16GB or 8GB

It depends on what you're doing with your computer. For most people 8GB is enough. If you're doing CAD or Video Editing, more might be beneficial.

Another Important factor is whether those 20-30 bucks can be spent elsewhere to give you a better benefit, e.g. you're $30 short of a significantly better GPU, or if you (like me) would prefer larger hard disk or ssd instead of more RAM.

What does your build look like? At 1200, you might be able to get a GTX 1080 if you only get 8GB RAM and slim down your case to a budget case. Something like this: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/ccnHBP

8 to 16 is the sweet spot. I recently went from 8 to 16. I noticed no difference in performance for my usage; games, web, video, some video work. Like Dunlop said if getting 8 lets you buy a better GPU or CPU that would probably be the better use of the money. Plus you can also jam in more later, RAM is the easiest thing to upgrade in a PC.

In 2010 it was 8 GB ... 6 years later, I don't use anything less than 2 x 8GB sets. When 16 GB costs just $50, I think it's rather silly to skimp and try and save $20.

BTW, lose the Z170 MoBo, Z170 is fir k series processors ... you paying a substantial price premium for features you can't use ... also, the Z170-A has a substandard ALC 892 audio subsystem ... for a gaming box, you'd want ALC 1150 which all other manufacturers offer down to the $100 price point


Does it make a difference ? Both Yes and No answers are correct.

No is correct if you have another hardware component bottlenecking performance
Yes is correct if you have another hardware component bottlenecking performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDkKDqThyBo

It's still not required to have 16GB, but I have seen two games recently that listed that much in the "recommended" column.

Except when ....

a) it doesn't work ... the higher the DDR speed, the more likely you will have compatibility issues. From 2400 on up, it gets quite iffy. Especially with DDR4 in its infancy, you run up against vendors propensity to buy higher spec RAM early in production runs ... and then switch to cheaper modules later on. This results in incompatibilities even when they are same model number. here's one I ran into

Corsair Vengeance Pro (Pre version 4.51) had 10-12-12-28 timings
Corsair Vengeance Pro (Post version 4.51) had 10-12-12-31 timings

Even after adjusting all timings to 10-12-12-31, I still had to adjust secondary timings and increase DRAM voltage

b) 4 x 4 GB puts a greater load on CPU / IMC than 2 x 8GB

c) It kills your OC (which won't apply in OPs case)

Back in the day when 16 GB could cost an extra $100, I could see hesitating, but today, I don't think $20 is gonna let ya jump up to a better CPU / GPU

DDR4 is not yet mature, but I wouldn't say infancy anymore. Compatibility problems don't start till 3200 and higher. Vendors change their products w/o changing names often enough. This isn't specific to RAM, nor specific to DDR4. That's why the common wisdom is to buy a full kit of RAM.

If you look at the build that I recommended above, it's pretty down to the wire, it barely makes it in budget. If you have a strict budget, which isn't unusual, straying even a few dollars above can be a problem. Like most things, price of RAM per GB is decreasing, and that's the easiest component to upgrade--no data to transfer (like on storage), rarely if ever do you come across compatibility issues, and overall it's a simple swap. So, when you're a couple bucks short of a gtx 1080, you scrafice the extra 8gb of ram.

Again, I have seen problems reported above 2400.... AFAIK, the market has not yet matured and we have not as yet seen manufacturers switching suppliers... that's when

$15 gets you DDR2400 and 2 x 8GB. That could be easily be paid for by losing the SSD. Unless 0.9 seconds of saved boot times excites you. the SSD won't help gaming in any way as after you allocate the 7% for the inflated size rating, another 15% for recommended free space, 80 G for Windows, figure 30 / 40 GB of necessary apps, you are down to a meager 80 GB ... GTAV takes up 95 GB

256 GB Samsung Pro SSD boosts Windows in 15.6 seconds
1 TB SSHD boots Windows in 16.5 seconds

In tossing the SSD and using an SSHD, you lose 0.9 seconds of boot time, but you gain 50% performance (9.76 MB/s versus 6.55 MB/s) in every single game that couldn't fit on the SSD

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/hdd-charts-2013/-17-PCMark-7-Gaming,2915.html

That puts $64 back in the budget and spends $18 .... leaving you with more than enough money ($46) to pay the extra $15 which gives you faster RAM, faster game loading, at a cost of 0.9 seconds of boot time if it was a Samsung Pro ... and that PNY SSD is certainly not a Samsung Pro

But your build already missed the budget so the discussion is kinda moot. That build is already $70 over budget; I can make it $7 cheaper with the RAM / Storage upgrades but still the Spec 01 is a bit small for that kind of GFX horsepower.

I have always taken the approach of a "balanced build".... that the CPU, MoBo, RAM etc should be on par with the rest of the system and we are a long way from that here. If we are talking $1200, I doubt we are talking about a monitor that is worthy of what the 1080 delivers.

And no I certainly wouldn't drive a 1080p monitor with a GTX 1080 ... which will deliver 850+ fps in every game out there. what value would that provide on a 60 hz 1080p monitor ?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($237.89 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($118.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: PNY Anarchy 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($74.55 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card ($449.95 @ B&H)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1184.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-24 21:09 EDT-0400

It's not a 1080 .... but the 1080 is way too much cad for 1080p and what you'd expect to find associated with a $1200 build