Does more RAM make difference in gaming performance?

Conclusions

What Does This Mean?

Thinking a little more about theory, more RAM should not improve the framerate in 3D games for two reasons. First, most of the processing on a game is executed by the video card. Second, more RAM only improves the computer performance if there is a very little amount of memory for the program the CPU is running and the processor have to use the virtual memory feature, swapping memory data with the hard disk drive or SSD.
In our tests, all the tested games ran with no problems with “only” 4 GiB. In some games, it seems even to run with more fps with 4 GiB than with more RAM. We cannot tell the reason, but we can guess that with less memory, the game do not load some features, or transfer some data to the video card, or it may be caused by simple statistic fluctuation.

We used a video card with 4 GiB video memory, and there is a possibility that, with a video card with less dedicated memory, the computer main RAM should be more demanded. Another important detail is that we used Windows 7 (SP1) in our tests. Usually, newer operating systems demand more memory, so the results could be different under Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, for example.

Furthermore

So, we can say that, on the games we tested and running Windows 10, on the used hardware configuration, there is no performance gain in games by installing more than 4 GiB.
This leads us to some conclusions. First, if you have “only” 4 GiB of RAM in your computer and use it to play games, there is no need to hurry to buy more; it might be a better idea to buy a new video card first. Keep in mind, however, that if you use your computer to work with video and image editing, those programs use lots of RAM and will benefit on more installed RAM.
Second, if you are building a new gaming computer on a limited budget, you may choose to start with 4 GiB if, with the cash you save, you are able to buy a better video card.  This also make sense because it is easier to install more RAM later that change the video card.

Clarifications

To be clear, this does not mean we are saying that 4 GiB is better than 8 GiB. The “there is no such thing as too much RAM” rule is still valid, for improving the loading performance by disk caching, or for avoiding freezing due to virtual memory swapping. Besides that, more recent games or operating systems may not work well with 4 GiB.

With all this, we can conclude the ideal RAM amount for gaming performance is 8 GiB, because there is not much difference in price from 4 GiB to 8 GiB. 16 GiB is a good choice if you have no problem in spending a little more to make sure you computer will run smoothly for more time, or if you work professionally with video or image editing.

Newer Specs and Further Clarifications

The original article was written in 2015 and the games that we have tested back then were new. Now they are fairly old and pose no real “threat” for a modern gaming PC or laptop. However, the same principles apply even today.

The more RAM you have, the better some games will load depending on their size and the way their assets were programmed. More RAM is better for open-world games but won’t help you all that much in smaller-sized games. As of today, 8 GiB of RAM is considered by many to be the bare minimum for running games at an optimal level, especially if you plan on playing at 4K resolution.

However, at such a high resolution, you should be more concerned with what video card you have. And you should really consider running your games on an SSD, especially considering the fact that many of the newer games occupy 100 GiB or more when installed. A regular hard disk has a hard time accessing so much information at once, so you’ll have to deal with stutters at points and you’ll have to endure some frustrating loading times.

The Bottom Line

When building a gaming PC or purchasing a gaming laptop, RAM is definitely an important consideration. However, don’t expect to have your game performance boosted to infinity and beyond just because you have 64 GiB of RAM. The other components are just as important and you should put all your budget into RAM alone.

Instead, build your PC in such a way that you can eliminate all possible bottlenecks. In essence, don’t skimp out on buying a cheap CPU thinking that the GPU or RAM will compensate for what it lacks. Far from it. Every component is essential and you should build your PC with this though in mind.

Last update on 2022-03-17 at 17:02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API