Do I really need 8gb of RAM to game on an a10 5800k build?

[RenzoGuzi]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vNGm

Thats the build I was looking at. Its got 4gb of 1866mhz of ram and its paired with a10 5800k apu. Im just wondering if i trully need 8gb to play games like bf3 and dayz at 720p. I saw a guy running bf3 at 1080p with an a6 5300k with 4gb of ram clocked at 1600mhz on medium at 20-25fps. Seemed too good to be true, honestly. Im wondeing if the build i linked to can handle bf3 multiplayer on 720p at playable framerates (30-40 is playable imo). Thanks in advance.

-Renzo

 

[Dalef11]

I would highly suggest you have 8gb Ram. Also, it will be better in the long run and isn't highly expensive for another 4gb on the current build you have there.

Also, you haven't stated the Graphics Card you will be using? This is a major factor in the performance of games such as Bf3.

Edit: Oh sorry, you say you are going to use the integrated graphics. For a game such as bf3 I would also recommend you buy a discrete graphics card depending on the budget as 4gb ram combined with integrated will not be the best at all.

 

[bryonhowley]

4gb will most likely work however I have found that 8gb seems to be the sweet spot when it comes to system ram. That give the OS and what ever you are running plenty of ram to work with out fear of running out and having to use virtual memory.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

I'd go for 8GB. Remember that your GPU's memory will come out of this, meaning that it effectively has a 1-2GB handicap over a discrete-GPU system.

You should be ok with 4GB, but it would be tight on some games.

 

[unreal9400]

Yes.

 

[RenzoGuzi]

Thanks for the answers guys. Im a bit confused though so heres a question that will hopefully get rid of my confusion; is the above build sufficient for playing bf3 multiplayer on 720p? I think most of the answers will be a no, but i just have to be sure.

EDIT: Also, which would be better, 1 stick of 8gb ram or 2 sticks of 4gb ram?

 

[Guest]

You can run bf 3 on 720p on medium probably and specify your GPU

 

[RenzoGuzi]

Im going to be using the igpu

 

[Cons29]

igpu? i suggest you focus more at your gpu, put your funds there. bf3 needs a lot of cpu and gpu power

 

[RenzoGuzi]

Yeah but im on a budget. Ive heard and seen good things about the a10 5800k. Ive seen it run bf3 on 720p. And since, im a console gamer, im pretty sure ill be okay with low to medium settings. Im also using a 1024x768 monitor for now since im gonna get a better monitor on my bday.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Definitely want 2x sticks. Dual channel doubles your memory bandwidth, which is a large limiter of the iGPU's performance.

 

[Guest]

You can run the game at decent fps with your igpu at 720p and medium settings. But i would suggest buying a dedicated GPU if you're gonna play future games on your PC.

 

[RenzoGuzi]

You can run the game at decent fps with your igpu at 720p and medium settings. But i would suggest buying a dedicated GPU if you're gonna play future games on your PC.

With 4GB of ram? And I will be getting a dedicated gpu in the future.

 

[tracker45]

Do I need 8gb of ram ?

Or very fast 4gb ram

Which is better ?

4gb ram at speed of 2133

Or 16gb ram at speed at 1066

 

[jaguarskx]

If you are using the iGPU, then I would say you should get 8GB of DDR3-2133 RAM (2x 4GB sticks). That's because the iGPU will be using some of the system RAM; either 768MB or 1GB I am not exactly sure.

16GB of any type of RAM is a waste for playing games since you are never going to use that much.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

iGPU can use up to about half of the system RAM, normally.

Get 2x4GB of DDR3-1866 or so.