You have got a gaming rig with a stable CPU, a solid GPU, and a large HDD or SSD, right?
Now all you have to do is to pair this gaming setup up with the right amount of RAM in order to play games smoothly and without any problems.
In this article, we are going to discuss some well-known concepts about how much of RAM you will need to play modern games on high to ultra settings. So, sit tight and read the article thoroughly to make sure that you choose the right amount of RAM for your gaming setup.
How Much RAM Do You Need For Gaming?
You should at least go with 8GB of RAM, that will cover the most current games on the market. Regarding going with DDR3 or DDR4 RAM is quite tricky, as of performance you probably won’t notice any diffrence at all for gaming. DDR4 has a much higher transfer per second but with an increase in latency. Just make sure your motherboard supports either of them, as most of the RAM sticks out there has a lifetime warranty, it could be worth the investment. However, are you into 4K gaming you should at least go with 16GB of RAM, this could also be a choice for future proofing your setup.
The good thing is, you could always add more RAM later. As long as you have slots availble on the motherboard.
How much RAM is enough?
The answer to this question is not as easy as it looks because with the advancement of technology, games now also require a specific combination of CPU, GPU, and RAM. In order to make sure that you get the right RAM stick or sticks for your rig, you will have to be fully aware of some factors about what RAM is and how it works.
You could theoretically just buy a pre-built system with a simple CPU, GPU, and RAM. However, when you later realize that the performance is not up to the current standard of modern games, you will experience lag or low FPS counts.
With gaming, things are more demanding than casual usage. A gamer has to make tough decisions in picking the right components.
What does RAM do for Gaming
RAM, also known as Random Access Memory, is an essential component in a gaming PC. For instance, when a game is running on the computer, all the related data that your gaming system needs to access to make sure that the game runs without any hiccups in a proper way is stored in the RAM memory.
From the definition, it is pretty clear how much value RAM brings in playing games smoothly and without any lag.
Picking RAM in the past was a bit trickier because gaming was not that popular and hence many games had a wide variety of requirements, but that is not the case with modern day gaming systems.
In a modern gaming system, which is a 64-bit operating system, can support more ram than that of the 32-bit operating system, and that’s thankfully a standard today. A gaming system operating on 32-bit can only support a RAM of up to 4GB.
On the other hand, a 64-bit operating system has got the ability to support much more RAM than that. You can install 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of RAM and so on.
That being said, a 64-bit operating system is now standard from a gaming point of view. Most of the games, programs, and applications only support 64-bit operating system today. So, RAM can play a reasonably large part in playing games smoothly and without concerns.
Should I go with 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of RAM?
After discussing RAM capacities, the next question that arises in mind is, how much ram should I get in order to play games flawlessly?
Should I go with 8GB, 16GB or 32GB variant?
The answer is, it depends upon your preferences and requirements.
For gaming purposes, it is safe to say that you should get at least 8GB RAM. However, for more competitive gaming and making sure to never run out of RAM, 16GB is the way to go. It will provide enough memory to play all modern games on ultra settings, and you can also have applications like Discord and multiple tabs in your internet browser multitasking with this amount of memory.
Things get pretty much serious when a system is running on 32GB RAM. However, these rams are expensive, and you will have to spend a lot of budget on buying a single stick of 32GB ram (we recommend to go with four 8GB sticks). You will also need a compatible motherboard for this purpose which will be capable of supporting this memory and utilizing it.
64GB ram gaming systems are not very common. They are rare because this memory is only supportable when you have got a powerful CPU in combination with the latest graphics cards. However, gaming systems with 64GB rams are mostly used by E-sports professionals where there is a higher demand for zero flaws. 64G ram also makes gaming PC ready for 5K gaming.
Well, if you have got a short budget to spend on buying RAM sticks and you cannot afford 16GB, then the best option will be to go for 8GB. You can easily play all games on medium to high settings on an 8GB RAM variant, but it will slow down your PC if you are doing any other work in the background other than gaming.
How Many RAM Sticks Do I Need?
Most motherboards dedicated for gaming has four channels for RAM, and it’s important to read the instructions while setting everything up. It’s not very often you actually use all four channels, usually only 2 or 1.
The most logical way is to put 2 RAM sticks in channel 1 and 2. However, many motherboards suggest if you only have 2 sticks, to put them into channel 1 and 3 instead. This can vary a lot from different manufacturers, so make sure you install your RAM memories in the most efficient way according to the manual.
For example, if you decide to go for 16GB of RAM it could be a good idea to go with two 8GB sticks. First, if one of them gets damaged, you could easily replace one of them while the PC is still operative with 8GB memory. Also, if you are using an AMD Ryzen CPU, it will operate with a better speed while using two channels in opposite to one.
So, in our recommendation, it is always a better idea to go for dual RAM channels as the advantages of dual RAM sticks mentioned above can keep you away from many problems.
Is more RAM worth the extra cost?
The simple and clear answer is YES. But that doesn’t mean that you can rush out to buy the most expensive RAM available on the market.
Once again the choice is yours to make according to your requirements. If you only want to do simple office work, browse social medias and watch Netflix etc. going with even 4GB RAM will not be a bad idea.
However, if you are a gamer and serious about building a gaming rig, then you should look out for an 8GB ram stick or dual sticks for 16GB in order to make your gaming PC up to standard.
If you are doing heavy work with your computer, into 4k gaming or are looking out for a gaming system with excellent multitasking ability, then you should spend your money on buying at least 16GB RAM.
Well, the main thing is your priority. More RAM is absolutely worth the extra cost if you don’t like slow browsing or slow loading of different programs and games. If you can afford to spend money on RAM, then you should go for as much memory as your usage demand.
Conclusion
We are glad to discuss these informational things with you so that you can always make a good choice in deciding on what amount of RAM for your needs. Look out for your requirements and budget.
Feel free to ask about any question or query you have got, and we will try our best to answer it.
