RAM Matters: How Much Do You Need for Gaming? 4GB, 8GB, 16GB or 32GB

[EClyde]

What really gets me is framerate. Guys that need big framerate I don't understand unless you more then flush

 

[Badvok]

Not sure why you insist on considering only 4, 8, 16, 32. Some people will have spare memory slots that can be used to upgrade rather than throwing away memory modules, thus 12 and 24 are also options (so long as you obey the channel rules). So the conclusion should really be that 12GB is the minimum.

12GB is not a configuration you should use in any dual-channel system. So that is why you don't see that configuration as we don't encourage it for the modern dual and quad platforms.

That is simply not correct. If someone already has 2x4GB they can cheaply add 2x2GB (or vice-versa) and still run dual-channel so long as each pair on each channel is matched.

 

[Steve]

That is simply not correct. If someone already has 2x4GB they can cheaply add 2x2GB (or vice-versa) and still run dual-channel so long as each pair on each channel is matched.

You can't get 2GB DDR4 sticks and I was addressing someone talking about an 8GB stick with a 4GB stick.

 

[Nightfire]

Steve, huge fan of the site and your review style. You are a MACHINE.

This review did double duty in showing how much ram you need for gaming, as well as what games need higher vRam regardless of system Ram before the 1% lows suffer.

I would love to something exactly the same except with a RX 480 4 GB and 8 GB version.
Comparing 6 GB GTX 980ti to a 12 GB Titan-M would be cool too. Also, Wolfenstein II seems to be a good game to test vRam usage.

 

[Steve]

Steve, huge fan of the site and your review style. You are a MACHINE.

This review did double duty in showing how much ram you need for gaming, as well as what games need higher vRam regardless of system Ram before the 1% lows suffer.

I would love to something exactly the same except with a RX 480 4 GB and 8 GB version.
Comparing 6 GB GTX 980ti to a 12 GB Titan-M would be cool too. Also, Wolfenstein II seems to be a good game to test vRam usage.

Thanks mate. I'll update with RX 580 4GB and 8GB testing plus some Vega results as well soon

 

[fktech]

Nice article. But I need zero Ram for gaming, I don't play games.

 

[Nightfire]

Please explain why 4 modules should not be used in a 2x4 and 2x2 configuration. As long as the both dual channels are paired, I see no reason why the second dual channel should have the same size modules as the first dual channel. It is the frequency that needs to be matched across all modules not the size. The size only needs to match the module being paired to.

I actually didn't know this. I replaced my 2x4 GB with faster 2x8 GB. I still have 2 open slots, so can I make my system 24 GB if I match the frequencies/timings? Right now, I am better off with the faster 2x8 GB, but it may come in handy in the future.

 

[PetrolHead]

I actually didn't know this. I replaced my 2x4 GB with faster 2x8 GB. I still have 2 open slots, so can I make my system 24 GB if I match the frequencies/timings? Right now, I am better off with the faster 2x8 GB, but it may come in handy in the future.

It's not quite that simple. Four sticks of RAM stresses the memory controller more than two, which may affect the speed and timings at which you can run the sticks at. AMD's memory controller's are likely more sensitive to the amount of stick than Intel's. Then again, if you get all four sticks running together, I doubt you'll notice any difference outside benchmarks even if you have to settle for slightly lower speed or looser timings.

 

[ShagnWagn]

"and no I didn't find any extra system memory in a loot box"

Haha, I was already thinking to sarcasm remark as I saw BFII testing come up until I saw you hit it in your article. Well done!

 

[cliffordcooley]

I still have 2 open slots, so can I make my system 24 GB if I match the frequencies/timings?

That's basically what I was asking steve. My question was based on 12GB though, and the 24GB potential was ignored.

 

[Nightfire]

It's not quite that simple. Four sticks of RAM stresses the memory controller more than two, which may affect the speed and timings at which you can run the sticks at. AMD's memory controller's are likely more sensitive to the amount of stick than Intel's. Then again, if you get all four sticks running together, I doubt you'll notice any difference outside benchmarks even if you have to settle for slightly lower speed or looser timings.

Ah Thanks. Still, good to know if 16 GB ever maxes out and I do not want to buy more ddr4 before ddr5 in a couple years.

 

[thomas666]

16gb of ram is exceptionally expensive. I've decided not to spend 100 Euro more for RAM and stay with 8gb. For my radeon rx580 8gb it is enough. Thx for article.

I'm rather casual gamer and it is really not easy to buy hardware these days. My advice for people who count their money is to just play older games. Don't care about brand new titles. They are expensive, force you to spend to much for your gaming rig and they are bad optimized. Just play 2 or 3 years old games. Buy mid range gaming rig, enjoy smooth play and save money.

 

[pencea]

I currently have 32GB of memory in my rig, so it's fair to say I'm good at least for a few more years

 

[LeroN]

It would be intresting to see tests with 8GB RAM + Intel Optane SSD 16GB. The last one is cheap enough today and a matter is can we get some advantage in case of laking enough RAM or not? A bottleneck of Optane is low writing speed that can affect whole performance but it would be really great to have some confirmation or refutation to that point.

 

[hahahanoobs]

It would be intresting to see tests with 8GB RAM + Intel Optane SSD 16GB. The last one is cheap enough today and a matter is can we get some advantage in case of laking enough RAM or not? A bottleneck of Optane is low writing speed that can affect whole performance but it would be really great to have some confirmation or refutation to that point.

If you're using Optane instead of a SATA SSD, you're doing it wrong.

 

[Nero7]

Any reason why 12 is never an option?

 

[cliffordcooley]

Any reason why 12 is never an option?

That was covered in the comments.

 

[Nero7]

That was covered in the comments.

ah I see, thx.
Any reason why no manufacturer ever comes up with 6GB ram sticks?

 

[cliffordcooley]

I think it started way back before even 4MB of memory and simply just doubles each time. 4MB was when I started paying attention to the numbers. I think they do this so that when they come out with a new chip, the size matches two of the previous chips in order to remain compatible.

• 4MB
• 8MB
• 16MB
• 32MB
• 64MB
• 128MB
• 256MB
• 512MB
• 1GB
• 2GB
• 4GB
• 8GB
• 16GB
• 32GB
• 64GB
• 128GB
• 256GB
• 512GB

 

[QuantumPhysics]

RAM has risen in cost exponentially.

I personally play it safe with 32GB of DDR4 RAM. More is better.

I never, ever want to see my computer claim it is low on memory. Ever.

 

[Jack Zhang]

Guys, go with 128G RAMs if you can afford them, I recently upgraded my set up from 32G to 128G RAM, everything feels extremely smooth even if I open 20+ windows. Also, I never turned off my PC since then, I can just put it to sleep and wake it up anytime I want with lightning speed.

 

[harm9963]

For my games that use CFX at 1080p - 32GB of ram is needed ,

For a single card at 1080p -

16 GB is needed.

 

[Geodude074]

For casual gamers like myself, 1080p at high-ultra settings getting 60 FPS is more than enough. GTX 1060 3G with 8GB RAM readily achieves these results in 2/3 of the games you tested, the exception being Assassin's Creed. But considering the testing was done at Very High settings, turning the settings down at notch would achieve 60fps.

So no, 8 GB RAM isn't the bare minimum. 8 GB RAM is what's needed to achieve high-ultra settings at 60 FPS in today's games with a mid-range GTX 1060 3G card. I would not call that the bare minimum.

 

[centrino207]

RAM has risen in cost exponentially.

I personally play it safe with 32GB of DDR4 RAM. More is better.

I never, ever want to see my computer claim it is low on memory. Ever.

Or just go with DDR3 RAM if you hate high price.

Or wait year or two for DDR5 to come out.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Or just go with DDR3 RAM if you hate high price.

Or wait year or two for DDR5 to come out.

My last desktop had 32GB of DDR3, a Core i7, a Geforce GTX Titan X and a 2TB Crucial SSD.

I honestly saw more improvement upon adding the SSD than maxing the RAM from 16 to 32.