We often get questions about RAM in our SteDi Gaming Youtube channel so we thought we should cover the most common ones in a short article so here we go.
We will start with the more general questions and dig a bit deeper into specifics.
Is DDR5 better than DDR4?
The performance difference between DDR4 and DDR5 RAM depends on the exact models and the CPUs using it. Currently the only CPUs capable of using both are the models from Intel’s Core 12 and 13 series. In general fast, low latency DDR4 may be slightly faster than slow and high latency DDR5 models, but can’t beat faster and lower latency DDR5. DDR4 is still notbably cheaper than fast DDR5 though.
What RAM is the best for gaming?
The best RAM for gaming is the one that is both high speed and low latency. Still you should cosider the CPU, that will use it, as some have limitations for running higher clocked ram.
How much RAM do I need for 4K gaming?
16 GB of RAM are enough for now, but if you have a lot of background applications and/or plan to leave the browser behind, more RAM might help somewhat. 4K by itself doesn’t change mich the amount of RAM needed for the PC. However if your GPU is memory limited it might start ot consume from the system RAM. In that case it will probably be too slow for 4K anyway, but for the sake of the argument, 16 GB might start to be tight in that case.
Now let’s move on to some more amount of RAM specifics.
How long will 16GB RAM last?
16 GB will probably be enough for gaming for the next 2-3 years, if you only game/browse/watch video on the PC. Current games require up to about 10GB of RAM but the tendancy is only up.
Is it worth upgrading from 16GB to 32GB RAM?
When deciding for yourself if it’s worth it upgrading from 16GB to 32GB you will have to consider the purpose of your PC. If you use it only for gaming – not very much. But if you use the PC for other, more intesive tasks, or if you multitask, additional RAM can help.
Is 32 GB of RAM overkill?
The short answer is No. Nowadays content creation like video editing and other renders are becoming more and more common and these tasks require more RAM. As prices of memory are going down, the common gaming PC amount of RAM moves from 16GB to 32GB.
Do I need 32GB of RAM for gaming and streaming?
Typically 16GB should be enough for gaming and streaming, but in some cases having more RAM can help the game itself to run better. If you also add a camera source and Discord communication, 32GB might get handy.
What’s the max RAM you can have?
The maximum amount of RAM a PC can have depends on what is your platform and how many slots for RAM does the motherboard have. Typically it is 64GB for 2 slots motherboard and 128GB for 4 slots in modern desktop PCs. Professional systems based on Threadripper or HEDT support more.
How much RAM is too much?
Anything that you can not reasonably justify is too much as well as anything that makes you skimp on other parts. For example 64GB of RAM for a regular i5 or Ryzen 5/7 strictly gaming PC is overkill.
Can too much RAM hurt your PC?
Larger modules of RAM can sometimes have worse latency than the smaller onces, that can lead ot slghtly worse perofrmance. Also the their price may be higher per GB, consuming more from the budget of the PC, leading to purchasing lower performance parts form the other components. Also keep in mind, that having 4 memory modules leads to lower clocks.
Is 48GB RAM possible?
Yes, 48GB of RAM is possible if you use 2 kits, one 16GB one and one 32GB one. That is if your motherboard has 4 slots. Though even with 2 slots you can combine 16 and 32 GB sticks, but it is not advisable.
Can you mix RAM sticks?
Mixing RAM sticks is possible in theory, but different modules might have different timings which can leave to instabillity or lower performance. Best is to check and use the slowest XMP profile between them, though it is still not 100% error proof.
Is 256GB/512GB/1TB RAM possible/overkill?
There are proffecional applications that can use such amounts of memory. You might need a CPU with a lot of cores to utilize the RAM for rendering or some other memory intensive task. Currently the maximum amount of RAM a regular desktop PC can have is 128GB. If you need more, you will also need a workstation or server based setup.
Let’s take a look at some gaming + streaming RAM related questions.
How much RAM do you need to live stream?
For mainstream gaming and streaming machine we recommend at least 16GB and may be even 32GB in higher end system, especially if you end to use a lot of background programs. The realistic hard minimum is 8 GB, but it will be problematik in some newer games and it can also lead to very slow loads and game stuttering.
Is 16GB RAM good for gaming and streaming?
16GB should be enough for gaming and streaming, though 32GB is a better option if you plan to do video edits from recordings of your gameplay.
How much RAM does OBS use?
OBS typically doesn’t use much RAM – less than 1 GB. For a bit of future-proofing, I would count it as 2GB if you are calculating how much to buy.
This of course is not the complete list of questions we get asked on our Youtube gaming channel. If you did not find the information you need here, don’t hesitate to drop your question on one of our videos.