Ads

Tom's Hardware > Forum > Motherboards & Memory > Memory > Is 8GB DDR3 RAM enough for gaming

Is 8GB DDR3 RAM enough for gaming

Forum Motherboards & Memory : Memory Is 8GB DDR3 RAM enough for gaming

I'm looking to upgrade my rig in the near future. My current memory is 4 GB of DDR3. Will 8 GB be enough for gaming now until it comes time to upgrade my mobo with the next generation of RAM or should I do an extra 8 GB for 12 GB all together? I'm trying to keep costs low while future proofing my rig as much as possible.

Reply to Josh5890

Intel or Amd? Intel CPU's have a tri channel memory controller. AMD only has duel memory controller. So 12gb (3 sticks) for Intel. 8gb (2 to 4 sticks) for AMD. And yes 8gb is enough.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to saint7269

saint7269 wrote :

Intel or Amd? Intel CPU's have a tri channel memory controller. AMD only has duel memory controller. So 12gb (3 sticks) for Intel. 8gb (2 to 4 sticks) for AMD. And yes 8gb is enough.

Not entirely true!
Both AMD and Intel(1156/1155) have platforms that support dual channel DDR3 ram.
Intel 1366 uses Tri channel DDR3.
OP what are your system specs?
CPU/MOBO

Message edited by davcon on 10-22-2011 at 04:55:09 PM

Reply to davcon

4 GB. is enough for any current games. 8 GB. is enough for the future and then some.

------------------------------ READ THIS: A GOOGLE SEARCH WILL ANSWER 98% OF ALL QUESTIONS ASKED IN FORUMS !

*** OVERCLOCKING IS A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY FILLED WITH FRUSTRATION. IT IS NOT A DESTINATION. ***
Reply to beenthere

^+1 Thanks. My knowledge of Intel is a little foggy.

Reply to saint7269

8 GB is plenty for gaming - you only need more if you're running lots of intense programs (graphics/video editing, transcoding, VMs, etc).

Reply to Inanition02

My Specs: AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 965 | GeForce GT 220 | 4 GB DDR3 RAM | 350 W PSU

Message quoted 1 times

Josh5890 wrote :

My Specs: AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 965 | GeForce GT 220 | 4 GB DDR3 RAM | 350 W PSU

More ram isn't going to help you gaming wise.
Your systems weaknesses are the gpu and psu.
The most beneficial upgrade for gaming is a better gpu,unfortunately that might also require a new psu.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to davcon

davcon wrote :

More ram isn't going to help you gaming wise.
Your systems weaknesses are the gpu and psu.
The most beneficial upgrade for gaming is a better gpu,unfortunately that might also require a new psu.

I agree with you there. My system is getting huge makeover. I'm keeping the mobo and cpu but I'm upgrading just about everything else. The GPU and PSU will be getting an upgrade (looking at a 750W and HD6950). I'm going to finally get Windows 7, a 1 TB HDD, and maybe a new dvd drive. I figure if I'm going all out I might as well upgrade the RAM a little bit.

Message quoted 1 times

Josh5890 wrote :

Well if that's the case then yes 8gb of ram is recommended.
A quality 650W psu will run those specs no problem even oc'd.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to davcon

davcon wrote :

Well if that's the case then yes 8gb of ram is recommended.
A quality 650W psu will run those specs no problem even oc'd.

Thanks for the info. I know this is getting off topic but is this the best bang for my buck? http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] CatId=1483 I've heard good things about corsair and I don't want to go above $90 for one before rebates.

Message quoted 1 times

Josh5890 wrote :

Yes that's a good quality unit

Reply to davcon

What OS ....32 or 64 bit ?

32 bit - I'd stay with 4 GB
64 bit - I'd go to 8 GB

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 778-6.html

Quote :

In a 64-bit system with a powerful graphics card, 8 GB of RAM really is a must if you're going to play demanding games. This is the case regardless of whether you're using 32-bit or 64-bit applications. However, even more than 8 GB of RAM can be subjectively noticed while playing. There is no real need for 16 GB of RAM, though. Going with 8 GB is quite enough unless you're running some taxing application in the background. We’ll comment more on this subject later, because the problem is often overestimated, as shown in our 64-bit gaming benchmarks.

------------------------------ If a man speaks in the forest and no woman hears him, is he still wrong ?
Reply to JackNaylorPE

Ask the community Add a reply

Related content

See all topics related to "Is 8GB DDR3 RAM enough for gaming"

Tom's Hardware > Forum > Motherboards & Memory > Memory > Is 8GB DDR3 RAM enough for gaming

Go to:

Help |
Forum rules

There are 1771 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Page generated in 1.005 seconds

Please mind

You are about to answer a thread that has been inactive for more than 6 months.
If you still wish to proceed, please ensure that your posting is original and does not duplicate or overlap any prior responses to this thread.

Add a reply Cancel

Ads

Latest best answer

Memory for GIGABYTE GA-G41MT-S2P

By fantastik250, 7 hours ago:

Take a look at this and see if you like it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...]...

Is 8GB DDR3 RAM enough for gaming

Forum Motherboards & Memory : Memory Is 8GB DDR3 RAM enough for gaming

Motherboards

Memory

Chipsets & Bios

Abit

Aopen

ASRock

Asus

Chaintech

Corsair

DFI

Elitegroup

Epox

FIC

Foxconn

G.SKILL

Gigabyte

Jetway

MSI-Microstar

Shuttle

Soyo

Supermicro

Tyan

Please mind