Is 8GB RAM enough?

[BeMu]

I'm looking at a getting a gaming PC for roughly £700-£750 and 16GB of RAM is pushing up the price so I was wondering whether 8GB is still enough.

 

[Matt Dobe]

8GB is plenty. I have ran 8GB for 2 years now and found no game that can use it.

16GB is worth if your budget can allow or if you are going to be running virtual machines/video editing etc.

 

[Dunlop0078]

Yes for gaming. Some people will disagree but i know of no games without a memory leak issue that will come even close to using 8gb of system ram, VRAM usage in games is increasing a lot not so much system ram. I think 8gb will be plenty for games that come out in at least the next 3-5 years.

 

[R4lNM4N]

For gaming, yes - more than enough. No currently released game will exceed that amount needed in combination with your operating system. If you where going to need to do some crazy multitasking like opening many programs at once or running a number of virtual machines then I would recommend more.

I recommend getting an 8 gig kit of 2 modules so you can run them in dual channel mode (if supported by your motherboard)

 

[BeMu]

8GB is plenty. I have ran 8GB for 2 years now and found no game that can use it.

16GB is worth if your budget can allow or if you are going to be running virtual machines/video editing etc.

Nice, thanks for the help

 

[Tradesman1]

There are already games that use 8GB and at least one that's due in a month or so that calls for 12GB - for new rigs most builders are recommending 16GB

 

[Dunlop0078]

There are already games that use 8GB and at least one that's due in a month or so that calls for 12GB - for new rigs most builders are recommending 16GB

Like what?

 

[Tradesman1]

i.e. GTA and Assassins Creed both recommend 8GB and people in the forums have complained trying to run with 4GB, and saw some new game,don't remember the name that recommends 12 GB for running, will try and find it. Of course with less, you can run at lower settings

 

[Dunlop0078]

i.e. GTA and Assassins Creed both recommend 8GB and people in the forums have complained trying to run with 4GB, and saw some new game,don't remember the name that recommends 12 GB for running, will try and find it. Of course with less, you can run at lower settings

On my system GTA V uses 5gb or less total with all my other running applications. Unity uses less, I think crysis 3 will get close to 6, planetside 2 will use well over 8gb over time but that is due to a memory leak. I do not now of any game now or in the foreseeable future that will even come close to using 8gb. I have never even exceeded 6gb used on my system without a benchmark or stress test. I have 55 games in my steam library most of them modern "AAA" titles including a heavily modded skyrim and none of them will push my system over 6gb total system ram used.

 

[Hendaia_xg]

Star Wars Battlefront Beta Recommended Specs:
CPU: Intel i5 6600 or equivalent
RAM: 16GB RAM
GPU: AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB or Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB - DirectX 11.1
OS: 64-bit Windows 10 or later
HDD: (Beta Only: 12GB of free hard drive space)


http://starwars.ea.com/starwars/battlefront/forums/discussion/99/official-star-wars-battlefront-minimum-and-recommend-pc-specifications

 

[Dunlop0078]

Star Wars Battlefront Beta Recommended Specs:
CPU: Intel i5 6600 or equivalent
RAM: 16GB RAM
GPU: AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB or Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB - DirectX 11.1
OS: 64-bit Windows 10 or later
HDD: (Beta Only: 12GB of free hard drive space)


http://starwars.ea.com/starwars/battlefront/forums/discussion/99/official-star-wars-battlefront-minimum-and-recommend-pc-specifications

I'll be my left leg it wont use more than 6gb total. I cant believe these min- recommended specs anymore a lot of times they are way off. I guess we will see.

 

[R4lNM4N]

Star Wars Battlefront Beta Recommended Specs:
CPU: Intel i5 6600 or equivalent
RAM: 16GB RAM
GPU: AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB or Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB - DirectX 11.1
OS: 64-bit Windows 10 or later
HDD: (Beta Only: 12GB of free hard drive space)


http://starwars.ea.com/starwars/battlefront/forums/discussion/99/official-star-wars-battlefront-minimum-and-recommend-pc-specifications

Agreed....

"Recommended"...."Beta"

 

[Tradesman1]

We see threads here in the forums of maxing out on DRAM, and while that might be because they have things at ultra, etc and high end rigs, it does happen. If you think back 6-7 years ago everyone was saying you'd never use more than 2 GB, then about 4 years ago same was said about 4GB, a couple years ago people saying it about 8GB. And if you look at all at pre builts they are notoriously stingy with DRAM, but the average desktop today is normally running at least 6-8GB and see many offered at 16GB. Developers, both games and apps simply continue to utilize DRAM more and more, which isn't going to change.

 

[Hendaia_xg]

Star Wars Battlefront Beta Recommended Specs:
CPU: Intel i5 6600 or equivalent
RAM: 16GB RAM
GPU: AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB or Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB - DirectX 11.1
OS: 64-bit Windows 10 or later
HDD: (Beta Only: 12GB of free hard drive space)


http://starwars.ea.com/starwars/battlefront/forums/discussion/99/official-star-wars-battlefront-minimum-and-recommend-pc-specifications

Agreed....

"Recommended"...."Beta"

Actually those are the official requirements, not for beta only. Now you can check it in "Origin" gamesite.

Its ridiculous, 16GB recomended? so if you have 12GB its not enough for "recommended"?.

Anyway I have 8GB and x2 slots free, however I wonder if its a good idea update to 16GB, because actually I have "dual channel" and I think that my "m5a97 evo r2.0" doesnt support quad channel if Im not wrong. Any opinions about this? thanks and sorry my english.

 

[Tradesman1]

It's all up to the individual, can be short sighted or far sighted....people often don't take in historical trends and DRAM is a long standing one, as pointed out above, people have been using the "you'll never use more than x amount of DRAM" for years, yet DRAM use has doubled from 1 to 2 to 4 to 8GB in how many short years, and people saying * have been saying 8GB for over 2 years now, as said also, look through forums, people complaining of maxing DRAM with 8GB, and also there are those running at max settings which also can use more.

 

[Dunlop0078]

It's all up to the individual, can be short sighted or far sighted....people often don't take in historical trends and DRAM is a long standing one, as pointed out above, people have been using the "you'll never use more than x amount of DRAM" for years, yet DRAM use has doubled from 1 to 2 to 4 to 8GB in how many short years, and people saying * have been saying 8GB for over 2 years now, as said also, look through forums, people complaining of maxing DRAM with 8GB, and also there are those running at max settings which also can use more.

The trend I see is more VRAM usage, most games when you turn settings to ultra the only change is in VRAM usage, system RAM usage stays the same. I guess we will see, if battlefront pushes my system over 8gb I will eat my words. I see what you mean about taking history into account its just I have yet to see a game use more than 6 to 6.5gb of ram total in my system so that makes me think its going to be a while before before games actually require you to have over 8gb assuming your system is only using abt 1.5gb at idle or so.

 

[Tradesman1]

VRAM can play into this also i.e. the Titan Z with 12 GB of DRAM, nVidia recommends having at least the same amount of system DRAM in order to run it. Also more and more people are gaming while also do other things with their rigs

 

[KingDingDong]

This really begs the question "Is 16GB enough?"

As Tradesman1 and others have pointed out many times adding to your existing sticks can be problematic, so if there will be games that require or at least recommend 16GB and you are building a rig you wish to get say 5 years out of is 32GB the new "16GB Overkill"?

 

[Tradesman1]

This really begs the question "Is 16GB enough?"

As Tradesman1 and others have pointed out many times adding to your existing sticks can be problematic, so if there will be games that require or at least recommend 16GB and you are building a rig you wish to get say 5 years out of is 32GB the new "16GB Overkill"?

_________________

Good point 5 years would probably fall into the next doubling phase and many will laugh at that, especially the 8GB is more than you'll ever need hardliners, but we do need to look ahead and be realistic in all seriousness.

 

[Dunlop0078]

This really begs the question "Is 16GB enough?"

As Tradesman1 and others have pointed out many times adding to your existing sticks can be problematic, so if there will be games that require or at least recommend 16GB and you are building a rig you wish to get say 5 years out of is 32GB the new "16GB Overkill"?

_________________

Good point 5 years would probably fall into the next doubling phase and many will laugh at that, especially the 8GB is more than you'll ever need hardliners, but we do need to look ahead and be realistic in all seriousness.

Im not gonna lie I do laugh at that lol. Games will use more 16gb in 5 years Wenn Schweine fliegen können!

 

[Tradesman1]

Someone will be laughing for sure, remember when X58 came out? There were hundreds saying no one would ever even have a need for 6GB, let alone the 24GB it could carry, or 1155 2x2GB was the most common purchase because 'you'll never need to use more than 4GB of RAM in a computer', many still have those same rigs and have doubled or even tripled, quadrupled the DRAM in it. Think I mentioned earlier even prebuilts normally come with 6-8GB these days. Same with decent laptops.....for anyone to think 8GB will suffice even for gaming (unless you stick with old games) for years to come is a little ludicrous.

 

[KingDingDong]

May last build in 2008 was a Q6600 with 8GB ram. I was laughed at by more than a few people. 4 cores! How could you possibly ever use them! 8GB RAM! That is rediculous! That build is still chugging along with only a SSD and GPU upgrade.

 

[Tradesman1]

May last build in 2008 was a Q6600 with 8GB ram. I was laughed at by more than a few people. 4 cores! How could you possibly ever use them! 8GB RAM! That is rediculous! That build is still chugging along with only a SSD and GPU upgrade.

________________

+1 What are you running it at? I've got a pair of Q6600s still in the family, that have been handed down, one at 3.6 and the other at 4GHz both with w/8GB

 

[KingDingDong]

Stock actually. It is in an Antec 1200 case and I never bought an aftermarket cooler for it. That is changing now. Once I finish porting everything over to my 5820 build, I am going to tear it apart, give it a much needed bath and have my 13 year old son put it back together with a corsair evo and new XFX PSU, retiring the corsair TX650 PSU I am uncomfortable with. We will then bust our OC chops on it along with the 970 I recently put in it. Should be a safe learning experience for us.

I have no illusions it of it being a viable gaming rig beyond Minecraft/Roblocks/Terraria and will be watching for a good mid-level CPU/MB/RAM deal over the next few months. Not sure what to do with it after that, likely to much of a power draw for a NAS. The MB is a Asus P5Q-E so has power saving features but anytime I loaded up the crappy utilities from Asus it just caused problems. It puts out some major heat as well.

I did download the Battlefront Demo on it last night. Going to go see if it chocks on it before bed tonight.

 

[Tradesman1]

The kids have the 6600s at their places, one is home server, the other is used for schoolwork by the grandkids. Even the young ones are learning hardware and can tear down and build. Systems have sort of run in the family, my ex was a Systems Manager and my oldest son, is Networks and system security manager (civilian) for a large AF organization.