Chromebooks have come a long way from where they first started their journey. In the tech-forward age we live in, you’ll find a rich abundance of these sleek devices awaiting your purchases on the fly. For instance, look at the top 10 Chromebooks with a built-in stylus, and you’ll know what we’re on about.
Since we’re faced with so many options these days, confusion is bound to spring up when power users look for upgrade options and other configurations of a particular device. Some users have frequently asked whether it is better to shop for more RAM or storage on Chromebook, and we’re here to answer exactly that.
This guide will cover all you need to know about this particular instance, so let’s get started with this guide right away. Before we get started, though, it’s worth checking out a related read on how to find the RAM size on Chrome OS.
- Recommended from Chrome Ready: How to install and use Slack on Chromebook.
RAM or storage – Which system component should you prefer?
Let’s form the basis of our discussion before getting started with the topic at hand. Although interconnected with each other in a certain way, both RAM and storage are pretty different from each other. RAM refers to Random Only Memory, which is the internal memory of a device. It is one of the most fundamental components of all computing devices, whether it’s a mobile, a Macbook, or a Chromebook.
Principally, RAM lets you run games and applications and forms a substantial part of a device’s multitasking capability. On the other hand, storage differs entirely from RAM in this sense as it only serves as a permanent reservoir for files, personal data, and other related items. If you’re debating whether you should shop for more RAM or storage for a Chromebook, you’re asking the right question.
Let us break down each component in detail and talk about what matters the most when you’re out shopping for a new Chromebook.
How RAM matters for Chromebooks
While RAM is quite blatantly one of the most important components of a computing device, not much is known about the working mechanism of this effective system component. As iterated earlier, the word RAM is an acronym that stands for Random Access Memory. It’s highly temporary, meaning that everything stored in RAM disappears when you turn your Chromebook off. Of course, there’s a good reason for this occurrence.
You see, RAM forms the backbone of an operating system. It allows the active execution of applications and various processes, so users can stay flexible when working on their computers. For instance, it’s the role of RAM to open up a Google Play Store application on one window and let you surf the internet through the Chrome browser on another. If we speak about Windows PCs, the more RAM you have, the better the device’s performance will be.
With that being said, though, Chrome OS dealing with RAM differs from other operating systems. This isn’t to say that the internal memory of Chromebooks isn’t important at all. We would be lying to say stuff like that. It’s just that the operating system of a Chromebook is better equipped to handle RAM than, say, Microsoft Windows, where resources need to be at their level best for likewise performance.
The first fleet of Chromebooks arrived with no more than 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage. While a commoner would say that these specifications are minimal, and they’d be right too without prior knowledge, Chromebooks still managed to boot up within 10 seconds and provide a faster browsing experience than similarly specced Windows laptops. You now have a fair idea of how Chrome OS behaves more optimized and works great even with underwhelming hardware.
With all of that being said and done, things aren’t as futuristic as yet. Chromebooks still rely on RAM—not as much as other devices—but they do that reasonably. For instance, the multitasking capability of a Chromebook heavily depends on the amount of internal memory it has. 2 GB of Chromebooks can’t do much except for smoothing running several Chrome tabs at once and perhaps a couple of Play Store applications all in the same while.
When you up the ante and get yourself a Chromebook with more RAM, about 4 GB, you double down on the specifications and give yourself twice the multitasking potential. The same formula applies to devices with even higher-in-RAM Chromebooks. To further clarify this instance, let’s discuss how storage matters for Chromebooks.
- Related read: How to free up RAM on Chromebook.
How storage matters for Chromebooks
When it boils down to the hard drive of Chromebooks, or in other terms, the storage, these behave similarly to most other devices. Your Chromebook’s storage allows you to download and install files, games, applications, and other software for daily use. In addition, the operating system itself resides in the storage compartment of the device, thereby taking up a portion of the total space.
For instance, a Chromebook with 64 GB of storage will have at least 19 GB occupied by the Chrome OS image. The rest of it, which would be about 45 GB in this case, is yours for the taking, meaning that you can download Play Store or Linux applications on the device without breaking a sweat. The higher the storage, the more the capacity to store files locally on your Chromebook.
Apart from just serving as a reservoir for the permanent processes of the device, the storage of your Chromebook has an impact on its performance as well. However, this effect is significantly lesser than RAM has on your device’s performance. When the subject of storage springs up, especially in the domain of Chrome OS, you don’t have to think of anything else other than the capacity of the device to offer downloadable space for various processes.
Now that we’re aware of both RAM and storage, let’s get straight to the point and discuss whether it’s better to shop for the latter or the former for a Chromebook.
Our two cents – RAM is the real deal
To put it simply, you should prioritize RAM above storage when looking to purchase a new Chromebook. This is simply because most Chromebooks have soldered internal memory, which does not allow more space or upgrade options. On the other hand, storage is a much more flexible affair than RAM.
Many Chromebooks, such as the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 and the HP Chromebook x360 14c, come with a dedicated microSD card reader slot to expand your storage options. This means that even if you buy a device with lesser storage than your requirement, but the price is excellent and the RAM is adequate, you’ll easily be able to plug in a microSD card and increase the device’s overall storage.
The cherry on top includes multiple USB ports, both Type-A and Type-C. The latter is a relatively newer technology, accommodating features like fast data transfer and rapid charging, while the former suits legacy peripherals more. You can plug in external hard drives and add more storage to your Chromebook on the aforementioned SD card. This is, of course, more than what one could require from the perspective of having enough storage space.
With that being said and done, the same cannot be expressed for RAM. This is a factory preinstalled system component that cannot be tampered with. Only a handful of Chromebooks are flexible enough to let users replace their internal memory for a better one, but you’ll have to stick with what you read on the specs sheet for the vast chunk of the Chrome OS market.
That is why it’s better to shop for more RAM on a Chromebook, primarily because of the device’s high reliance on internal memory to get things done and promise a smooth working environment for its users. There are multiple ways of getting more storage options, and we haven’t even discussed one of the best ones yet. Let’s take a look below.
Pick RAM and enter the world of cloud storage
Choosing RAM over its counterpart and marking your foray into the best cloud-based storage options brings the best results. A software called pCloud starts users with 10 GB of free storage and lets you upload files and data of your interest to its official servers. That way, you’ll be able to access and download your uploaded stuff anytime you want, thus the whole advantage of picking cloud storage over local storage.
In addition, it’s pretty easy to get started with cloud-oriented storage methods on Chrome OS. For instance, Google Drive—the front-running cloud-based app for Chromebooks—sits right within the “Files” section of the device’s user interface. It integrates pretty profoundly with the operating system and makes it effortless for power users to upgrade to the premium versions of Google Drive. These offer more storage space and a swath of other features, should you be interested in them.
Therefore, it should be clear why it’s miles better to shop for more RAM than storage on a Chromebook. As laid out in the article above, there’s no significant benefit in going the other way.
Conclusion
Chromebooks are gaining reliable traction as we near the mid of 2022. The top-ranking manufacturers of our time are hard at work dishing out one high-quality Chromebook after the other, so we’re genuinely faced with many options when going out and choosing between the swath of devices available before us. Specs-conscious users will look for two main system components apart from the display quality, size, and processor: RAM and storage.
We strongly believe that one should shop for more RAM than storage on Chromebook. This is because of the widespread availability of numerous storage options on an operating system like Chrome OS. On the other hand, RAM is pre-determined for the most part and truly measures up to determine the multitasking capacity of your Chromebook. Please let us know in the comments section if you see eye to eye with us.
- Before you go: How to check RAM on Chromebook.
