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How to see memory information such as type and speed

Finding out the memory specifications on a Linux system is easy when using the dmidecode command. Let’s have a look at what information can be extracted and how to zoom in on some specifics, like memory type and memory speed.

Show all memory

The first option to use is --typememory to retrieve information about the memory, but also from the motherboard.

# dmidecode --type memory
# dmidecode 3.3
Getting SMBIOS data from sysfs.
SMBIOS 3.3.0 present.

Handle 0x0042, DMI type 16, 23 bytes
Physical Memory Array
	Location: System Board Or Motherboard
	Use: System Memory
	Error Correction Type: None
	Maximum Capacity: 64 GB
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Number Of Devices: 2

snipped

The output will show all information related to memory, including the relevant parts of the motherboard, including the maximum capacity of memory.

The keyword memory includes:

  • Type 5: Memory Controller
  • Type 6: Memory Module
  • Type 16: Physical Memory Array
  • Type 17: Memory Device

Show the memory modules

If you are interested in the memory modules, then it might be better to specify --type17, or the memory devices.

# dmidecode --type 17
# dmidecode 3.3
Getting SMBIOS data from sysfs.
SMBIOS 3.3.0 present.

Handle 0x0047, DMI type 17, 92 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x0042
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Total Width: 64 bits
	Data Width: 64 bits
	Size: 32 GB
	Form Factor: SODIMM
	Set: None
	Locator: Controller0-ChannelA-DIMM0
	Bank Locator: BANK 0
	Type: DDR4
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 3200 MT/s
	Manufacturer: Micron Technology
	Serial Number: ABCDABCD
	Asset Tag: 9876543210
	Part Number: 16ATF4G64HZ-3G2F1   
	Rank: 2
	Configured Memory Speed: 3200 MT/s
	Minimum Voltage: 1.2 V
	Maximum Voltage: 1.2 V
	Configured Voltage: 1.2 V
	Memory Technology: DRAM
	Memory Operating Mode Capability: Volatile memory
	Firmware Version: Not Specified
	Module Manufacturer ID: Bank 1, Hex 0x2C
	Module Product ID: Unknown
	Memory Subsystem Controller Manufacturer ID: Unknown
	Memory Subsystem Controller Product ID: Unknown
	Non-Volatile Size: None
	Volatile Size: 32767 MB
	Cache Size: None
	Logical Size: None

Show only type and speed

To quickly extract some details such type and speed, we can filter out these rows from the output.

# dmidecode --type 17 | grep -E 'Type|Speed'
	Type: DDR4
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 3200 MT/s
	Configured Memory Speed: 3200 MT/s
	Type: DDR4
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 3200 MT/s
	Configured Memory Speed: 3200 MT/s

Learn more about dmidecode

This article uses the dmidecode command to achieve its tasks. For this popular tool there is a cheat sheet available!

» Mastering the tool: dmidecode

dmidecode cheat sheet

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