Are you debating between 16GB and 32GB of Memory for your computer? We can assist!
Let’s start with the quick response:
In general, 16GB of RAM will be sufficient for the majority of users. There aren’t many applications that can consume 16GB of RAM, let alone 32GB, and 32GB is just unnecessary outside of a few use-cases. But, there are valid reasons to choose 32GB over 16GB, particularly if you want to keep your computer for an extended period of time.
Practically, there are a variety of situations in which you’ll need to be sure you have enough Memory. This fast guide will teach you everything you need to know about what is sensible for your PC.
Most PC gamers aren’t particularly concerned with gaming RAM. 32GB is excessive for most gamers because even the most graphically demanding AAA games only need 8GB, and there are only a few games that can need 16GB. Nonetheless, there are certain outliers, such as simulation games and games with a lot of mods.
Simulator games like Cities: Skylines, Rimworld, and Dwarf Fortress demand that your computer keep track of an absurd number of individual elements, including people, vehicles, animals, and materials that are stored elsewhere. All of these elements are stored in RAM so that your CPU can access them quickly. When you first begin a new map or scenario, they won’t use up much RAM, but as your civilization advances, the amount of RAM they use will increase.
Computer Use Daily
You’re probably thinking, “16GB is more than plenty for most things, right?” And you’re mostly correct. The majority of routine computing tasks, such as using the desktop and managing files, don’t use much RAM, but other programs that you might think of as routine don’t.
Internet browsers, for instance: Anyone who used Google Chrome in the past will attest that, depending on how many tabs you have open and which websites you’re viewing, your web browser will suck up roughly as much RAM as you let it.
It should be obvious to you that more complicated websites need more RAM than simpler ones. Viewing a show on Hulu, for example, will use a much more RAM than browsing a blog or reading a news piece online.
You can verify how much RAM each site needs by opening your task manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and looking at the memory consumption column. You might be startled by what you see.
For the majority of daily computing tasks, 16GB of RAM will be sufficient, while 32GB will allow you to run more apps and tabs simultaneously. You decide, and it’s probably a good bet that websites will continue to require more RAM over time.
Professional Multimedia Programs (Video Editing & Graphic Design)
This is a rather inclusive category that covers 3D modeling software like Blender, audio editing software like Ableton Live, and video and photo editing software like Adobe Premiere and Photoshop. The amount of RAM needed by these RAM-intensive apps tends to increase dramatically as projects get larger since they require your computer to keep onto and quickly switch between numerous large files.
16GB of RAM is frequently regarded as the absolute minimum for a usable workstation by experts in the fields of graphic design, video editing, and audio production. Anything less will make working on all but the smallest projects a complete pain in the neck; every click and drag will cause your computer to stutter, every additional element will cause your computer to freeze until it catches up, and rendering your finished product will take so long that it will irritate even the most patient professionals.
Office Work
One area that might benefit tremendously from extra RAM is standard office activities, such as producing documents, sending emails, using spreadsheets, and running reports.
If you’ve ever used Excel, for instance, you know that spreadsheets can quickly become quite sophisticated and resource-intensive, and that changing a formula or modifying a graph will cause your ordinary office computer with 8GB of RAM to crash. Your computer’s CPU will be able to handle large spreadsheets more effectively with additional Memory, which will speed up your work.
Your business computer’s 32GB of RAM will also make multitasking simpler: You’ll be able to check Outlook, respond to Slack messages, and work on a PowerPoint presentation while you wait for a report to run or fiddle about with a spreadsheet thanks to the additional RAM. 32GB of RAM for your business computer is a worthwhile investment due to the increased productivity.
Pros and Disadvantages of 16GB and 32GB RAM
16GB
For the majority of users, selecting 16GB is a relatively safe bet. There aren’t many games that can utilise 16GB of RAM, let alone require that much, and it’s less expensive than 32GB (obviously).
The downside of going with 16GB is that you’ll be sort of hamstrung if you want to use heavy-duty professional programs like Excel, Adobe Premier, Ableton Live, and Blender. When working on large projects, programs like these will eat up all of your Memory and then some, and you might notice some significant slowdowns.
32GB
The benefits and drawbacks of 32GB of RAM are essentially the opposite of those of 16GB. You’ll have considerably more Memory capacity than you need for most programs and practically all games, and there’s currently no compelling reason to have that much RAM aside from a few use cases.
However, if you’re using intensive professional visual or audio design tools, having 32GB of RAM will help you be more productive, and that benefit alone might be worth the price of admission.
There really isn’t any disadvantage to having too much RAM, and you’ll also be future-proofing your PC in case programs become much more demanding in the future. When the time comes to edit a sizable film project or create a challenging spreadsheet, you’ll be grateful you have it even if it will mostly simply be idlely sitting there.
Knowing How Memory Operates
Every computer, tablet, and smartphone has RAM, or random-access memory, a unique kind of memory. RAM only stores important program data for as long as your CPU requires it, in contrast to hard drives or solid-state drives, which offer permanent storage for files and applications.
Computers have both temporary and permanent storage, and the reason is actually quite straightforward: RAM is significantly faster than hard drives or their faster solid-state drive siblings.
Without RAM, your computer would have to look in your main storage every time it needed to find a program file, load data, or even open a new tab in your web browser, which would cause everything to sluggishly search through your main storage.
RAM is essentially a computational tradeoff; it might not be required if the primary storage could keep up with your Processor, but RAM is still a must-have for modern computers until it can.
