If you are a crazy gamer or passionate about live streaming and are planning to upgrade your gaming PC, you must also be looking for better RAM. RAM is the key component for both of them, along with other hardware and network equipment. You can boost system responsiveness and improve frame rates by adding more and better RAM, like HP 32GB DDR4, which is best to improve the overall performance.
Let’s find out more about RAM and its functionality.
What is RAM?
It stands for Random Access Memory. It’s a short-term, volatile storage that temporarily holds information on your PC. When you open any program, the OS stores it in RAM. Once your machine shuts down, it clears everything present in the RAM.
If your PC has insufficient RAM, it will become slow and choppy, taking too much time to perform tasks and, ultimately, slowing down your PC.
The Role of RAM in Gaming
RAM is crucial because your system can retrieve data from it more quickly than from your main storage disk. Although you have the game’s data stored on your hard disk drive or solid-state drive, constantly accessing it is inefficient. As a result, your computer transfers the game’s data to RAM so that it can load quickly.
If you have low RAM, your computer won’t be able to properly store all the information related to the game. It ultimately leads to choppy frame rates and poor performance. An extremely low RAM may completely stop games from running on your PC. So, it would be best to choose a better option, like HP 32GB DDR4 RAM.
Note that dedicated video cards have their own RAM, known as vRAM. It entirely focuses on sending graphics to your display, which makes it different from system RAM. So, if you are willing to play games at high resolutions like 4K, you need a lot of vRAM.
How Much RAM Is Enough for Gaming and Streaming?
Since RAM requirements differ for each game and title, the amount of RAM you need for gaming depends on the game you want to play. When you launch a game on your PC, all the relevant and required data loads up on the RAM, which is a lot faster. Although a computer’s HDD or SSD is its long-term memory, which permanently stores information, accessing it to pull out information is a slow process.
It is essential to check the game developer’s recommended system requirements. It will give you a clear idea of how much RAM you will need in the future for the game you want to run on your PC.
Here’s a list of different RAM options that will help you know which type of RAM is best for gaming and live streaming:
4GB RAM
A few years ago, it would have been enough if you had 4 GB of RAM. However, nowadays, it is just not enough for streaming or games, as games have evolved and become more complex. Older games like Valorant, League of Legends (LoL), Minecraft, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive System, DOTA 2, and Grand Theft Auto 5 may still function with 4GB of RAM, but don’t put your expectations too high. It is better to upgrade to at least 8GB of memory to play a broader range of games.
Even for streaming, 8GB is getting less and less considerate as time goes on. OBS and other streaming software recommend at least 4GB of memory and forgo multitasking. Although streaming with 4GB is possible, it limits the games you can play.
8GB RAM
For any gaming PC, 8GB is the minimum amount of RAM required. With this, you will be able to play most recently released games without much difficulty, but you won’t be able to play other high-quality games, and it may cause you to shut down other applications. Games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Rainbow 6 Seige (R6), and World of Warcraft Shadowlands are playable with 8GB RAM.
For streaming on Twitch or YouTube, 8GB is the bare minimum amount of RAM you will need. Most modern games, such as Fortnite and League of Legends, recommend having at least 8 GB of RAM just to run them. This leaves little room for streaming while keeping the other programs running in the background.
16GB RAM
Nowadays, 16 GB of RAM is a must to play most of the advanced games. You will observe a noticeable increase in performance that will allow you to clearly spot the difference between 8 GB and 16 GB. It will let you play smoothly with high graphics and enable you to run applications in the background without affecting gameplay. Opting for 16GB is necessary for games like Call of Duty WarZone and Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). ECC-registered RAM is compatible with a few systems and helps reduce the chance of errors while gaming.
16GB of RAM is becoming the standard amount video gamers use. It gives you sufficient power to run the games you want, your streaming software, and other programs. However, streaming requires more RAM to stream at higher resolutions. So you want to opt for a type of RAM that doubles the amount you need for gaming. The majority of the games recommend you have at least 8GB of RAM on your PC, so your system must hold 16 GB of RAM in order to play games and do streaming at the same time.
32GB RAM
Going for 32GB of RAM highly increases the FPS compared to 16GB, and HP 32GB DDR4 is one of the best in this range. It will graphically enhance the performance of your gameplay. Moreover, it will allow you to run multiple things in the background, like live-streaming and using Chrome, system software, or Spotify. It is unlikely that your game will consume the full 32GB as it is more than enough and may cost extra. So, if you are looking for a budget-friendly option, you can stick to 16GB. However, once you run your game with it, you can’t resist using it due to its considerable performance benefits. One option for 32GB RAM is HP 32GB DDR4.
Best RAM Models for Gaming and Streaming
Most crazy gamers upgrade their RAM as the new or better ones hit the market. They want to play the latest and most advanced games on their PC at higher resolutions and settings. Listed below are the top RAM models that will improve your gaming experience.
- cl21 288-pin dimm dual rank 1.2v
- p00924-b21
- G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo 32GB (2 x 16GB) RGB DDR5-6000
- G.Skill Trident Z5 32GB (2 x 16GB) RGB DDR5-6000
- Samsung DDR5-4800 (2 x 16GB)
- TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem 16GB (2 x 8GB) ARGB DDR4-3600
- Patriot Viper Steel DDR4-4400 (2 x 8GB)
Beneficial Knowledge
Your gaming memory needs depend on many factors, like What type of games you want to play and how many applications you want to run in the background. Some people still use 8GB of RAM, even with all the restrictions. Moving on, 16 GB will surely improve your gaming experience. However, if you want to play advanced video games and do multitasking, then 32 GB of RAM is what you need most. The latest games have already started suggesting a minimum of 16 GB, so if you are a gaming enthusiast and want to future-proof for upcoming releases, 32GB can be a game-changer.