How Much RAM Do You Need For Gaming?

We all know about the fact that RAM is often overlooked when you are talking about getting a gaming PC ready, and while it might make sense to some, it is not always fair that something so crucial is ignored.

Sure, RAM might not impact gaming as much as the GPU does, but it is still an important aspect.

I still remember the time when I was gaming with 8 gigs of RAM, and there were so many instances of running out of RAM, and yes, it does break the immersion.

If you are wondering how much RAM do you need for gaming, then this post is for you because we are going to break it down for you and give you as much information as possible. After all, the more you know about these things, the better.

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What Does RAM Do To Gaming?

Although it is no rocket science to know that RAM is important for gaming, a lot of people are often lost when it comes to knowing what exactly it does do in the gaming process. RAM is important as it lets you access data at a faster speed.

Corsair Dominator RGB Ram — Credits: Corsair

The entirety of the game is stored on a solid-state drive or a hard drive, but the RAM makes sure that it is pulling all the data from there as fast as it can. That is why having more RAM means it can act in a better way.

If you are running in a lower RAM, it will not only have a slower time pulling the data, but it will have a difficult time in cases the game has a lot of data on it.

Modern-day games are becoming more and more intensive in this case, and in such a case, having more RAM is the better way to go.

How much RAM do you need for gaming?

Just because a game asks for 16GB RAM does not mean that it is going to utilize all of it.

The 16GB requirement is for the game, along with all the other processes that are running in tandem on your computer. But how much RAM do you need for gaming? That’s what we want to look into.

4GB RAM

There used to be a time when 4GB of RAM was considered a lot. My first PC had 256MB of RAM, and it managed to run all the games in that era.

However, in modern-day computers, 4GB of RAM is simply not enough. Sure, you might be able to run GTA Vice City, Max Payne, and GTA San Andreas, but aside from that, 4 gigs of RAM is not enough, even for modern-day operating systems.

If you want a good experience, you have to upgrade to something better and something more.

8GB RAM

We then move to 8 gigs of RAM. There was a time when this was considered the pinnacle of how good your PC is. Every high-end PC you would see would be with 8 gigs of RAM, and it was crazy.

However, over the past couple of years, 8 gigs is slowly being phased out, and for all the right reasons.

Games are now demanding more, and so are operating systems. You still see this in some basic computers but not a lot of them.

16GB RAM

Now we have come to 16 gigs, which has become the gold standard of any good gaming PC.

I would say that this is the sweet spot if you are looking for the perfect memory for your gaming needs, and sure, this is about to change in a matter of months, almost all the games in the market run without an issue on 16 gigs of RAM, and yes, this is the same for the higher-end games, too.

32GB RAM

Then you have 32 gigs of RAM, something that is going to become the new gold standard.

For the longest time, anything that was more than 16 gigs was considered mainly for tasks that require more RAM, and games weren’t included in those tasks.

However, as we are moving closer, we are saying more and more games require higher RAM, with some games listing 32 gigs as the recommended capacity. So, we are getting there slowly but surely.

DDR5 vs DDR4 RAMs?

Considering how DDR5 is slowly becoming more and more mainstream, a lot of people are feeling the need to replace the DDR4 RAM kits that they have installed in their systems.

Image of Corsair Dominator DDR5 Ram — Credits: Corsair

DDR5 is better than you might think, to be honest. How so? When you compare both, DDR5 RAM allows everyone to have higher capacity modules, there are faster base speeds, and the power consumption is also lowered, but at the cost of higher latency.

Overall, it is safe to say that sooner or later, DDR5 will completely take over DDR4, as did DDR4 when it overtook DDR3.

What RAM Is Compatible with Your Motherboard?

When you are in the process of building a new gaming PC, the one thing that you often need to figure out is what RAM is compatible with your motherboard.

Thankfully, almost all the modern motherboards you find in the market have their capacity listed on them, so you will not have to play the guessing game trying to figure out how much RAM you need, in the first place.

Important RAM Specs You Should Know

How much RAM you need is a rather simple answer, to be honest. Most of the time, you have to figure out just what specs you should be looking at.

If you are looking for the RAM and specs, you need to know that the speed needs to be higher. The higher the speed, the faster the RAM.

Although, it can be argued that the speed doesn’t always play a major role. In addition to that, you need to see that the RAM you are getting has a lower latency.

Lower latency RAMs are also indicative of faster performance, so this is another thing that you should be keeping in mind.

How much RAM is suitable for tablets?

This depends, if you are talking about mobile operating systems like iPadOS or Android, then you don’t really need a lot of RAM, to be honest.

These operating systems, along with their applications, are optimized really well, and can run with ease.

How much RAM is suitable for laptops?

Again, this depends on your usage. Most of the entry-level laptops in the modern day and age ship with 8 gigs of RAM, but you can go as high as you want with ease.

How much RAM is suitable for desktops?

I would say 16 gigs is a sweet spot at the time of writing, but if you are looking at some higher-end gaming machines, you can even go 32 gigs, and 64, or even 128, if you really have tasks that will use that much RAM.

Some more relevant guides if you are making a new gaming PC:

– My Final Verdict:

Upgrading RAM can be difficult for a lot of people, but in this post, we have ensured that everyone knows what they are looking for so they can have a better understanding.

If you are looking for enough RAM for your gaming PC, 16GB, at least for now, is more than enough.

However, these requirements can change going forward, and if that happens, you will end up needing more RAM, and therefore, it is worth noting when to upgrade or when to not.

The point here is that getting your hands on a good RAM is very, very important, and you should never be in a situation where you simply do not have enough RAM.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: Is 16GB RAM overkill for gaming?

Not at all, 16GB RAM is what most would consider the appropriate amount of RAM for proper gaming. However, you will soon need more RAM to play the games properly and without a hitch.

Question 2: Will 32GB RAM improve FPS?

That depends. If the game you are trying to play requires more RAM, then yes, having 32 gigs or more will help in improving your performance.

Question 3: Is 64 GB RAM worth it?

Depends. If you are running tasks that require higher RAM capacity than what you normally see, then 64GB RAM is definitely worth it, and you should go for it.