For gaming, RAM is extremely important for gaming because your computer will use the RAM a lot to store and retrieve important data.
The RAM operates at a faster speed to non-volatile storage devices (HDD and SSD) which means it’s great for storing assets that need to be retrieved near instantly.
Not having enough RAM for gaming often means that your PC cannot store these assets which can cause the game to crash, freeze, or run inefficiently.
Is 16GB Of RAM Good For Gaming
For gaming, it’s often said that 16GB of RAM is the ideal size and the sweet spot, this is because most games won’t actually use 16GB of RAM to run effectively.
With 16GB of RAM, you are able to multitask easier whilst gaming, this means you can have multiple background applications open without harming the gaming performance.
Even for graphically intensive AAA games, 16GB of RAM will suffice well, but there are a few exceptions where 16GB of RAM may not be enough.
So if you’re the average gamer playing FPS games such as Battlefield V or Action Adventure games like Assassin’s Creed, then you only require 16GB of RAM.
These games don’t really handle complex numbers and calculations which are extremely RAM intensive, and they’re usually optimized by the developers to work on as little hardware as possible.
Is 32GB Of RAM Good For Gaming
For most games, you don’t actually need more than 16GB of RAM, so 32GB of RAM may seem like overkill to most individuals.
However there are some exceptions which make 32GB of RAM more than necessary, so if you’re going to participate in niche gaming activities, you may require 32GB of RAM.
Simulation type games actually consume a huge amount of RAM, take DCS 2.7 where the recommended RAM capacity is actually 32GB.
The reason simulation type games take up a huge amount of RAM is because the RAM has to handle complex numbers and calculations which tends to be RAM intensive.
Also, highly modded instances of video games consume more RAM per mod installed, so games like Minecraft and GTA V may consume more than 16GB of RAM if modded.
The reason why modded games consume up to 32GB of RAM is because mod developers don’t take optimization into consideration the same way the actual game developers do.
The actual game developers are paid to ensure that the game works best on as little hardware as possible, mod developers have no such concerns.
So What’s Better 16GB Or 32GB?
For gaming, if you want a PC that can run most games pretty well, then going for 16GB of RAM is the best idea as it can run most games perfectly, and it saves you money.
If you want a gaming PC that can run simulations, or highly modded games well, then you will need 32GB of RAM due to these games handling a lot of complex data.
From a performance perspective, then there’s the argument that 32GB of RAM can be seen as “future-proofing”, but this isn’t always the best route to go.
Future-proofing only works some of the time as hardware demands change overtime. Also it’s not cost efficient, you actually waste money future-proofing instead of saving money.
Pros and Cons – 16GB Vs 32GB
Pros And Cons 16GB
For most people, they will go for 16GB because they don’t need all the extra capacity as they aren’t going to be playing simulation type games.
Also, 16GB is perfect if you’re going for a strict gaming PC with no intentions of running professional based tasks such as Video editing or CAD software.
Finally, 16GB of RAM is pretty cost effective. You won’t waste money on extra capacity you have no intention of using.
16GB Pros:
- Cost effective
- Safer option
- Runs most games perfectly
16GB Cons:
- Struggles with simulation type games
- Struggles with modded games
Pros And Cons 32GB
32GB of RAM is able to run simulation and modded type games easily, this is because these types of games are unoptimized, or they handle a lot of data.
32GB of RAM is also great for users that are looking to perform different types of tasks on the side such as video editing at 4K, or 3D modelling as it’s quite RAM intensive.
And 32GB of RAM is technically future-proof as applications will indeed become more RAM intensive, but we don’t recommend this as it can be inefficient money-wise.
But if you’re looking for the best of the best in the current moment, many people will opt for that because they don’t like the idea of their PC not being able to do something, or they want something overkill.
32GB Pros:
- Runs simulation and modded type games well
- More flexible for workstation type tasks
- Technically future-proof
32GB Cons:
- Not cost effective
- Future-proofing doesn’t always work
16 Vs 32GB Gaming Benchmarks
Benchmark number 1 depicts 16GB Vs 32GB in a non RAM intensive environment which is most of gaming, it shows the two different setups getting very similar results.
16GB generates 55 FPS on average which is the exact same as the 32GB build, and the 1% lows are pretty much identical too.
So this means, if you’re going to be playing games like Battlefield 5, do not bother getting 32GB of RAM as it will make no difference.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator, it shows a much different result, the average FPS is pretty close, but we shouldn’t be focusing on that.
16GB has an average frame rate of 52 FPS, 32GB has an average frame rate of 54 FPS, but if we look at the 1% lows, we can see a huge difference in performance.
The 1% lows show a difference in 8 FPS which is quite huge, and there is another 8 FPS difference in the 0.1% FPS lows.
Conclusion
What this tells us is that most gamers do not need 32GB of RAM, but there are some scenarios such as simulation games, and modded games like GTA V and Minecraft that consume a lot of RAM.
If you’re going to be playing games like Battlefield 5, then you can do just fine with 16GB of RAM, and this way you will save money.
If you’re looking to be future-proof, you can go the 32GB route, but future-proofing isn’t always successful, and it can be a huge waste of money.
