Understanding the Device Health Check: System Memory (RAM)

Purpose: Ensuring a Responsive and Productive Experience

To ensure your computer can handle your daily tasks without slowing down or freezing, we perform health checks on all devices. The “System Memory (RAM)” check measures a critical component that determines how well your computer can multitask.

Sufficient RAM is one of a computer’s most important features for a smooth, efficient, and frustration-free workday, especially when using modern tools like Windows 11.

How it Works: Your Computer’s Workbench

The best way to understand RAM is to think of it as your computer’s digital workbench.

• Every application you open (like Outlook, Teams, or a web browser) takes up space on this workbench.
• A computer with too little RAM has a small, cluttered workbench. When you try to do too many things at once, the computer has to constantly put tools away (saving to the slow hard drive) to make room for new ones. This is what causes lag, stuttering in video calls, and a generally slow experience.
• A computer with enough RAM has a large, spacious workbench. You can have many applications open and switch between them instantly because there’s plenty of room for everything. This results in a fast and responsive system.

Our health check simply measures the size of your computer’s “workbench” to ensure it’s large enough for your work.

What Your Results Mean

The check confirms your computer has enough RAM for its intended use—either as a standard device or a more powerful AI-ready “Copilot+ PC.”

Status	What It Means	What To Do
PASS	Sufficient Memory Detected  Your computer has enough “workbench space” (at least 4 GB for a standard PC or 16 GB for a Copilot+ PC) to run modern applications smoothly.	No action is required. Your system meets the performance standard.
ACTION REQUIRED(Fail)	Insufficient Memory Detected Your computer does not have enough memory to provide a good experience with today’s software. This is a primary cause of system slowness and performance issues.	This cannot be fixed with a simple software update. Please contact the IT Help Desk immediately to schedule a device replacement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this a problem now? My computer used to work fine.

• As software becomes more powerful—especially web browsers with many tabs, and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams—it requires a larger “workbench” to run effectively. An amount of RAM that was acceptable a few years ago is no longer sufficient for today’s demands.

Can’t you just install more memory in my computer?

• In most modern company laptops, RAM is integrated directly into the main board and cannot be easily upgraded. To ensure reliability and performance, the most effective solution is to replace the device with a modern one that meets the current standard.

Why do “Copilot+ PCs” need so much more RAM?

• The advanced, on-device AI features of Copilot+ PCs are incredibly powerful and require a much larger “workbench” (at least 16 GB) to operate. This extra space ensures that AI tasks can run in the background without slowing down your primary work.