIMMs described as "laptop" by sellers slip into the listings, and those will not fit. At this size the difference between brands is a pound or two, so sort by £/GB and then look at the rating count. Amazon Warehouse returns are common here and often the cheapest per gigabyte; memory either passes a test or it does not, as the Warehouse RAM guide explains. For the wider view see all laptop RAM or every 8GB module, and check the 8GB desktop page if you are not sure which form factor your machine takes.