Unlike a faster processor or faster graphics card, most memory (also known as RAM) will not be the reason to play PC Games you love faster. If you already have enough RAM, adding more will not see any difference. But how much RAM do you need for modern PC gaming, anyway?
This is a critical question when buying one computer whose main purpose will be gaming, or even if you are just thinking about it upgrade of your existing computer.
The faster graphics card will improve graphics performance and allow you to select higher resolution and settings. The faster CPU will help in games that like CPU engagement, such as Civilization V as well as various other real-time games strategy that need to perform many background calculations and not just graphics performance. Also, a solid disk (SSD) will read data faster than a mechanical hard drive, resulting in higher speed.
But RAM is something different. We can say that DDR4 RAM is faster than DDR3 RAM, but the difference in speed for PC gaming is of minor importance. You have to worry about how much RAM you have, rather than how fast it is.
Your operating system and the programs you "run" need enough memory to store their data in RAM, without switching it on your hard drive, which will slow things down. So, how much RAM you need depends entirely on the programs running on your computer at any given time and whether they are "hungry" for RAM.
On a computer you run just one web browser and basic desktop programs, even 4GB of RAM may be sufficient. On a computer that stores huge databases, virtual machines, design programs and other huge things in memory, even 32GB of RAM might not be enough.
Many games nowadays are cross-platform. That is, they are designed for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as well as PC. Both PS4 and Xbox One have internal 8GB RAM. So, it's no surprise that many cross-platform games also require the 6GB and 8GB RAM.
Let's look at some of the big, demanding 2015 and 2016 games.
Dying Light: Minimum 4GB, recommended 8GBd
Grand Theft Auto V: minimum 4GB, recommended 8GB
The Witcher 3: minimum 6GB, recommended 8GB
Fallout 4: minimum 8GB and recommended
Batman: Arkham Knight: 6GB minimum, 8GB recommended, 12GB required for smooth gameplay in Windows 10
Rise of the Tomb Raider: minimum 6GB, recommended 8GB
Far Cry Primal: minimum 4GB, recommended 8GB
The Division: minimum 6GB, recommended 8GB
Hitman: minimum 8GB and recommended
Quantum Break: Minimum 8GB, recommended 16GB
The numbers are quite clear here. Modern PC Games generally require at least 8GB memory. Yes, some games require less, but 8GB is a requirement in most of them.
So we can assume that 8GB RAM will probably be OK for now. Meets the minimum requirements for any game currently on store shelves other than Batman: Arkham Knight when running it under Windows 10.
Of course, if you have some extra money to spend and you are interested in pushing your computer to the ultimate high-end gaming limit then buying more RAM, say 16GB, is one way.
But keep in mind that it's easy to upgrade your RAM sometime later. You do not have to replace it, but just fill it out by buying one or two additional cards and pinning them to the free slots on your motherboard. Be aware, however, that these cards should be of the same capacity as your original one. Memory cards that do not have the same GB capacity do not work properly and will probably cause problems. Some computer technicians will recommend that you buy not only the same capacity but also the same brand and model.
The above advice also applies to computers that have separate NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards. If you insist on keeping your computer with its built-in graphics card, then things are a bit different. Using gaming on these types of computers probably requires more RAM.
Separate graphics cards have their own RAM (VRAM) video for themselves. Onboard graphics, on the other hand, use a part of your system's RAM. This means that the RAM speed in this case can make the difference in performance, and that you will most likely need more GB.
Intel's article states that the maximum amount of memory that graphics can hold is about 1.8GB. So if you are planning to play modern PC games with built-in graphics card, you may actually need more than 8GB.
In summary, there is not a size that suits all users and requirements. If you want to run a bunch of virtual machines while playing a game with high graphics settings, you will definitely need more than 16GB RAM. But if games are generally the most demanding thing you do on your computer then 8GB is the right number and there is no reason to go to 16GB.
