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My laptop is supposed to have 6 GB ram but it only detects 2 GB of it, so I don't know what to do.

I searched the web for answer and what i get that there's 2 possible problem:

1- That 4 GB ram card is broken and not working

2- or the 2 ram card have a different path so the windows chose the path of the smaller ram card which would be the 2 GB ram

I don't know what is the path in first place so I really don't know what to do.

How would I troubleshoot, and work out why the 4 GB stick is not being detected? My laptop's specifications are as follows:

Windows 7 Home premium 64- bit Operating system 

processor : intel (R) core(TM) i7 CPU   Q740 @1.73 GHz 1.73GHz

installed memory(RAM) : 2.00 GB  (but it suppose to be 6 GB -_- )

My laptop is Dell and it's Model N5010

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    What's telling you that you only have 2GB?
    – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams
    Jun 30, 2013 at 15:27
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    Personally, I think it's better to match RAM modules in both slots if possible. So 2x 1GB, or 2x 2GB, or (the most this laptop can take) 2x 4GB. It can work if you mix and match, but RAM is so cheap these days that I never risk it. Anyway- why have 6GB when you can have 8GB?
    – Austin ''Danger'' Powers
    Jun 30, 2013 at 16:08
  • Austin: Matching SoDIMMS is nice if you can do it, but I take 2GiB + 4GiB any day of a matched pair of 2x 2GiB SoDIMMs. (Ofc, a matched pair of 2x 4GIB beats both of those). ---- @OP: II suspect you have a 2GiB and a 4GiB SoDIMM and that the 4GiB SoDIMM is not properly seated. Physically check which SoDIMMs are present and reseat them. (That means remove them and reinsert them).
    – Hennes
    Jun 30, 2013 at 16:57
  • I’m surprised everybody missed the obvious question: are you sure it’s supposed to have 6GB? How do you know that? Are you sure it didn’t simply say it supports up to 6GB as opposed to it comes with 6GB?
    – Synetech
    Dec 18, 2013 at 3:15

1 Answer 1

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That model only has 2 RAM slots, so my guess is you only have 1x 2GB or 2x 1GB sticks in there:

enter image description here

If you can open it up and report back on what is installed in the RAM slots then it will be easy for us to help.

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  • 1
    I'd guess he has a 2gb and a 4gb stick inside
    – Journeyman Geek ♦
    Jun 30, 2013 at 15:53
  • According to that pic, "Scan your system" to view your specific configuration"... may help to get info without opening the laptop.
    – Carl B
    Jun 30, 2013 at 15:57
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    That's just Crucial's scanning tool. If a RAM module isn't seated properly or or is faulty in some way, a software utility won't see it. The OP needs to reach for the screwdriver and see what's going on inside.
    – Austin ''Danger'' Powers
    Jun 30, 2013 at 16:00
  • i have 2 slots (2 GB & 4 GB)/ that 4 Gb i can remove it but 2 GB i can't -_- / i try to remove 4 Gb and reinsert it but nothing happen
    – monablo
    Jun 30, 2013 at 23:07
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    There are 2 unknowns in the equation- the RAM (might be broken, might be ok) and the memory slot (might be faulty, might be okay). The best thing to do now is to take one of these unknowns out of the equation. That either means putting some known good memory in the laptop, or taking this memory out and trying it in another laptop with a known good memory slot. That's the only advice I can give. If you have a techie, friend ask him if he can help you with this :)
    – Austin ''Danger'' Powers
    Jul 1, 2013 at 2:19

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