There’s nothing quite frustrating as a PC running slow. We’ve all been there and we’ve all hated every second of it. And while the potential list of causes is never ending, one of the first places we jump to is our RAM. So we got wondering how much ram do you actually need in modern times.
How Much RAM Does the Average Joe Need
Let’s start with the kind of ram that most of us are familiar with, the main system memory living inside your desktop or laptop PC. It’s quickly becoming common for budget computers to come with 4 gigabytes of RAM while mid-range machines often have eight, and on the higher end 16 gigs or 32 gigs of ram. RAM has become easily accessible even during the Worldwide cough. The question then becomes, “is it worth paying a premium for that.” Here’s the deal, unless you’re seriously cash-strapped it’s worth getting at least 8 gigabytes. Even if you’re not planning to do anything with your computer beyond basic productivity, web browsing, and basic entertainment. The reason being that many common tasks are quickly becoming memory hogs. Even the bullish coder preferred web browser “Google Chrome” can eat into your memory very quickly and take up a few gigs if you’ve got a lot of tabs open. While the browser does use a technique called tab discarding which removes unused tabs from memory and then reloads them when you access them. You’ll still get a noticeably smoother experience for everyday tasks if your device has at least 8 GBs of RAM.
How Much RAM Do You Need For GAMING
If you’re gaming well the answer becomes a more complicated. Due to the fact that many big-budget titles these days recommend at least 16 gigs of RAM you might be thinking that’s what you need. But this is a recommendation that’s usually inflated and not an absolute requirement. It turns out that many games that ask you to use a system with 16 gigs of RAM can actually get by just fine on 8 GBs with only a very marginal performance drop if any. As an example, when Call of Duty Warzone first came out I was playing on a PC with a GTX 1060 8Gb with 8Gb of RAM and the game played very well at 1080p. However, as games get more complex this may not be the case in the near future. As some games today actively use more than 8 gigs of system memory and keep on increasing rapidly we recommend at least 16GBs of RAM. Having only having 8 gigs may hinder your ability to do anything else while you’re playing a game. Such as using a second monitor to figure out where that ray gun is hiding, chatting with your crew on discord, or streaming to the world. We’d recommend 16 gigs as a sweet spot for gamers and high productivity. If you’re only planning on playing less resource intensive titles then you 16 GBs might not be needed today but still recommended.
How Much RAM Do You Need For BEST Performance
Many motherboards have for RAM slots which makes upgrading to 32 gigs a very easy if you’ve got the money. Making this high of an Investment in this much RAM is probably only worth it if you’re working with lots of data at once. Such as large photo sets or editing high end video and especially, if you’re multitasking creating high-resolution video with edited photos. Also, with how long it takes to render videos or 3d animations you’ll probably want to use your computer for other things while your content renders in the background. This is where having 32 gigs of memory or more can really come in handy. As for 3d modelers animators or scientists, their memory requirements are basically limited only by the size of the scenes or the data sets that they’re working with.
How Much GPU VRAM Do I Need
If you’re trying to figure out how much graphics memory or VRAM you need on your graphics card. Often, we focus more on the GPU itself than on how it performs across its various memory configurations. The primary purpose of the VRAM is to hold the graphics information that the GPU acts upon, meaning that higher resolution gaming and higher resolution textures will require more VRAM. This is also the case if you’re using certain types of anti-aliasing that involve rendering at higher resolutions, such as super sampling anti-aliasing. Many mid-range cards come with 4 gigabytes of VRAM, which as a general rule should be sufficient for 1080p gaming. You will need at least 6 for 1440p and about 8 or more for 4k. Just be sure to read reviews for the games you want to play since some demanding games or higher end resolution packs and mods might mean that a card with more VRAM would be a necessary investment. if you want to play at high quality running out of VRAM can make certain games completely unplayable. Meaning that 4k monitor you just spent your all your money on won’t be living up to its full potential.
As a final reminder, when buying RAM. Make sure that whatever RAM you decide to purchase is compatible with your rig. Last thing you want is to stare out your window waiting for that UPS truck to deliver your RAM only to find out you bought the correct RAM. Happy Hacking!!