8 GB Vs. 16 GB Gaming Rig

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NastyNative

Gawd
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Jan 28, 2009
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Just for playing Games would you suggest 8 GB (2x 4 GB sticks) vs 16 GB (4x 4GB sticks)

Im not doing anything crazy just playing games.
Will BF3 see a difference?

Corsair DDR 3 1600 PC 12800
 
I would shoot for a 2x8GB setup for 16GB total. It gives you more room for future games. Right now games with top end graphics recommend 8GB already.
 
Unless you are severely hurt on money, actually even then I'd recommend waiting a week or 2. 16GB is pretty cheap yet. For a little over 100$ why not?
 
NastyNative said:
Just for playing Games would you suggest 8 GB (2x 4 GB sticks) vs 16 GB (4x 4GB sticks)

Im not doing anything crazy just playing games.
Will BF3 see a difference?

Corsair DDR 3 1600 PC 12800
Click to expand...

none of the above. you should get 1.35v 8gb dimms in whatever quantity necessary for the space you need. if you don't know how much space you need, you only need 8gb.

example:
Home > Categories > Desktop Memory (x) > Capacity : 8GB (x) > Text Search Terms: 1.35v (x) (1-3 of 3 Results)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1&bop=And&SrchInDesc=1.35v&Page=1&PageSize=20
 
NastyNative said:
Just for playing Games would you suggest 8 GB (2x 4 GB sticks) vs 16 GB (4x 4GB sticks)

Im not doing anything crazy just playing games.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't bother unless you also like having 50 tabs open in a browser at the same time or keep lots of other programs open or something. I mean, if you catch a deal on some, great, but it wouldn't be high on my list of things to worry about.
 
8G, by the time a game needs more than 8G of memory you will be building a new rig to run them.

even whit 50 tabs open you won't come near to 8G of memory with a game running.
 
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8 will be fine. But if you think you'll need it, grab 16GB, the cost isn't that much anyway.
 
Prices look to be coming down a bit at the moment, so 16gb isn't a bad decision either way, unless it's the expensive stuff that hardly gives much if any benefit.

This is where having a board with 4 slots is nice (which it sounds like the OP has) since you can always add another two sticks later with no worries about the size of the original two sticks, and can split the difference and just go to 12gb if wanted. ...assuming you don't want to go to 32gb. Then you're stuck with buying all 8gb sticks, obviously.

I typically have around 3gb taken up just from browsers. My SSD cache drive uses another gb. That's 4gb right there. But most normal people when playing a game aren't going to leave 50 tabs open or some other big programs they could simply close. And even with leaving it open and using that much memory, I'd say 8gb is still adequate.

I guess we could look at how much memory BF3 uses. I've seen people say it uses anywhere from 1.5gb to 4.5gb. I would assume anything much above 2gb is just the memory doing some extra caching and might be nice but isn't necessary, but I don't know without looking into it more.

Especially with four slots, unless I catch a really good sale, I'd just get 8gb and go from there.
 
What makes 1.35 better then 1.5? Intel CPUs can run 1.5 memory without any problems.
 
Samson4EiT said:
Unless you are severely hurt on money, actually even then I'd recommend waiting a week or 2. 16GB is pretty cheap yet. For a little over 100$ why not?
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Why not? Because its entirely unnecessary.

OP I noticed ZERO going from 4gb to 12gb and all i do is play games, BF3 included.
 
yeah nothing worse than needing to find a spare RAM stick because you cant get your ram to post due the default voltage in the bios being set below the spec for your RAM.

I have not ran into that issue for a long time, but there was a time where that was a bigger issue than it is today.


i have 32gb of RAM in my rig and I am struggling to find how to use it, even with heavy video editing.

8gb will be great for a long time, playing BF3 with 3x23" LCDs at ultra settings I am way under 8gb of RAM,

Perhaps it depends on how much RAM is on your GPU?
 
trick0502 said:
Really? If you're buying name brand 1.5v ram I don't think you will have any problems with compatibility.

Does 1.35v ram oc higher?
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Buying lower voltage ram gives you a little more headspace to oc, because you can still increase the voltage
 
I run 16GB in my current rig, as well as my son and wife's rigs. I don't think any of us have seen a time when our used system memory spiked over 8GB to be honest. We all have dual monitors and my son typically has like 20 tabs in a browser along with gaming, plus music and a bunch of other stuff that I don't recognize. I think if you were going to be gaming on some really high resolution or xfire setup it might go above the 8GB, but I'm not 100% sure.
 
I have 16gb 4x4 good for a ram drive. 8gb 2x4 is fine should overclock better lower latency. 1.35v low profile and heat all the way:D
 
I Just bought a Maximus VI Hero for my haswell build and 16GB of Corsair Vengeance Pro 2400. The way I see it many say that 8 is plenty these days. But the max on my mobo is 32GB. So I'm halfway there. Add another of the same kit if 32GB becomes a necessity (not likely).
 
trick0502 said:
Really? If you're buying name brand 1.5v ram I don't think you will have any problems with compatibility.

Does 1.35v ram oc higher?
Click to expand...

you did not state that you were buying a board with the intention of overclocking. in general, as a rule of thumb, lower voltage means lower power draw, lower heat, more headroom for overclocking and increased board compatibility.

you asked a general question, you received a general answer. if you had said what board you were intending on using it with, and your stated purposes as to why you were interested in potentially one or the other

or maybe you just think i'm a mind reader
 
trick0502 said:
Really? If you're buying name brand 1.5v ram I don't think you will have any problems with compatibility.

Does 1.35v ram oc higher?
Click to expand...

while true currently, iirc it wasn't until these second and third generation intel ddr3 based sockets that 1.65v ram started having issues. It could give him the possibility of moving to a new socket without buying new ram.

I'd get 1.35v 16gb or 32gb ram if I wanted my ram to transcend builds.
 
I would say 16 gigs that way you can still run all your background processes comfortably while gaming and maby browsing at the same time but if your on a budget 8 gigs is fine for most situations
 
With memory as cheap as it is, why not just go for 2x8GB? May not need it now, but every time I've built a computer, within a year or so I wish I had just maxed it out. And any memory you don't use, Windows uses it as cache.
 
1.25v ftw! Agree with above for as little price diff, 16gb would suit anyone fine for a long time to come. can always use 1 8gb if a spare pc needed it as well.
 
I've got 8GB but I don't use anywhere near that playing just games. You must likely won't either. 16 seems like overkill IMO.
 
I would go with the 16GB setup. I routinely go just about 8GB used when gaming if I am running other programs or streaming.
 
16GB for sure. My machine normally has 18-22GB cached on any given day. Steam, Origin, Mass Effect 3, and Borderlands 2 drive the majority of usage. Utilities and a 1GB ram drive finish it off.
 
I have 6GB, though I may upgrade to an IVY-E setup when they are out, 6GB has been absolutely fine for me with SLI 780s gaming at 1440p, and that is with multiple browser windows open as well as running a few lightweight programs in the background. I'm not one to shy away from overkill, but you can be sure that 16GB certainly is for your usage.
 
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8 gb is fine unless your doing video editing or running virtual machines. 16 gb if you can afford it is nice for future proofing and precaching.
 
Honestly I suggest just picking up the 16gb 2 x 8 gb modules this way you wont have to concern yourself with what to get and regret not doing so in the future. The difference in pricing isn't extremely dramatic it's not like it's $100+ for the 16gb sticks. their going for around $110 avg for ddr3 1600mhz. Just grab the 16gb and be done with it =)
 
16GB Star citizen is supposed to be 8GB minimum and you never want minimum on anything pc spec related
 
I'd get 16 if the extra $60 or so isn't a big deal to you. I wouldn't upgrade yet, but with current ram prices I'd rather just get the 8GB DIMMs & be set for a good while.

1. 64-bit games are coming soon. The new consoles have 8 total & will force the issue. XP support also ends next year. 8GB machines are common, so it's likely some games will be able to use all of 8GB. If the game will use all of 8GB you'll want more, particularly if you like to leave a lot of crap running. I know I've definitely gotten used to doing that, and IMHO it's worth $60 to not have to close my browser windows, etc. before launching a game.
2. There will probably be a few games coming out not long after 64-bit hits that will be able to scale up past 8GB. They won't need it, but will be able to use it. Bigger map sizes, more units, that kind of thing. Normal in 4GB, large map in 8GB, extra large in 16+ & you'd better have a fast CPU. That sort of thing. This sort of thing used to be fairly common. Then we slammed into the 2GB Win32 process size limit.
3. The unwashed masses are getting 8GB machines at Best Buy
 
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