How Much RAM Should You Get? 4GB vs. 8GB vs. 16GB Tested
- Thread starter Steve
- Start date
8GB is still fine for over 90% of the triple A titles released so far this year. GPU VRAM is completely different and it isn't the game that dictates how much VRAM is required, it is the GPU itself.
Peter Farkas
Posts: 654 +530
Hey Steve,
Which game+gpu combo requires more than 8GB memory?
Virtually none. I know AoTS requires 16GB of system memory when using explicit multi-GPUs (or at least it did back when we first tested the feature).
BadThad
Posts: 1,362 +1,637
It's foolish to not just make the leap to 16GB, the extra cost is negligible. Better to have it and not need it, than to not have it and need it.
What this review is missing by using testing and benchmarks is that Windows is just operates better and smoother with more RAM.
What this review is missing by using testing and benchmarks is that Windows is just operates better and smoother with more RAM.
Squid Surprise
Posts: 5,597 +5,227
This is almost a year old... obviously not quite as relevant as it was then...
gamerk2
Posts: 971 +985
"Of the now 20 plus games we actively benchmark with, the only other game to exceed 6GB of memory usage was F1 2015 and all three memory configurations delivered the exact same 109fps."
Because those games are likely all compiled as Win32, which aside from the well known 4GB Address Space limitation, also remains bound by the 2GB User Address Space limit, even when run on Win64 (unless compiled as Large Address Aware, which allows the full 4GB to be utilized).
I would imagine *most* apps are compiled as LAA by default now, but the Win32 4GB limitation remains in effect. Kind of explains why you don't get massive benefit to extending much beyond that in games; they simply don't need any more.
Because those games are likely all compiled as Win32, which aside from the well known 4GB Address Space limitation, also remains bound by the 2GB User Address Space limit, even when run on Win64 (unless compiled as Large Address Aware, which allows the full 4GB to be utilized).
I would imagine *most* apps are compiled as LAA by default now, but the Win32 4GB limitation remains in effect. Kind of explains why you don't get massive benefit to extending much beyond that in games; they simply don't need any more.
dirtyferret
Posts: 899 +1,274
completely inaccurate as proven by Steven above, lets not speak in hyperbole and embarrass ourselves
Darth Shiv
Posts: 2,371 +886
As a dev who runs the newer versions of Visual Studio (2013/2015) and VMs (for application testing on other OS's or isolated clean test environments), very different use case and I would say a minimum of 16GB nowadays. 16GB in reality is probably too low.
Each VS instance including the debug processes ends up taking 2-3GB - I usually run 2 or 3 instances of VS so there's around 9GB gone off the bat. Then running Outlook for email - say goodbye to another ~1.5GB. Then Chrome is a memory hog nowadays ~2GB gone.
Then if you need to run a VM or test a web app in a separate browser process, or run more Office applications, you are getting really slim on memory - not much change for 16GB!
Unfortunately my home desktop is far more suited to work than my work PC!
So same old story - horses for courses. With memory so cheap, I'd recommend either getting a little bit for future proofing OR pick memory configs that give you free DIMM slots for options later. E.g. if you have 4 slots and only need 8GB now, get 2x4GB DIMMs so you have 2 free slots later rather than filling all 4 slots with 4x2GB.
Each VS instance including the debug processes ends up taking 2-3GB - I usually run 2 or 3 instances of VS so there's around 9GB gone off the bat. Then running Outlook for email - say goodbye to another ~1.5GB. Then Chrome is a memory hog nowadays ~2GB gone.
Then if you need to run a VM or test a web app in a separate browser process, or run more Office applications, you are getting really slim on memory - not much change for 16GB!
Unfortunately my home desktop is far more suited to work than my work PC!
So same old story - horses for courses. With memory so cheap, I'd recommend either getting a little bit for future proofing OR pick memory configs that give you free DIMM slots for options later. E.g. if you have 4 slots and only need 8GB now, get 2x4GB DIMMs so you have 2 free slots later rather than filling all 4 slots with 4x2GB.
Bigtruckseries
Posts: 583 +320
The first thing I did when I got my Core i7 desktop was to upgrade it to a TITAN X 12GB and from 16GB of RAM to 32 GB of RAM.
I don't like the word "sufficient" in regard to just 8GB of RAM.
I wanted to stretch that as far as possible. Right now I'm 32, but over time I may go higher.
However, there's always the problem of diminishing returns and I do think going higher than 32GB (which this article SHOULD HAVE ALSO TESTED) is unnecessary.
I run 3 Monitors and a 4K 50" vizio on my Titan X 12GB and as far as I'm concerned, more resources is better - just cause.
I don't like the word "sufficient" in regard to just 8GB of RAM.
I wanted to stretch that as far as possible. Right now I'm 32, but over time I may go higher.
However, there's always the problem of diminishing returns and I do think going higher than 32GB (which this article SHOULD HAVE ALSO TESTED) is unnecessary.
I run 3 Monitors and a 4K 50" vizio on my Titan X 12GB and as far as I'm concerned, more resources is better - just cause.
Bigtruckseries
Posts: 583 +320
Many people will not only question the amount of RAM they need but the level of CPU they need.
I push Core i5 for my employees so they can get the most out of Microsoft Office.
I stick with Core i7 for myself mostly because I do a lot of 4K video editing. This computer edits and finalizes so quickly it puts the last MAC PRO I had to shame. I love More RAM simply because it helps avoid crashes and system stress when you multitask it.
I push Core i5 for my employees so they can get the most out of Microsoft Office.
I stick with Core i7 for myself mostly because I do a lot of 4K video editing. This computer edits and finalizes so quickly it puts the last MAC PRO I had to shame. I love More RAM simply because it helps avoid crashes and system stress when you multitask it.
cliffordcooley
Posts: 13,141 +6,441
Naturally if you buy a sports car, the average car will no longer be considered sufficient. That's because you are no longer looking at it from an average perspective. If you go above average you going above and beyond sufficient.
Bigtruckseries
Posts: 583 +320
Windows 8 and 8.1 were TRASH. They horribly mismanaged resources. When you install Windows 10 on a computer that ran Windows 8 and 8.1 poorly, you see right away how much better optimized 10 is than 8/8.1.
That said, 8/8.1 work best with solid state drives and over 8GB of RAM. 8 was designed for a tablet, not a desktop. Using 8/8.1 on a Tablet, they function far better than they do on a desktop. windows 10 does its duty on whatever you install it on.
TheJ88
Posts: 8 +0
Normally closing down just Firefox [about 10 tabs] yields me about 20% - 25% of my total RAM which is 8GB.
Found 8GB to be the sweet spot outside of heavy RAM chewing programs like adobe.
TheJ88
Posts: 8 +0
Running Windows 8.1 Pro on one of my laptops and I don't see none of that.
Still playing around with Windows 10, but for me so far Windows 8.1 is the best OS I've ever used.
I see many bagging Windows 8 but when I moved up from Windows 7 to 8 I was surprised at the reviews it got. Have tried both 8 and 8.1 versions and for me, they are feel way faster and smoother than Windows 7.
cliffordcooley
Posts: 13,141 +6,441
Some power users learn to use their machine without having loads of disorganized browser tabs open in memory. I would even go so far as to say they are the true power users. That is when they condition themselves, not to push the limits of their machines memory capability. Because when push comes to shove, their machine operates smoother when fewer resources are used. Which by the way is the exact reason why these very same power users remove startup applications.
Alex Voinica
Posts: 99 +85
These games are old, why not add new ones to the benchmark ?
Like Forza Horizon 3, Deus Ex Mankind Divided or Gears of War 4.
This article has become partially obsolete.
Also, it would be interesting to add RAM at 3000 Mhz to the test. To see if their speed really matters.
Like Forza Horizon 3, Deus Ex Mankind Divided or Gears of War 4.
This article has become partially obsolete.
Also, it would be interesting to add RAM at 3000 Mhz to the test. To see if their speed really matters.
J
Jamlad
I would have liked to have seen 32gb compared too. After all the hullabaloo over the new MBP RAM limitations.
#ThrowbackThursday - We will probably update this article soon.
Experimentongod
Posts: 356 +200
The problem is that nowadays we don't upgrade our PC's hardware as much as we did years ago and, at some point in the future, having 16GB will be meaningful even with some games.
You can't possibly know when that will happen, so I prefer to buy 16GB (I did when I got my new PC back in July) and just have that peace of mind, instead of getting "only" 8GB and then wondering when it will be a good idea to upgrade to 16GB (may as well get it now before some new RAM technology comes out and current RAM prices skyrocket).
I dit get DDR4 3200Mhz because it was the best bang for your buck and also because I like that it's 2x the clock speed of the old DDR3 1600Mhz I had
You can't possibly know when that will happen, so I prefer to buy 16GB (I did when I got my new PC back in July) and just have that peace of mind, instead of getting "only" 8GB and then wondering when it will be a good idea to upgrade to 16GB (may as well get it now before some new RAM technology comes out and current RAM prices skyrocket).
I dit get DDR4 3200Mhz because it was the best bang for your buck and also because I like that it's 2x the clock speed of the old DDR3 1600Mhz I had
Technosense
Posts: 43 +25
Ad a video editor that relies heavily on After Effects and Premiere, I can say with absolute certainty that the more RAM the better. Currently the 64GB I'm using is filled quickly just editing 30 second commercial spots and makes a world of difference when actually working.
Also, I normally have Photoshop and Premiere running in the background to make on the fly edits and graphics so that also helps with workflow. This is in addition to a 256GB SSD used just for Caching the video.
I didn't just test these one evening, I've spend years with this on a dozen different machines. While I appreciate the article, it's just wrong when it comes to video editing in the real world, the more RAM the better.
If you're in AE, all you have to do is watch your little green line that indicates "rendered frames", if you're light on RAM, that line will "move" along the timeline as there is not enough memory to render the entire projects (30 second videos in my case), 32GB will get it further and 64GB or more allows me to cache the entire thing. Granted we work with multiple 4k Cameras, but that just thought I'd mention it.
Also, I normally have Photoshop and Premiere running in the background to make on the fly edits and graphics so that also helps with workflow. This is in addition to a 256GB SSD used just for Caching the video.
I didn't just test these one evening, I've spend years with this on a dozen different machines. While I appreciate the article, it's just wrong when it comes to video editing in the real world, the more RAM the better.
If you're in AE, all you have to do is watch your little green line that indicates "rendered frames", if you're light on RAM, that line will "move" along the timeline as there is not enough memory to render the entire projects (30 second videos in my case), 32GB will get it further and 64GB or more allows me to cache the entire thing. Granted we work with multiple 4k Cameras, but that just thought I'd mention it.
The only game I've ever actually noticed RAM make a difference on was War for the Overworld, spiritual successor to Dungeon Keeper. I had 8GB and I noticed the game struggled on my rig (GTX 970 + i5-4690), but I upgraded to 16GB earlier this year, and went back to play the game's expansion and it was absolutely fine.
Bigtruckseries
Posts: 583 +320
How much memory should I get???
ANSWER: as much as my computer can possibly take!!!
I have a Core i7, 6950x, Titan X and 32GB (up from 16GB). The first week of owning my computer, I upgraded.
ANSWER: as much as my computer can possibly take!!!
I have a Core i7, 6950x, Titan X and 32GB (up from 16GB). The first week of owning my computer, I upgraded.
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