RAM is the short-term memory of your computer, and it’s one of the most important components in gaming. It’s not just about how many gigs you have, but what speed they are running at. The more RAM you have, the faster your games will load and run smoothly.
The 16gb vs 32gb ram gaming 2020 is a question that has been asked for years. It is finally time to answer the question of how much RAM you need for gaming.
With so much misinformation on the internet and game developers inflating system requirements, I thought it would be a good idea to investigate and test how much RAM is required for gaming these days.
If you’ve been keeping up with the latest game requirements, you’ve undoubtedly seen that some of them say that for optimum gaming, you’ll need 16GB of RAM. While this may be true for some of them, I discovered that some of the most recent and demanding games can be played flawlessly with 8GB of RAM at 4k resolution with enabled ray tracing.
Before we get into whether you really need 16GB of RAM, let’s look at some other choices that may or might not be a good fit for you.
Too Little vs. Too Much RAM: 4GB vs. 32GB
While 4GB of RAM may be deemed insufficient in today’s gaming environment, it makes much more sense than 32GB. You probably think I’ve gone insane, but bear with me while I explain. If we’re just talking about gaming, you can still run a lot of games with 4GB RAM, with the exception of the newest ones, of course. However, if you wish to upgrade to 8GB or 16GB at any point, you may do so without difficulty.
However, if you spend hundreds of dollars on a 32GB RAM kit, you will not only be unable to utilize so much RAM for gaming, but you will also squander a significant amount of money.
People believe that adding more RAM to their system would help them future-proof it, but they don’t realize that DDR4 will be obsolete and replaced by newer technology before they can utilize 32GB of RAM for any game in the near future.
Professionals, such as editors and graphic designers, should use anything larger than 32GB. So, unless you want to edit movies, work with 3D graphics, or do other memory-intensive tasks, stay away from anything more than 16GB and save your money!
Related: How To Speed Up Your Computer For Free — In 30 minutes, you’ll have a faster computer.
Which is better: 8GB or 16GB?
Now that we’ve gotten the other choices out of the way, let’s concentrate on the 8GB and 16GB options, which make the most sense for today’s gaming needs. As I previously said, several of the most recent games say that 16GB of RAM is required for optimum gaming. Is this, however, the case?
To see how much RAM you really need for gaming, we set up our system with an NVIDIA RTX 2080 Super graphics card and an Intel Core i9-9900K CPU and ran some of the most recent and demanding games, including Metro: Exodus, Far Cry 5, Hitman 2, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, to name a few.
If you’re wondering how much the difference in RAM between 8GB and 16GB affects your FPS, the answer is not much. With 16GB, we’re talking about a 0-3 percent improvement in FPS, which is negligible. So, if you’re wondering whether adding an additional 8GB of RAM would improve the performance of your gaming setup, the answer is no.
Consider updating your graphics card if you’re hoping for a performance or FPS increase. You may look at our list of the top graphics cards for more information.
In terms of gaming smoothness, I must state that all of the games ran flawlessly with 8GB while no other programs were running in the background. However, loading an OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) and a couple of chrome tabs soon filled up the 8GB RAM, putting a stop to my flawless gaming.
It was a different scenario with the 16GB of RAM. With tens of Chrome tabs open and OBS running in the background while playing Metro: Exodus, one of the most demanding games out there, I’ve had no problems with the game, alt tabbing, or multitasking.
That being stated, I do not believe it is essential to get the additional RAM; you will be good with 8GB. However, if your budget permits it, it is a sensible improvement that won’t break the bank.
For an excellent side-by-side comparison, see this YouTube video.
The Final Word
It all boils down to what games you intend to play, as it does with most things. As I already said, if you play older games, even 4GB would enough.
However, in order to have a seamless gaming experience with the latest AAA games, you will need to invest in more RAM. I believe that 8GB is the sweet spot for current gaming needs, and that no game should alter that in the near future, particularly if you don’t mind lowering the settings in certain instances.
However, if you intend on streaming your games online or if you are the kind of person that does several activities at once, such as surfing the internet, gaming on high settings, watching movies, and so on, I highly advise you to get a 16GB RAM kit.
That being said, as a demanding gamer and a casual PC user or a streamer, 16GB is the most I would ever suggest to anybody at this moment.
That’s all; I hope this was useful, and if you have any questions, please post them in the comments area below, and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Cheers!
Richard
The is 8gb ram enough for gaming is a question that has been asked before. It is important to note that 4GB of RAM will be more than enough for most people. On the other hand, if you are looking to play games with high settings and graphics, then an 8GB or 16GB of RAM will be needed.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 32GB of RAM overkill for gaming?
Should I get 16GB or 32GB RAM 2020?
You should get 32GB RAM 2020.
Does 8GB to 16GB RAM difference gaming?
It depends on the game, but generally speaking, more RAM is better for gaming.
