The gaming benefits of 16 GB RAM are still small.

[minervx]

More lists nowadays have 16 GB of RAM on them because it's cheaper now ($100 instead of $150) and because we're entering 2019 and it's about time.  But the actual benefits RAM offers hasn't improved much in the past 6 months.  For a handful of titles, there are benefits.  For most modern titles, not really.  And even if there is a minimal boost in performance, another 8GB comes at an opportunity cost of the rest of the build.  

 

If your gaming build budget is over $800-850, you will probably be able to fit in 16 GB of RAM without making significant sacrifices, but this post is particularly for those who are building lower budget mid-range builds (i.e. $600-800).  If your goal is to get better gaming performance, focus on the CPU and GPU first.  16 GB is great for the long run, but not if it meant getting a mediocre power supply or only 120 GB SSD.

[xg32]

if you have a single chrome window open 32gb is the minimum

 

but seriously, i was trying to think up an 8gb build and i couldn't find a 8gb b-die kit, and i've been adviced that the onboard gpu of the 2400g works better with 16gb, every bfv video i've seen has used more than 10gb ram

[XR6]

In games like FH4, up to 12GB of RAM can be used. Probably best to have 16GB then. Anyway, most programs need 16GB to run smoothly. 15 tabs in chrome and my PC just instantly gives up. 

[r2724r16]

IMO, 16GB of RAM is a minimum for any PC in 2018 if you want to game and have Chrome tabs opened up at the same time, even if you're on a tight budget. 

[minervx]

Integrated graphics use RAM like VRAM, so yes, in that case, more RAM would be justified.  However, a 2400G w/ 16 GB RAM doesn't offer the bang for buck that a 2200G w/ 8GB of RAM offers, and if you're spending more money anyway, you may as well get a Ryzen 5 + RX 580.

[XR6]

2 minutes ago, minervx said:

Integrated graphics use RAM like VRAM, so yes, in that case, more RAM would be justified.  However, a 2400G w/ 16 GB RAM doesn't offer the bang for buck that a 2200G w/ 8GB of RAM offers, and if you're spending more money anyway, you may as well get a Ryzen 5 + RX 580.

IMO if you're going below a Ryzen 5/RX 570 then you're in budget territory. Expect to not have a very smooth gaming experience if you're in that budget territory. 

 

[minervx]

1 minute ago, r2724r16 said:

IMO, 16GB of RAM is a minimum for any PC in 2018 if you want to game and have Chrome tabs opened up at the same time, even if you're on a tight budget. 

Blanket statement.  Depends on the game and the degree of the user's browser activity.

[minervx]

Just now, 1kv said:

IMO if you're going below a Ryzen 5/RX 570 then you're in budget territory. Expect to not have a very smooth gaming experience if you're in that budget territory. 

 

Yes.  I'm just saying that if more RAM is needed to enable a budget CPU, then it's no longer as budget CPU.

[XR6]

4 minutes ago, minervx said:

Blanket statement.  Depends on the game and the degree of the user's browser activity.

Yep. It's just a general fact though. Obviously if you're playing something like Minecraft and you've got a browser window or two open for a walkthrough then 8GB is fine but multitasking (e.g. CS:GO, Spotify and 8 chrome tabs) is really where 16GB is a minimum standard.

[XR6]

1 minute ago, minervx said:

Yes.  I'm just saying that if more RAM is needed to enable a budget CPU, then it's no longer as budget CPU.

You're right. If you have to spend more money to be able to use a thing designed to save money then that "budget" has been blown.

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

it all depends on your usecase. i have 48gb, because for school i sometimes have to have a bunch of VM's running, and alongside that i would have 30-40 tabs, word and spotify. so about 30 gb of ram used. 

 

if i then want to take a break from homework and do some gaming it's really nice that i still have 18gb left... 

[r2724r16]

Just now, minervx said:

Blanket statement.  Depends on the game and the degree of the user's browser activity.

I use 10GB of RAM with a few Chrome tabs opened up, I'm sure that's also the case for a lot of other people. 8GB of RAM is just not enough if you're using Windows 10, and you have a few Chrome tabs opened up along with a game. 

[LukeSavenije]

I'm starting with a simple one: try running a tomb raider game on 8 gigs, and then we'll talk, okay?

Edited November 26, 2018 by LukeSavenije

[LukeSavenije]

Also, I generally say the following:

4 gigs: absolute minimum

8 gigs: recommended for daily use

16 gigs: recommended for heavier use and gaminf

32 gigs+: video editing, vms, cad and other workstation use

Edited November 26, 2018 by LukeSavenije

[xg32]

Just the thought of going back to 8gb, yikes. Though a rx 580 budget build for 1080p/60 can be done with 8gb, just gotta clench whenever there's an urge to open another tab.

[Enderman]

16 is necessary when you have many things open at once.

If you're only playing one game at a time with all background programs closed then it's rare to go over 8GB.

[Enderman]

No game running here:

[Bouzoo]

12 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

I'm starting with a simple one: try running a tomb raider game on 8 gigs, and then we'll talk, okay?

Played both Tomb Raider 2013 and Rise of the Tomb Raider on my laptop with 8GB 1600 MHz DDR3, 4700HQ and 850m. Not a single issue. Rise played pretty nice to be honest as well. 

[LukeSavenije]

Just now, Bouzoo said:

Played both Tomb Raider 2013 and Rise of the Tomb Raider on my laptop with 8GB 1600 MHz DDR3, 4700HQ and 850m. Not a single issue. Rise played pretty nice to be honest as well. 

Well, rise was already harder to run with 8 gigs, but for a rebranded 750m it won't be a bottleneck, for a rx 580 it could

[minervx]

14 minutes ago, r2724r16 said:

I use 10GB of RAM with a few Chrome tabs opened up, I'm sure that's also the case for a lot of other people. 8GB of RAM is just not enough if you're using Windows 10, and you have a few Chrome tabs opened up along with a game. 

Computers with more RAM consume more RAM just because they can.  If Windows has it, it will use it on the contigency that the program might benefit from the extra RAM at some point, because there's nothing to lose by using more RAM if you have it.  This does not mean real-world performance is any better though. 

[XR6]

7 minutes ago, minervx said:

Computers with more RAM consume more RAM just because they can.  If Windows has it, it will use it on the contigency that the program might benefit from the extra RAM at some point, because there's nothing to lose by using more RAM if you have it.  This does not mean real-world performance is any better though. 

Explains why I have 19 chrome tabs open atm (it's a miracle) on 8GB of RAM and it's running somewhat smoothly then..

(that language is norwegian btw, i set my pc language to norwegian to help me learn it. kinda like learning from a dictionary)

[Bouzoo]

24 minutes ago, Enderman said:

16 is necessary when you have many things open at once.

If you're only playing one game at a time with all background programs closed then it's rare to go over 8GB.

Better, yes, necessary, no. You don't need 16GB, but it makes life easier. Even with a shit ton open in background. This is on 8GB currently. 

 

 

I am not running any projects on Visual Studio or Intellij, but am running on Anaconda. 

14 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

Well, rise was already harder to run with 8 gigs, but for a rebranded 750m it won't be a bottleneck, for a rx 580 it could

I've seen people with having issues online, but none of my rl friends have had the issue. It is very specific though. 

[LukeSavenije]

1 minute ago, Bouzoo said:

Katana

The more ram you have, the more programs and windows will use. Windows uses more ram on my 16 gigs gaming machine against one of my old pc's with 4 gigs, even when doing the same

[Bouzoo]

1 minute ago, LukeSavenije said:

The more ram you have, the more programs and windows will use. Windows uses more ram on my 16 gigs gaming machine against one of my old pc's with 4 gigs, even when doing the same

Shocker. It is not only Windows though. I am saying 16 GB is not necessary or a must for multiple tasks, but it makes life easier.

[Enderman]

8 minutes ago, Bouzoo said:

Better, yes, necessary, no. You don't need 16GB, but it makes life easier. Even with a shit ton open in background. This is on 8GB currently. 

 

But that's without running a game....