How much RAM do you need for a laptop, gaming PC, or tablet? | Digital Trends (2024)

How much RAM do you need for a laptop, gaming PC, or tablet? | Digital Trends (1)

Random access memory, usually shortened to RAM or simply “memory,” is one of the most important parts of any computing device. Modern PCs, tablets, and phones typically have from 2GB up to 32GB, though some have even more. But how much RAM do you need, exactly?

Contents

  • How much RAM do you need?
  • RAM explained
  • How much RAM for tablets?
  • How much RAM for laptops?
  • How much RAM do you need for gaming?
  • RAM speed vs. capacity
  • Upgrading your RAM can be easy and inexpensive
  • Frequently asked questions

Adding more RAM to your computer won’t make it run faster if you already have enough, though, and wastes money you could spend elsewhere on upgrading your PC. Games that require 16GB of RAM won’t necessarily run faster if you have 32GB — although making sure background tasks have enough memory is a good way to improve performance in demanding applications.

Here, we’ll walk you through how much RAM you need for a tablet, laptop, desktop, and gaming machine. If you want to know how much RAM you need for a smartphone, we have a guide for that, too.

How much RAM do you need?

For most PC and laptop owners, 16GB of RAM is a good figure to target. It gives you plenty of memory for most modern games, enough to run plenty of web browsing tabs at the same time, and you can even run demanding apps like video editing suites. You might want more, you might get away with less, but if you’re unsure how much RAM you need, 16GB is a good figure to target.

For a more nuanced look at how much RAM you need, here are some of the most common quantities of RAM, and who might be best suited to that quantity.

  • 4GB: Low-end Chromebooks and some tablets come with 4GB of RAM, but it’s only worth considering if you’re on an extreme budget.
  • 8GB: Typically installed in entry-level laptops. This is fine for basic Windows gaming at lower settings, but rapidly runs out of steam.
  • 16GB: Excellent for Windows and MacOS systems and also good for gaming, especially if it is fast RAM, though some games still need more.
  • 32GB: This is the sweet spot for professionals and high-end gamers. It’s enough to play any game, but pricing is still affordable.
  • 48GB: Using non-binary memory kits can save you some money if 32GB of RAM just won’t do, and 64GB is unneeded.
  • 64GB and more: For enthusiasts and purpose-built workstations only. Engineers, professional A/V editors, and similar types need to start here and go higher if needed.

Remember, buying more RAM than you need doesn’t net you any performance benefit — it’s effectively wasted money. Buy what you actually need, and spend the remaining budget on more important components like the CPU or graphics card.

RAM explained

How much RAM do you need for a laptop, gaming PC, or tablet? | Digital Trends (2)

RAM is a small amount of extremely fast storage and augments the cache on your CPU to make sure it has fast access to as much information as possible — much faster than if it had to grab that data from your SSD or hard drive. As you open programs, it stores data that they need access to quickly in system memory. When you boot a game, many of its elements are loaded into memory so they’re readily accessible.

Different programs require different amounts of RAM, but regardless of the application, it’s likely to use at least a little bit of RAM. That adds up over time, and if you don’t have enough RAM to go around, the applications you’re using will severely slow down. You can still launch them, but if you run out of RAM, the application won’t have access to the ultra-fast storage RAM provides to quickly access the data it needs.

You can also have too much RAM. If, for example, you’re only using 12GB of RAM under the most demanding circumstances and you have a 16GB kit, upgrading to a 32GB kit (assuming all other aspects are equal) won’t impact your performance whatsoever. It’s effectively wasted money.

Because of that, it’s important to choose a capacity that slightly exceeds your needs without going overboard. You can buy more RAM, and it won’t negatively impact performance. But that’s a bit like buying a house with four bedrooms and only using two of them.

System RAM shouldn’t be confused with the dedicated memory used by discrete graphic cards. High-end 3D games rely on video RAM, or VRAM, to temporarily store image data, like textures. Most current-generation graphics cards use either GDDR6 or GDDR6X. GDDR7 memory is coming down the pipe, though.

Meanwhile, system RAM is identified by its generation, with DDR4 and DDR5 being the most common in the latest generations of computers. DDR6 is in development but not readily available. RAM also has a speed rating, and a list of numbers known as its “timings,” which relate to its latency.

Although memory speed and timings are important if you want to speed up your computer, for most gamers and workers, simply making sure you have enough RAM is more important.

How much RAM for tablets?

How much RAM do you need for a laptop, gaming PC, or tablet? | Digital Trends (3)

Tablets are not designed to deal with heavy-duty software tasks, so their RAM needs tend to be pretty low — similar to a lot of smartphones.

However, as multitab browsers and more complex software continue to make the transition, the latest generations of tablets come with much more RAM than their predecessors. Current spec options typically range from 2GB to 16GB of RAM, with other considerations like battery life and processor speed often being of greater consideration.

Our favorite tablets have between 8GB and 16GB, though there are budget models which have less. There are some models with 4GB of RAM, but if you aim for more, you’ll have a much more responsive tablet.

How much RAM for laptops?

How much RAM do you need for a laptop, gaming PC, or tablet? | Digital Trends (4)

Most laptops come with 8GB of RAM, with top-tier machines packing 16GB — even up to 32GB for the most powerful gaming notebooks. As more games and applications demand more RAM, even mainstream laptops come with options for 16GB now, so configure your new laptop with more RAM if you think you’ll need it.

You’d only need to go past that if you perform certain tasks, like editing huge video or photo files or playing some of the most demanding games — though you should focus on CPU and GPU performance first if you need to maximize the return on your investment. Most people don’t use a laptop for such tasks, but if you do, buying enough RAM is crucial. It’s more difficult to upgrade RAM in a laptop (or, in some recent models, impossible) compared to a desktop, so buying what you need at the start is paramount.

For something like a Chromebook, which mostly relies on cloud-based apps and provides very little storage space, you won’t need much in the way of RAM and will be fine with 8GB of RAM when buying aChromebook, especially since some Chromebooks will let you use the Google Play Store to download Android apps directly on your machine.

How much RAM do you need for gaming?

How much RAM do you need for a laptop, gaming PC, or tablet? | Digital Trends (5)

For gaming PCs, 16GB of RAM is the best place to start, but it’s so cheap that anyone building a new gaming PC should consider 32GB instead. Although 8GB was enough for many years, new AAA PC games demand at least 16GB and some as much as 32GB — though those are very rare. Few games will actually take advantage of even close to 32GB of RAM, but many will saturate 16GB all by themselves, leaving little for background applications.

If you plan on streaming or running multiple applications while your games are running — OBS Studio, a web browser, etc. — 32GB will give you a little more room, and top-tier gamers might even want to go for 48GB with a non-binary memory kit.

RAM speed vs. capacity

While you won’t see any performance improvement by adding more RAM to your system if you already have what you need, the same cannot be said when it comes to RAM speed. Right now, DDR4 is standard across most desktops, laptops, and tablets, although many new AMD and Intel PCs come with DDR5 memory instead. Each DDR generation has a range of speeds, with DDR4 starting with DDR4-1600 and ending with DDR4-3200, while DDR5 starts at DDR5-4000 and ends at DDR5-8000. The number at the end notes the memory’s speed. The benefit of faster memory is simple: More cycles per second means the module can read and write data faster.

For DDR4 memory, kits that run at 3,600MHz are considered some of the best, as they work natively with Intel and AMD CPUs and offer excellent performance. Going higher than that can offer some benefit, but it means tweaking the settings to get the most out of it — especially on AMD PCs. For DDR5, the fastest the memory the better, but as you get into the extremes the cost rises much faster than the performance.

Different applications react differently to faster memory, and there are even differences between Intel and AMD. However, if you bought faster RAM sticks or plan to buy them, you’ll want to enable the XMP/EXPO profile in your BIOS to get the most out of your purchase.

Upgrading your RAM can be easy and inexpensive

RAM isn’t that expensive, and it’s the easiest component to upgrade in a desktop PC — laptops, too, in many cases. Buying a generous amount is wise, but don’t go crazy. There’s not much reason for a gamer to exceed 32GB for now, and no reason to exceed 16GB if all you want to do is watch Netflix.

If your system does eventually become restricted by RAM, you can just add more. This is a good idea even if you don’t feel comfortable upgrading it yourself, as the charge for installing RAM at your local PC store should hover around $40 to $60.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need 8 or 16GB of RAM?

Generally, we recommend 16GB as the right amount of RAM for most people. However, the specific amount of RAM you’ll need will depend on what your computing needs are and what your budget will allow. If you know you’ll just be a casual user and don’t plan on gaming or editing video much, 8GB of RAM should be enough. But if you know you’re going to be gaming or working on video projects, 16GB of RAM should at least be your starting point.

Can too much RAM be bad?

Having too much RAM won’t necessarily hurt your computer. But it is generally considered to be a bad purchasing decision, because having much more RAM than you actually use won’t speed up your computer. Having too much RAM is more of a waste of money, because the excess RAM isn’t being used.

Is 8GB of RAM enough for Windows 11?

According to Microsoft, you only need a minimum of 4GB of RAM for Windows 11. So 8GB of RAM should be more than enough to install Windows 11. Our guide to how Windows 11 uses RAM explores this in more detail.

Editors’ Recommendations

  • How long does RAM actually last?
  • DDR5 vs. DDR4 RAM: Is DDR5 worth it?
  • Does RAM speed matter for PC performance?
  • How to choose the best RAM for your PC in 2024
  • Report: High RAM prices will continue to skyrocket
How much RAM do you need for a laptop, gaming PC, or tablet? | Digital Trends (2024)

FAQs

How much RAM do you need for a laptop, gaming PC, or tablet? | Digital Trends? ›

It really depends on what you use your laptop for. Generally, if your laptop has at least 4GB of RAM it will be suitable for everyday use like web browsing and document creation. If you're planning to use your laptop for more intensive tasks like gaming or video editing, then you will need more ram 8GB or 16GB.

How much RAM do I need for gaming tablet? ›

We would suggest a higher RAM for graphic-intensive games and multitasking between apps for example 6GB or 8GB is preferable. Lesser 4GB RAM tablets are okay for casual gamers or individuals on a budget.

How much RAM do I need on my laptop for gaming? ›

2-4GB of RAM can be enough for browsing the internet, lightweight work applications, or older games. 8GB of RAM can be enough for mid-range gaming and most work applications. Many modern PC games list 8GB of RAM or more as a minimum system requirement.

Is 32 GB RAM overkill? ›

RAM is a computer memory used to temporarily store your computer's active use or processing data. The more RAM you have, the more data your computer can access quickly, improving its overall performance. 32GB of RAM is considered high and is generally overkill for most users.

Who needs 32GB RAM? ›

You should therefore definitely give your computer 32GB of RAM if you frequently play games with medium to high graphics requirements. This RAM capacity is also recommended if you perform many tasks on your PC at the same time and want your computer to run as smoothly as possible.

How much RAM is sufficient for a tablet? ›

How You Use Your Tablet: Basic Use (Web Browsing, Email, Social Media): 2GB or 4GB RAM might suffice. Moderate Use (Productivity Apps, Casual Gaming): 4GB to 8GB RAM is recommended. Heavy Use (Gaming, Video Editing, Multitasking):Opt for 8GB or even 16GB RAM.

Is 128 GB of RAM overkill? ›

Balancing Performance and Cost

For most typical users, such as gamers, content creators, and even professionals running demanding software, 128GB of RAM may indeed be considered overkill.

How much RAM does a PS5 have? ›

PlayStation 5
The original PlayStation 5 console with optical drive, and DualSense controller
CPUCustom 8-core AMD Zen 2 Variable frequency up to 3.5 GHz
Memory16 GB/256-bit GDDR6 SDRAM 512 MB DDR4 RAM (used as SSD controller cache)
StorageCustom 825 GB (2020-22) or 1 TB (2023) PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
24 more rows

What does SSD do for gaming? ›

SSDs work without moving parts, giving them an advantage over HDDs. Games launch and levels load faster when installed on an SSD. SSDs provide a smoother experience in games that stream assets from storage. New I/O technologies are starting to capitalize on the potential of SSDs.

Is 32GB RAM enough for 4K gaming? ›

For a robust Gaming experience, especially for 1440p and 4K Gaming, we recommend 32GB of RAM as a baseline, with serious consideration for 64GB for futureproofing. Pair this with a decent RAM speed, and you'll have a setup that not only handles current Gaming demands but is also prepared for future Gaming trends.

Does 32 GB RAM increase FPS? ›

In conclusion, the amount of RAM in a computer does have an impact on FPS performance. Increasing the RAM from 16GB to 32GB can lead to improved FPS in certain scenarios, particularly in resource-intensive games or when multitasking with demanding applications.

Is 32GB RAM needed for gaming? ›

If you want ultimate gameplay, 32GB is the option to go for. With 32GB of RAM, you should be able to run today's games at the highest resolution with few drops. You should also be able to run other applications in the background, including live streaming, editing software, and your favorite internet browser.

How much RAM do you realistically need? ›

16GB of RAM should work perfectly for most day-to-day tasks. Basic tasks such as web browsing and word processing, 4GB should suffice. If the task you are doing is more intense, you will need more RAM. 8 GB and up for more advanced activities like photo editing or streaming video.

What is a good amount of SSD for gaming? ›

Storage recommendations based on gaming habits
Gamer typeStorage needs
Occasional gamer500GB to 1TB
Moderate gamer1TB to 2TB
Enthusiast gamer2TB to 4TB or more
Professional gamer4TB or more
Nov 21, 2023

Is 4GB RAM enough for a gaming tablet? ›

Screen quality and the resolution that comes with it will make or break a game in terms of visuals. It's advisable to have a resolution of at least 1800 x 1200 pixels to ensure a crisp, clear image on your tablet. For most games, 4 GB of RAM will be enough to get the full experience.

Is 64GB enough for a tablet for gaming? ›

Movies, series, and gaming: from 64GB

On a tablet of 64GB and up, you'll have enough storage capacity for a large number of apps and files. After about a year, you have to clean up the storage. This storage is suitable if you watch many movies and series or if you play many games.

Is 16 GB RAM good for gaming? ›

16GB of RAM is the amount of memory we recommend for intermediate users looking for extra speed and smooth functioning. This may be especially beneficial if you tend to have several programs open and running, simultaneously. This is also a good level of RAM for casual gamers and standard business professionals.

Is 4GB RAM enough for gaming? ›

How much memory you need for gaming not only depends on what games you want to play, but also how many other applications you have open in the background. While some people might be able to use 8GB to play a few older games, 16GB will definitely improve your gaming experience if you like to play more modern games.

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