Is 8GB RAM enough for gaming in 2021?

[RapidDevil]

Hi Guys,

 

I'm just in the process of building my first system. It's mainly for general office work but also some light gaming. I don't generally place AAA titles but will dip into some decent older games like Dishonoured, Batman Arkham, Fallout 4, that kind of thing. 1080p. I did just get Hitman 3 with my CPU though.....

 

I'm wondering if 8GB (2 x 4 dual) is enough? I'm thinking so. Lots of Vram available. I'm running:

 

i5 10400f

Sapphire Nitro OC rx470 (8gb Vram)

B460 MSI Torpedo 

 

So no doubt the bottleneck will be the GPU, assuming the RAM is enough.

 

TIA.

[NelizMastr]

RAM and VRAM aren't directly related. It's not like your RAM usage won't go higher because your VRAM isn't full yet.

 

The difference in price between 8GB and 16GB isn't that big. Get a cheap 2666 2x8GB kit as your system won't go faster,

that shaves a few bucks off.

[Rameares]

8GB is enough right now but for how long it will give adequate performance on new releases could be questionable. I would anticipate it will run anything released for a little while yet.

 

Games playable on an RX470 will be fine with 8GB.

 

I also recommend you invest in 16GB or you may find yourself replacing it sooner than planed.

[RapidDevil]

19 minutes ago, NelizMastr said:

RAM and VRAM aren't directly related. It's not like your RAM usage won't go higher because your VRAM isn't full yet.

 

The difference in price between 8GB and 16GB isn't that big. Get a cheap 2666 2x8GB kit as your system won't go faster,

that shaves a few bucks off.

I probably should have been clearer that I already have the 8GB. I was just wondering if I should consider getting the extra as I've seen an identical kit. It's not a lot of money I know but I'm trying to build the cheapest system I can for value/performance and 98% of my time on this will be general office work. I don't want to buy extra if it's not needed for my requirements right now. 

 

I have 4 slots on my board so if the consensus is that 8GB is enough for now I can just add the additional ram a few years down the line if needed i.e. games become more demanding and require 16GB.

 

[Rameares]

Your probably already aware but check your motherboard manual for where to put the RAM normally it will be slot 2 and 4. The fastest configuration is to have as many stick of RAM as you have channels for most commercial CPU's this is 2 (dual channel) but don't worry you won't tell the difference in having 4x4GB compared to 2x8GB in gaming.

[RapidDevil]

29 minutes ago, Rameares said:

Your probably already aware but check your motherboard manual for where to put the RAM normally it will be slot 2 and 4. The fastest configuration is to have as many stick of RAM as you have channels for most commercial CPU's this is 2 (dual channel) but don't worry you won't tell the difference in having 4x4GB compared to 2x8GB in gaming.

Yes this is something I figured out during my research but thanks for the heads up. 

[jones177]

2 hours ago, RapidDevil said:

I probably should have been clearer that I already have the 8GB. I was just wondering if I should consider getting the extra as I've seen an identical kit. It's not a lot of money I know but I'm trying to build the cheapest system I can for value/performance and 98% of my time on this will be general office work. I don't want to buy extra if it's not needed for my requirements right now. 

 

I have 4 slots on my board so if the consensus is that 8GB is enough for now I can just add the additional ram a few years down the line if needed i.e. games become more demanding and require 16GB.

 

I think it is the type of games you play will dictate how much ram you need. 

I got low memory messages with 8gbs playing my building games in 2015 so that is when I went with 16.

Now I have 32gbs since it is cheap.

In 2018 it was double what it is now and it could go up again.

[RapidDevil]

1 hour ago, jones177 said:

I think it is the type of games you play will dictate how much ram you need. 

I got low memory messages with 8gbs playing my building games in 2015 so that is when I went with 16.

Now I have 32gbs since it is cheap.

In 2018 it was double what it is now and it could go up again.

That's a really good point. I'd forgot about 'RAM Hell' a few years back. I'm more inclined to play console type games but I do like the odd Xcom type.I loved 'This war of mine' so much I brought Frostpunk. I haven't played it yet but that looks like a builder hybrid. 

[RapidDevil]

Alright guys, I decided to take your advice. Put a cheeky offer in on Ebay and unexpectedly the guy accepted. got my additional 8GB RAM for £18. No brainer really at that price. 

 

Thanks for your help.