Cheapest laptop RAM ranked by price per GB

Laptop RAM (SO-DIMM): check before you buy

Laptop memory uses the shorter SO-DIMM module (260 pins for DDR4, 262 for DDR5, 204 for DDR3). The table above ranks 1,580 laptop kits by price per gigabyte, currently from £2.00/GB to £81.26/GB with a median of £8.21/GB. The cheapest kit today is Timetec 32GB KIT(4x8GB) DDR3L / DDR3 1600MHz (DDR3L-1600) PC3L-12800 /… at £63.99.

The first question is not which kit but whether your laptop can take one at all. Many thin laptops since about 2019, and every Apple Silicon MacBook, have memory soldered to the board with no slot. Search your exact model plus "SO-DIMM" or check the manufacturer's service manual; if it lists a maximum memory and a slot count, you can upgrade. Gaming laptops, business machines such as ThinkPads and Latitudes, and most 15-inch budget models still have one or two slots.

Matching the generation and speed

• DDR4 SO-DIMM covers laptops from roughly 2016 to 2023. Most run at 2666 or 3200MHz; buying a faster module is harmless, it simply runs at the board's speed.
• DDR5 SO-DIMM is in laptops from 2022 on, usually at 4800 or 5600MHz. It is not interchangeable with DDR4 and costs more per GB, so filter to the right generation first.
• DDR3 and DDR3L SO-DIMM are for machines before about 2016. Laptops from that era often need the low-voltage DDR3L (1.35V) variant; a plain 1.5V DDR3 stick may not boot.

Laptops with two slots benefit from a matched pair for dual channel, which noticeably helps integrated graphics. If you have one slot filled with an 8GB stick and want 16GB, adding a second 8GB of the same generation and speed is the cheap route; replacing both with a 2x8GB kit avoids any mismatch.

How much RAM does a laptop need?

8GB still works for browsing and office use but is tight with a modern browser open. 16GB is the right target for most people and the minimum for a gaming laptop. 32GB suits developers, video editors and anyone who keeps a lot open at once; it is also as far as most two-slot laptops go with 16GB modules. A few workstation laptops accept 64GB with two 32GB SO-DIMMs.

The For column on this page is derived from the listing, so a handful of desktop DIMMs described as "laptop" by a seller can slip through; the Form Factor column is the reliable check and should say SO-DIMM. Mac laptops with slots (pre-2013 MacBook Pro and some older MacBooks) are on the Mac page. If your laptop turns out to be non-upgradeable, an external SSD or a cheaper trade-in are the realistic alternatives.