How Much RAM Do I Need, and What Speed?

For gaming, 16GB is more than adequate – even the most demanding games right now only use around 12-14GB at Ultra settings – more than 16GB will *not* give you any better FPS. If you’re streaming, or doing content creation, 32GB is still more than enough in 99% of cases, and 16GB can still be adequate for many people. DDR4-3000 is the sweet spot for most systems under $1,000, and DDR4-3200 is the sweet spot for systems over $1,000. 

The graphs in the gallery below show how little difference there is between different RAM speeds for gaming. We don’t recommend any RAM over DDR4-3600, even in our high-end systems, because it’s poorly supported and has very little benefit in real-world scenarios, as can be seen from the graphs below.

*Click Images To Open Fullscreen Versions*

To boil it down – 16GB RAM will offer a great experience in the vast majority of available PC titles, and is enough for most streamers, as well. 32GB is better for those doing content creation or workstation applications, or for anyone who wants their system to be more future-proof. 

Here’s our picks, ranked by use case:
For Basic Mid-Range Gaming (no streaming), Web Browsing, etc – 16GB DDR4-3000

For Mid-Range to High-End Gaming (and some streaming), as well as Web Browsing, etc – 16GB DDR4-3200

For High-End Gaming (and streaming seriously), as well as Content Creation- 32GB DDR4-3200 or 3600. 

For Ultimate Gaming, Streaming, and Content Creation – 64GB DDR4-3600