Guides/Memory
How much RAM do you need for gaming?
16 GB used to be plenty. Newer games, plus a browser, Discord and a launcher running alongside, can fill it. Before buying more, check whether you actually run out, and whether your memory runs at its rated speed in dual channel.
Check whether you run out#
- Play the game for 20 minutes with the apps you normally have open.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc → Performance → Memory.
- If In use gets close to the total and Committed is above your RAM size, you're short on memory, and Windows moves data to the disk. That shows up as hitches.
Lots of “Cached” memory is not a problem: Windows frees it instantly when needed. What standby memory is.
Speed and dual channel matter as much#
Two sticks in the right slots run in dual channel, with twice the bandwidth of one. And memory runs at a slow default speed until its XMP or EXPO profile is turned on in the BIOS. Both cost more frames in many games than going from 16 to 32 GB. Check dual channel · check XMP/EXPO.
Buying more#
- Buy a matching kit of two sticks rather than adding one stick to an existing pair: mixed sticks may not run at the rated speed.
- Four sticks can force the memory to run slower than two, especially with DDR5. Two larger sticks are usually the better choice.
Questions#
Is 16 GB of RAM enough for gaming?
Does more RAM increase FPS?
Frametide's scan checks your PC for setup problems like this one and tells you how many it found (Basic, €12.99 once). Premium (€26.99 once) shows which ones and how to fix them. Its checks include the amount of RAM, dual channel and the XMP/EXPO profile.