How much RAM do you need?
5 min read · Updated 2026-10-06
The short answer
- 8 GB: office work and older games only. Many new games list 16 GB as the minimum.
- 16 GB: the right amount for most gaming PCs.
- 32 GB: gaming plus streaming, Chrome with many tabs, photo and video editing. The sensible pick for a new mid/high-end build.
- 64 GB+: 4K video, large 3D scenes, virtual machines, local AI models.
DDR4 or DDR5?
Your motherboard decides. AM5 and LGA1851 boards are DDR5 only; AM4 is DDR4; LGA1700 boards come in either version. DDR5-6000 CL30 is the sweet spot for Ryzen 7000/9000. DDR4-3200 or 3600 CL16 is ideal for AM4.
Always use two sticks
Two sticks run in dual channel and give noticeably higher frame rates than one stick of the same size, especially with integrated graphics. Put them in the slots your motherboard manual marks as primary (usually A2 and B2).
Turn on XMP or EXPO
Memory runs at a slow default speed until you enable its XMP (Intel) or EXPO (AMD) profile in the BIOS. It is one setting and it is free performance.
