Do I need 16Gb of ram

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Jr14

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#1  Edited By Jr14
Member since 2004 • 2148 Posts

There is a deal going on right now where I can get another 8Gb of ram for $48. I already have 8Gb. Should I get an extra 8Gb? Will it future proof my PC for upcoming games?

I usually have a few programs running in the background while gaming that are automatically started when I start my computer.

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KHAndAnime

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#2 KHAndAnime
Member since 2009 • 17565 Posts

Considering that 8gb is recommended now for some games and have been for some time, another 8gb wouldn't be a bad idea if you want to have the recommended amount of RAM for titles coming down a year or two down the line.

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GeryGo

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#3  Edited By GeryGo  Moderator
Member since 2006 • 12803 Posts

@Jr14 said:

There is a deal going on right now where I can get another 8Gb of ram for $48. I already have 8Gb. Should I get an extra 8Gb? Will it future proof my PC for upcoming games?

I usually have a few programs running in the background while gaming that are automatically started when I start my computer.

No, unless you just bought a micro ATX MOBO with 2x DIMM slots

Even then I'd recommend you to buy only 1 stick now and another one later when you'll need it.

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Jr14

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#4  Edited By Jr14
Member since 2004 • 2148 Posts

@KHAndAnime: that's what I was thinking.

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#5 roselin
Member since 2015 • 6 Posts

8GB is sufficient for decent gaming

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Jr14

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#6 Jr14
Member since 2004 • 2148 Posts

@PredatorRules: I have an atx motherboard it has 4 ram slots I already have 2x4 sticks or ram in there.

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Jr14

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#7  Edited By Jr14
Member since 2004 • 2148 Posts

Not around my computer, but when I check my PC settings it says I have 7 something Gb of ram available.

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GeryGo

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#8 GeryGo  Moderator
Member since 2006 • 12803 Posts

@Jr14 said:

@PredatorRules: I have an atx motherboard it has 4 ram slots I already have 2x4 sticks or ram in there.

So no, I've already posted that before on your previous post when you asked what to upgrade.

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Truth_Hurts_U

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#9 Truth_Hurts_U
Member since 2006 • 9703 Posts

I tell people all the time 8GB min, 16 GB recommended.

You either buy for the now or the future.

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#10  Edited By BassMan
Member since 2002 • 17764 Posts

Not worth buying until you need it. The only reason for more than 8 GB RAM is if you are doing content creation (video editing, rendering, music production, etc.). It is a complete waste right now if you are only consuming media.

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horgen

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#11 horgen  Moderator
Member since 2006 • 127492 Posts

I say go for it unless you plan to upgrade to Skylake.. Although you can use DDR3 RAM with Skylake, it depends on the mobo you buy, I don't think I would get more RAM if I intended to upgrade to Skylake.

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Jr14

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#12 Jr14
Member since 2004 • 2148 Posts

@horgen: yeah I was wanting to eventually upgrade to skylake, but idk if that's gonna happen. Il need a new mobo, ram, cpu, and cpu cooler which is all gonna run me A LOT of money.

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#13 xantufrog  Moderator
Member since 2013 • 17875 Posts

No. As others alluded to, if you aren't hitting your RAM limit extra RAM doesn't get you anything. Why "future proof" now when another 8GB of DDR3 3 years from now will be cheaper than it is today

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#14 JigglyWiggly_
Member since 2009 • 24625 Posts

@xantufrog said:

No. As others alluded to, if you aren't hitting your RAM limit extra RAM doesn't get you anything. Why "future proof" now when another 8GB of DDR3 3 years from now will be cheaper than it is today

It will probably get more expensive as DDR4 production will take over.

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#15  Edited By Truth_Hurts_U
Member since 2006 • 9703 Posts

@JigglyWiggly_: Yep, and prices for DDR3 are expected to increase.

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#16  Edited By KHAndAnime
Member since 2009 • 17565 Posts

@xantufrog said:

No. As others alluded to, if you aren't hitting your RAM limit extra RAM doesn't get you anything. Why "future proof" now when another 8GB of DDR3 3 years from now will be cheaper than it is today

As the others mentioned, RAM prices don't necessarily work that way. RAM prices often increase with time. Heck, the RAM in my PC now would've been cheaper if I bought it a year earlier than I did. Best time to get RAM is when it's on a deal and convenient.

I can't help but wonder if all the 16GB naysayers are just stubborn 8GB'ers. There's absolutely no good reason not to upgrade. RAM is cheap, we're rubbing necks with game recommendations - do we need to put 2 and 2 together?

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#17 horgen  Moderator
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@Jr14 said:

@horgen: yeah I was wanting to eventually upgrade to skylake, but idk if that's gonna happen. Il need a new mobo, ram, cpu, and cpu cooler which is all gonna run me A LOT of money.

Skylake supports both, it depends on the mobo you choose.

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#18  Edited By xantufrog  Moderator
Member since 2013 • 17875 Posts

@KHAndAnime said:
@xantufrog said:

No. As others alluded to, if you aren't hitting your RAM limit extra RAM doesn't get you anything. Why "future proof" now when another 8GB of DDR3 3 years from now will be cheaper than it is today

As the others mentioned, RAM prices don't necessarily work that way. RAM prices often increase with time. Heck, the RAM in my PC now would've been cheaper if I bought it a year earlier than I did. Best time to get RAM is when it's on a deal and convenient.

I can't help but wonder if all the 16GB naysayers are just stubborn 8GB'ers. There's absolutely no good reason not to upgrade. RAM is cheap, we're rubbing necks with game recommendations - do we need to put 2 and 2 together?

Fair enough, I don't follow market that closely. But 1) if DDR4 is going to be out when you actually need more RAM, upgrade to DDR4 at that time instead of DDR3. You saved yourself money now on RAM you didn't need, and you went ahead and moved on to the better tech when you actually needed it. Sure, moving to DDR4 might involve big upgrades, but... "There's absolutely no good reason not to upgrade" - I maintain there is a reason: it's a waste of money. How many games use >8GB? I've never hit that limit. If DDR4 is out when I do, raising the price of DDR3, then I'll upgrade my system to a DDR4 compatible setup, and the (granted small) amount of money I saved from not buying RAM I don't need can go into that project.

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BassMan

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#19 BassMan
Member since 2002 • 17764 Posts

@xantufrog said:
@KHAndAnime said:
@xantufrog said:

No. As others alluded to, if you aren't hitting your RAM limit extra RAM doesn't get you anything. Why "future proof" now when another 8GB of DDR3 3 years from now will be cheaper than it is today

As the others mentioned, RAM prices don't necessarily work that way. RAM prices often increase with time. Heck, the RAM in my PC now would've been cheaper if I bought it a year earlier than I did. Best time to get RAM is when it's on a deal and convenient.

I can't help but wonder if all the 16GB naysayers are just stubborn 8GB'ers. There's absolutely no good reason not to upgrade. RAM is cheap, we're rubbing necks with game recommendations - do we need to put 2 and 2 together?

Fair enough, I don't follow market that closely. But 1) if DDR4 is going to be out when you actually need more RAM, upgrade to DDR4 at that time instead of DDR3. You saved yourself money now on RAM you didn't need, and you went ahead and moved on to the better tech when you actually needed it. Sure, moving to DDR4 might involve big upgrades, but... "There's absolutely no good reason not to upgrade" - I maintain there is a reason: it's a waste of money. How many games use >8GB? I've never hit that limit. If DDR4 is out when I do, raising the price of DDR3, then I'll upgrade my system to a DDR4 compatible setup, and the (granted small) amount of money I saved from not buying RAM I don't need can go into that project.

My thoughts exactly.

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#20 insane_metalist
Member since 2006 • 7797 Posts

If you're gaming and running other stuff in background without any issues then just stay with 8GB. If you're experiencing not enough RAM and or need more for video editing, etc then buy another 8GB.