What Does Ram Do For Gaming? (2024)

We all know that you could have the sickest CPU, a top-of-the-line GPU, all the latest hardware, but if you cheap out on RAM, your gaming setup is gonna seriously disappoint you. Why? Because RAM is that crucial magic memory sauce that lets your processor properly flex it up when you're in a gaming session.

However, a lot of people do tend to miss out on the finer details of what the RAM does for gaming specifically. Does it boost your frames? Cut down on loading times? Play the boss level for you? Well, we're here to break down exactly that. Let's dive in and take a quick look at what's what.

What Is RAM?

To put it in an extremely reductive manner, RAM is like your computer's trusty sidekick. While the CPU handles all the heavy-duty number-crunching, the RAM's role is to just organize and parcel up everything that your PCs brain needs so it's ready to go.

Take, for example, loading up a game. When you fire it up it doesn't just magically appear on your screen. All those graphics, sounds, and lines of code first have to load from your storage drive - that's the hard drive or SSD. Now this is exactly where RAM kicks in, acting as a temporary holding area for the data the CPU requires. It's designed to rapidly serve up any files or instructions at a moment's notice, rather than your CPU constantly pulling from the comparatively sluggish storage drive.

The more RAM you have available, the more of those game assets and data can get preloaded into this high-speed memory bank, allowing quicker recalls by the CPU without constant drive readings that cause hiccups and stalls.

But here's the catch - RAM is considered "volatile" memory. Anything housed there is fleeting, just a temporary workspace that gets wiped clean when you power off the machine. No saving, no backups, it's all blitzed into oblivion until the next bootup.

While your storage acts as long-term storage, RAM serves as a lightning-quick scratch pad for actively running programs like games. It's where the most frequently needed assets get shuttled in, ready for speedy recalls by the CPU as needed.

With a healthy allocation of RAM, gaming just flows smoother. You get less stuttering because the CPU has more instant access to required files. Graphics can ramp up more details when more data can reside in memory simultaneously.

RAM's Role In Gaming

Now that we're on the same page about RAM acting as a high-speed holding area for all the data the CPU needs, let's look at why it's such a key player for gaming:

1. Asset Management - Most games are crazy wired when it comes to scope these days - vast open worlds, intricately detailed environments, super high-res 3D models, immersive soundtracks, the whole nine yards. That's a mountain of assets for your system to load and juggle all at once. One of RAM's most important jobs here is getting those assets prepped and standing by so the CPU can rapidly access them on demand.
2. Multitasking - Most of the time, you've got way more than just the game itself running. Maybe you're hopped in a voice chat, streaming your gameplay, or quickly browsing a guide when you get stumped on a puzzle or boss. Having a hearty RAM allocation allows your system to handle all those extra apps simultaneously without putting the brakes on your actual game's performance or stability.
3. Consistently Smooth Sailing - There are few things more disruptive to great gameplay than stuttering frame rates and constant hitching. This tends to rear its ugly head when you run out of available RAM, forcing your system into a constant swap-meet between RAM and your much slower storage drive. But feed your machine enough RAM? Your CPU can rapidly access any and all required data for glass-smooth, consistent frame rendering from start to finish.
4. Graphics - Let's talk eye candy. Modern games pack in an absurd number of graphics settings to tweak - resolution, texture details, visual effects, you name it. But here's the catch, the more you crank up those visuals, the more RAM horsepower is required to supply your GPU with all those graphical data goodies. If you're skimping on RAM, you'll likely have to dial back the graphics quality to compensate.
5. Mod It Up - Maybe you're the tinkering type who lives for injecting wild mods and custom expansions into your games. If so, you'll quickly realize all those fresh textures, character models, levels and other assets are ravenous memory hogs on top of the base game's requirements. Making sure you've got plenty of RAM is critical for letting you take full advantage of those game-altering extras without breaking a sweat.

How Much RAM Do You Need?

Alright, so we've covered why having enough RAM is so crucial for keeping your games running buttery smooth. The big question now is - how much do you actually need? Well, there's no magic "one RAM amount fits all" situation here. But to give you a rough idea, here's what we think:

8GB - So for a lot of gamers, 8 gigs is considered the baseline minimum these days. It'll probably get you by okay for some older or less graphically-demanding titles. But if you're trying to run hot new AAA games with crazy graphics and effects, be ready to either dial back some of those eye-candy settings or just accept some occasional stuttering along the way.

16GB - This seems to be the sweet spot for most current gaming setups. With 16GB of RAM, you should be able to max out pretty much any modern game and get awesome performance. You'll also have a bit of overhead for multitasking or doing some light modding/tweaking if that's your thing.

32GB or Higher - Now we're talking hardcore gaming territory. If you're the type who absolutely needs to crank every single graphics option up to insane levels while juggling other intensive apps alongside your games, then 32 gigs or higher is what you'll want. Having that much RAM ensures an uncompromised premium experience with all the bells and whistles.

But here's the thing, while more RAM tends to be better for gaming, it's not the only ingredient in a high-performance setup. Your processor, graphics card, and storage drives are just as important for overall performance. You need a balanced meal where each component matches and complements the others.

Frequently Asked Question

How do I know if I need more RAM for gaming?

For starters, you're definitely gonna wanna pay attention to how often your games are hitching or stuttering. If it's a frequent issue even on less demanding titles, that's a solid sign you're running low on available RAM. Another red flag? If you can't run demanding games at setting presets above "Low" or "Medium" without performance tanking. Don't just blindly upgrade though, check your actual RAM usage first to identify the bottleneck.

Will more RAM improve the FPS in my games?

To an extent, yes, having more RAM can provide an FPS boost in some scenarios. With more memory availability, your system doesn't have to constantly juggle resources back and forth from storage. The CPU can rapidly access all the game data it needs in that high-speed RAM workspace. But once you have "enough" RAM for what you're running, adding more won't make games run faster. Other components like your CPU and GPU become the limiting factor.

How Much of a Difference Do RAM Upgrades Actually Make?

Upgrading from a painfully low amount of RAM to a decent capacity can provide a absolutely night-and-day difference for gaming. We're talking about going from constant stuttering, hitching messes to buttery smooth performance. But once you've got enough RAM to handle your typical game and app loads, any further upgrades will give diminishing returns. The difference between say 16GB and 32GB won't be as dramatic unless you're an absolute RAM-hungry power user.